Hi all,
I searched but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. My truck is a '99 4x4 5.9l sport. I recently installed 2.5" coil spacers up front and AALs in the rear. Now when I turn the steering wheel more than 1 rev from straight I can hear and feel a popping noise. I can feel it in the floor and in the steering wheel. It seems like after it pops the steering wheel turns more easily. Truck drives smooth and straight down the road at all speeds. The noise is most noticeable at slow speeds and especially when stopped. This never happened before the coil spacers were installed. Can anyone give me a clue as to what I should be looking for? Thanks.

 

Time to check the front axle end U-joints.

 

^ Yup, More than likely it's U-Joints, but just another idea.... I had a similar issue on mine, and when I crawled underneath the truck checking for play, I found out that the front drive shaft was LOOSE! On the back side, it has 4 bolts connecting it to the T case, and they were all almost 90% backed out, and that was what my popping sound was.
It might be something to look at first just in case, a free fix is better than replacing everything else.

 

Thanks for the replies. Why would this only start after I lifted the front end up though?

 

i had the same issue and after i had put on the new thurans trac bar my popping sound went away . it only did it when i backed up and stopped sounds like the spring was moving around or binding up

check the trac bar for play that may be the problem or your ball joints

 

the lift puts more stress on everything under the front end so maybe its a weight pitching while turning deal due to it being higher. make sure your u joints are good and check everything attached to your suspension to make sure its all tight. make sure your shocks are tight on both ends too.

 

The track bar and all 4 shocks were replaced when I put the spacers in. I know for a fact that the front left shock is a little loose at the bottom, could this really be causing the popping?

 

Yes, it could. A few hundred miles after my shocks were installed, the front driver's side came loose. Would pop (and could feel it in floorboard), especially over large bumps.

 

^ That could very well be the problem.

Edit: Damn you Jason.

Loose shocks can cause popping.

 

by any chance did you forget to put in the upper factory rubber spacer on the spring after you put the leveling kit in. ive seen this happen and the trucks made some horrible banging sounds