what is turning underneath floorboard?

what is it that i can feel turning underneath the floorboard when i put my hand on the floorboard directly to the left of the 4wd shift lever and transmission shifter??

when i start up the car it makes a little of a grinding sound but goes away once i engage drive on my transmission.

how does the transmission connect to the transfer case? could this be causing the grinding noise?

FYI, the grinding occurs when the car is just turned on and is in 'park'

You might think I'm nuts, but go and lay under the jeep, driver's side.
have a friend crank it up, and just WATCH.

I had the same kind of "mystery sound", and it turned out to be my exhaust. The header clamp let the whole back exhaust rotate in the header tube a tiny bit, but enough to let the tube ahead of the cat to touch the floorpan- and the engine idle let the vibes run into the tranny tunnel just sitting.

As soon as I put it in "D", the motor shifted on it's mounts just enough to give clearance on the floorpan, and no more noise. I wouldn't suspect this unless you have had exhaust work done on the XJ...

Lots of PB Blaster, a new clamp and a good shove put everything back in place.

The OTHER thing you might have is the bearing/bushing on the 4WD shifter gone bad. It's a tiny little bronze ring in a steel cup, and it doesn't come from the factory well lubricated. They HAD a little rubber boot to keep lube in, but mine (1991) had long ago disappeared. There was a factory recall on a bunch of cherokees because of it- Mopar makes a retrofit kit for $15, but it's a pain in the butt to install, because the carpet in the driver's area needs to come up for tool clearance to the 4 tiny self-tapping screws they used.

The dead giveaway to rule the bearing out is that it rattles like crazy at a stoplight, and it sometimes goes away if you move the 4WD lever around a little while waitng for the light to change. Just be careful not to move the lever enough to engauge the 4WD.

George2 said:

The OTHER thing you might have is the bearing/bushing on the 4WD shifter gone bad. It's a tiny little bronze ring in a steel cup, and it doesn't come from the factory well lubricated. They HAD a little rubber boot to keep lube in, but mine (1991) had long ago disappeared. There was a factory recall on a bunch of cherokees because of it- Mopar makes a retrofit kit for $15, but it's a pain in the butt to install, because the carpet in the driver's area needs to come up for tool clearance to the 4 tiny self-tapping screws they used.

The dead giveaway to rule the bearing out is that it rattles like crazy at a stoplight, and it sometimes goes away if you move the 4WD lever around a little while waitng for the light to change. Just be careful not to move the lever enough to engauge the 4WD.

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I second looking for this. Made me think I needed a new tranny. I "fixed" it by putting a piece of rubber fuel line inside the bracket to prop up and put some pressure on the rattling rod. It's been 2 years with no problems since.

so to get to this area i have to pull up the carpet?

or should i remove the center console?

slacker said:

so to get to this area i have to pull up the carpet?

or should i remove the center console?

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Under the car.

langer1 said:

Under the car.

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there is nothing under the car that lets me access the 4wd shifter. while im underneath i can feel the same grinding when i put my hand on the body of the car underneath the shifter. the grinding is coming from between the shifter and the underside.

i think i have to do something from inside the car?

slacker said:

there is nothing under the car that lets me access the 4wd shifter. while im underneath i can feel the same grinding when i put my hand on the body of the car underneath the shifter. the grinding is coming from between the shifter and the underside.

i think i have to do something from inside the car?

Click to expand...

The t-case shifter is under the car, the transmission shifter is nothing more than a box with a cable on it.Are you leaking any trany fluid?

nope, i can just feel a something turning and grinding in the floorboard by the 4wd shifter

I have a similar question, what would cause a popping noise to be heard through the driver side floorboards? It is sort of a loud pop that happens when I am cornering and the Jeep is leaning around a corner. Primarily making quick left hand turns. It sounds like a piece of metal flexing and then popping. I have new shocks, upper and lower control arms, control arm drop brackets, track bar mount and double shear bar, tie rod, wheels and tires and springs. Wheel bearing units are 3 years old. Front axle u-joints are 3 years old. I can't figure it out. I feel like it has done this problem for about 5 years though.

for the OP I would still check exhaust. I have had similar issues that I thought was coming from the drivers side and ended up being an exhaust problem. Maybe it's because I have a manual but I always think of it as 'if it's in neutral, only the engine is turning, trans is stationary' so any grinding would be coming from engine side of things. Though it could also be, as was mentioned, a loose bushing/bearing somewhere that is causing something to rattle a bit. Does this only happen when you first start the Jeep or does it happen every time you put it in park? i.e. if you go for a drive and put it in park, does the sound come back?

And for Quills: is it more noticeable at low speed? I would check your axle u-joints. If they are shot they can pop and grind while cornering.

i say would say transmission input bearing or something

Don't you guys know what it sounds or feels like when you have a bad transmission mount? Try checking that out and go from there...

Any problems underneath the Jeep must first be accessed by cutting the floor out. Otherwise you have to lay underneath or put it up on a lift, and that's no fun.