LCA Skid Plate Creaking

[Stonetree]

Well, this just started for me too, I'll be getting under mine for a close inspection this weekend. Has anyone actually observed the shock nut moving while turning the steering wheel? Just seems odd that it would do that.

It may not be the shock nut moving. After taking mine off and looking at them (see posted pics), you can see small "wear" spots. The skid plate and the LCA are both aluminum. Something must be flexing a minute amount to cause creaking. Probably doesn't take much flex at all for it to reverberate through the metal.

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[ne2000]

It may not be the shock nut moving. After taking mine off and looking at them (see posted pics), you can see small "wear" spots. The skid plate and the LCA are both aluminum. Something must be flexing a minute amount to cause creaking. Probably doesn't take much flex at all for it to reverberate through the metal.

yeah I saw that, I will see what I can see for myself, thanks

 

[KyleQ]

So what's the point to these skids anyway? You clearly lose ground clearance - is there a pendemic of snapping off those exposed nuts or battering the LCA's until failure?

 

[0ne]

So what's the point to these skids anyway? You clearly lose ground clearance - is there a pendemic of snapping off those exposed nuts or battering the LCA's until failure?

‍…must…cover…everything…with…skid…plates…‍

 

[ne2000]

So what's the point to these skids anyway? You clearly lose ground clearance - is there a pendemic of snapping off those exposed nuts or battering the LCA's until failure?

You're not losing ground clearance besides the thickness of the plate, minimal. I used to offroad a cherokee trailhawk and scraped up the control arms and all the skids for that matter pretty good. Did they damage to the point of break? No, and yes the bronco has much higher clearances but the cost and weight is negligible so... Why not? So far this noise is the only downside and it's not to the point of annoyance for me yet, but I will try to rectify it regardless.

 

[KyleQ]

I guess if you are bored and just want to light cash on fire... so be it.

 

[ne2000]

OK I got it over the pit in my dad's garage this morning. Found my passenger side was creaking near full turn to the right. Pro tip is to not just listen for it but feel the skid for it while someone else is turning the wheel. You can feel the popping movement in the plate only. Definitely no movement of any fasteners or shock nut. There must be the slightest of flex in the arm here that's causing the movement of the skid against the arm others showed in pictures . Anyway, decided to try loosening only the clamping piece on the motor side to see if that resolved it. It did. Those were a bit less snug also, which may have finally started to allow the slightest of movement and the noise. I then tightened it back down at full steering wheel turn for each side. Resolved it immediately. It's possible it may return but if a quick loosening of those two clamping bolts and tightening at full turn resolved it again I can spend the five mins to do that. In my experience there is no need to touch the shock nut at all, unless of course it's not tightened to spec. Hope that helps and makes sense.

Another thing that could work would be adding plastic or rubber between that clamping piece and the arm so you could tighten it down and still allow for that slight movement. Not sure if anyone tried that.

 

[0ne]

OK I got it over the pit in my dad's garage this morning. Found my passenger side was creaking near full turn to the right. Pro tip is to not just listen for it but feel the skid for it while someone else is turning the wheel. You can feel the popping movement in the plate only. Definitely no movement of any fasteners or shock nut. There must be the slightest of flex in the arm here that's causing the movement of the skid against the arm others showed in pictures . Anyway, decided to try loosening only the clamping piece on the motor side to see if that resolved it. It did. Those were a bit less snug also, which may have finally started to allow the slightest of movement and the noise. I then tightened it back down at full steering wheel turn for each side. Resolved it immediately. It's possible it may return but if a quick loosening of those two clamping bolts and tightening at full turn resolved it again I can spend the five mins to do that. In my experience there is no need to touch the shock nut at all, unless of course it's not tightened to spec. Hope that helps and makes sense.

Another thing that could work would be adding plastic or rubber between that clamping piece and the arm so you could tighten it down and still allow for that slight movement. Not sure if anyone tried that.

Great diagnosis and initial remedy! Your pops has a pit in his garage?! Super jealous…I think there’s enough meat and/or extra material/casting bosses to design one whereby you drill and tap the arm underneath and mount it without using the strut hardware or a clamp of any kind. That would entail a more involved installation though.

 

[ne2000]

Great diagnosis and initial remedy! Your pops has a pit in his garage?! Super jealous…I think there’s enough meat and/or extra material/casting bosses to design one whereby you drill and tap the arm underneath and mount it without using the strut hardware or a clamp of any kind. That would entail a more involved installation though.

Dont be too jealous of that pit, my brothers and I dug most of its 20 foot length by hand as teens, but makes working on stuff a breeze.

 

[Murfman]

Does it sound like this? I don't have LCA skids but I do have Metalcloak skids. Mine I hear when the shocks compress and decompress. I can make it happen when braking at slow speeds or going over bumps slowly.

 

[ne2000]

Does it sound like this? I don't have LCA skids but I do have Metalcloak skids. Mine I hear when the shocks compress and decompress. I can make it happen when braking at slow speeds or going over bumps slowly.

Not what I was hearing on mine and unfortunately I didn't record it. Mine was more like a slow door creak?

 

[AZSky]

It definitely would be helpful if @ASFIR 4x4 would be more active on this thread. Like have they corrected the torque instructions and what to do with this problem.

I am wondering whether gluing a delrin square over the worn spots may help.
I have an installation scheduled this Thursday and wondering what to do with the delrin washers I got following Ron's advice.

 

[ne2000]

It definitely would be helpful if @ASFIR 4x4 would be more active on this thread. Like have they corrected the torque instructions and what to do with this problem.

I am wondering whether gluing a delrin square over the worn spots may help.
I have an installation scheduled this Thursday and wondering what to do with the delrin washers I got following Ron's advice.

Since my adjustments I described above I've not had new squeaks.

 

[ASFIR 4x4]

It definitely would be helpful if @ASFIR 4x4 would be more active on this thread. Like have they corrected the torque instructions and what to do with this problem.

I am wondering whether gluing a delrin square over the worn spots may help.
I have an installation scheduled this Thursday and wondering what to do with the delrin washers I got following Ron's advice.

Hey, we're definately on this - and thanks for highlighting it again
We've followed-up on this matter with other customers that have purchased this product (both in Israel and abroad) and yet to hear another complaint on that matter.
If such arises again, we'll take care of it to the best of our abilities.

Reut @ ASFIR

 

[0ne]

Hey, we're definately on this - and thanks for highlighting it again
We've followed-up on this matter with other customers that have purchased this product (both in Israel and abroad) and yet to hear another complaint on that matter.
If such arises again, we'll take care of it to the best of our abilities.

Reut @ ASFIR

Hello @ASFIR 4x4 , what is/was your proposed solution? Thanks

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