Hi Austin, I have a Jeep Cherokee. When I drive it there is a clacking noise from front drivers side, when I lightly apply brakes ..it stops.
I have changed tires,added new brakes,had front end checked and lined up and installed a new u joint opposite side shaft. It has had a bad shake and light wobble at times and higher speeds and Ive noticed when making slow turns either way the tires seem to jerk and almost skip as i move..Hope this has been a good explanation to help give you a pic of my problem. could it be that side ujoint? doesn’t seem to be loose when I move it by hand…could it be a bad bearing or bent spindle or both? thanks jeff
Hey Jeff,
Not sure how much help I can be without test driving it for myself, but I think I would first double check your front brake installation. If the noise goes away when you lightly step on the brake pedal you might have a loose caliper, missing or broken anti rattle clips on the brake pads, or an out of round brake rotor that needs to be resurfaced or replaced.
I would also want to check the sway bar link bushings, shock bushings and the front stabilizer shock at the front of the vehicle under the radiator area if it has one.
On the wobble and shake complaint, that is probably a separate issue. If you can drive out of the shake, meaning its present at 60MPH but goes away or gets better at 70MPH then it is probably a tire balance issue. Rotate and re-balance the tires and see what happens. A worn out front stabilizer shock absorber can also cause shimmy, shakes and loss of control symptoms. So if you have one, you might want to replace it.
Keep me posted will ya?
Blessings,
Austin Davis