!! Single popping sound coming from front part of the car !!

Hello guys! I am newb when it comes to forums so I apologize in advance if i have done something wrong while posting that thread.

My landy is a Freelander td4 2002 112 bhp fitted with a Jatco automatic gearbox. It has 172 000 km on the clock. Gearbox was refurbished and up to a factory standards in a specialized shop here in Bulgaria.It has been serviced well so far but half an year ago I have begun lurking here in order to solve some problems as it is an old lady already and needs her cares to be taken seriously. I did my best and I have change most of the suspension parts in the front part , axle drive ass`ly`s , etc. because of noise issues caused by pot hole wear and tear and I can say that I did pretty well considering I am not a pro mechanic. And All thanks to this amazing forum which was like tutor to me.

My last problem is very stubborn and probably is here to stay Hope NOT. I cant figure it out what is causing it so that is why I am here reaching for help and advice in here where the gurus of the landrovers are.

There is a SINGLE popping sound coming from the front of the vehicle. It is observed ONLY when pressing with moderate or a bit harsher the gas pedal right AFTER changing from reverse to drive or vice versa. It does n`t sound like metal to metal clunk but more like a dull clunk I should say (probably not the best explanation). Maybe there is something to do with the LH axle drive assembly which causes that because this was one of the last items to fit in the car. It was done 2 weeks ago and prior to that there had been no such noises. I have also changed all the bushes in the front end, ball joints, a-frames , struts (inspected and found in good working condition), drop links are good.BTW both front axle drive assemblies have been replaced with ALLMAKES 4x4 and the bushes are the poly kit for freelander produced by Britpart (DC7002) in case you require that info too. The tie rod on the sub frame could be the culprit but can not say with certainty. It does wiggle a lot though but only when TRAVERSAL force is applied to the big bush which secures the tie rod to the sub-frame, the small bush seem alright. Big bush looks OK, there are no tears, no shreds or missing material but I can pop it right out of the tie rod.

Any suggestions, advice or solutions are greatly appreciated as I am clueless at this point.


Best regards,
Kiril
(Hippo fanatic )

What is the condition of the front rubber mounting on the rear diff unit?

Have another look at that lower engine tie bar. Is it tight enough? You might be best to remove it - not a difficult task, and have a close inspection of its rubber components. While you're there have a look at the suspension use a bar and give it a wobble to see that all has been securely tightened. Other that it could the rear diff mount/s. Gook luck.

Thanks for the replies. I will check all the suggested items as soon as possible. I have been reading about those notorious rear diff mounts on freelanders but never actually inspected them on mine. I will give em a thorough look at the end of this weekend.
I keep thinking about those front axle drive assebly`s that I have recently fitted on my vehicle. They are an aftermarket alternative and I dont know if we should be ruling them out so soon but on the other hand they were brand new. I am puzzled . I dont know how to test them though. The RH one was fitted 1.5 months ago (at the time that was the only thing that I changed) and there was no clunk but the next time I have entered my landy in the garage I have fitted it with the new LH drive shaft, both a-frames were renewed , all the front bushings (without the engine and gearbox mountings) were renewed. After driving the car out I have noticed the thud/clunk. Could it be that I have over-/under-torqued the axle nut on the LH drive shaft and that causing some issues with the hub/bearing?

I will post an update with the results this Sunday.

Sorry for the delayed update on the case . What I did is to check the condition of the lower engine tie rod bushes and I have found as i previously suspected , a lot of wiggle/play in the big bush. Big enough play that I can pop it out very easily. So as to minimize that play I have wound a tape on the big bush and also I did wind some tape on the bolts which pass through those bushes. The play now is very little to none. So far there wasn't any popping sound but on the other hand I have just finished the work on the car and I actually did test it but only on spot, not while driving. Tomorrow I will be testing for that pesky thud if it is cured or not. :rolly:
Anyway, please keep the thoughts flying because I doubt that it is lower tie rod the culprit of this mishap.

I `ll be damn. Maybe the tie rod was the cause. I am a little cautions though. So far so good. There is no popping sound.

Today my landy will be put through its passes as I will be going out of town and I am going to push her.

I will let you know of the results.


Cheers

Nope. No luck. It is still there and it is as irritating as before. But there is some hope. I have located it somewhere in the rh front part. I suspect the rh axle drive assembly but I need some one with more experience than me to give me his/her opinion first then to act on it.

So guys , please, I need your assistance on this ,as i found out the hard way, it is not going to go by itself.

kenny88 said:

Sorry for the delayed update on the case . What I did is to check the condition of the lower engine tie rod bushes and I have found as i previously suspected , a lot of wiggle/play in the big bush. Big enough play that I can pop it out very easily. So as to minimize that play I have wound a tape on the big bush and also I did wind some tape on the bolts which pass through those bushes. The play now is very little to none. So far there wasn't any popping sound but on the other hand I have just finished the work on the car and I actually did test it but only on spot, not while driving. Tomorrow I will be testing for that pesky thud if it is cured or not. :rolly:
Anyway, please keep the thoughts flying because I doubt that it is lower tie rod the culprit of this mishap.

Click to expand...

Tape around things won't last long with the forces/movement that the tie bar lives with. I don't think it's an expensive part and it's a simple job to change.

Hi htr,

I agree about the short lasting effect that the taping is gonna have but the issue is clearly not from the tie rod. This quick fix /sort of speak/ was done only to isolate the issue and perhaps to pin point what was doing that noise. I failed in that endeavor and once again I am turning to you people for help. Any suggestions on that matter ?