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Front End Noise in 4WD only

JoesXJ

JoesXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
California
What the hell could this be, or is this normal???

When I drive normaly in 2WD I have no vibes, no noise, nothing, it run great. When I put it in 4WD it makes a like a soft grinding type (not too bad) noise. Not sure if this is normal or not (is it supposed to be quiet?). Could it be a wheel bearing (would it make noise only in 4WD?) I checked the gear oil in front and changed t-case oil and everything looks good....wierd!

I'm trying to figure this out because my family (wife/ 1 year old daughter) are going to lake tahoe in 2 weekend and I want to make sure everything is ok.

Anyway, thanks for any info.
- Joe

....here's my info....

1994 sport, 4.0 auto, 231 t-case, 3.5" RE lift, 1inch t-case drop, Dana 30/35
 
Meeks said:
Did you drain the oil, and check for metal chips? Thats the problem I had with an older Jeep.
Click to expand...

When I changed the oil (t-case) it looked normal with no metal

offroadman73 said:
may be a gear noise??? does it change on accel or deccel? or does it change with speed??----BRIAN
Click to expand...

When you go faster the noise gets louder and when your on the gas it also gets louder
 
my roommate had the exact problem with his jeep and it turned out to be the front drive shaft. It was a pretty nasty grinding noise, definately rotational, and only when it was in 4wd. Not sure exactly what part of the drive shaft it was because he just replaced the entire thing with one from a junk yard....I would imagine it was the double cardan (sp) joint.
 
there's 5 ujoints in the front. if all the joints are good, there's a "centering yoke" in the front ds double-cardon joint. you can buy a rebuild kit for this at a parts store. This part fixed my 4wd vibes/noise - of course after I replaced all 5 ujoints to no avail. :)
 
Slip Kid said:
there's 5 ujoints in the front. if all the joints are good, there's a "centering yoke" in the front ds double-cardon joint. you can buy a rebuild kit for this at a parts store. This part fixed my 4wd vibes/noise - of course after I replaced all 5 ujoints to no avail. :)
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, I can do the work, but I'm no mechanic...without replaceing all 5 ujoints, is there a way of telling which could be bad?...or even if this is the problem? Anyway, thanks!
 
....does my driveshaft ever stop spinning anyway? If this was the problem wouldnt it make noise or no because there is no load?
 
It spins all the time because it's connected to the front pinion. In my case, the grinding noise was apparent when the jeep was in 4wd and the front shaft was loaded. Eventually things got so bad that it wouldn't even drive in 2wd without the grinding noise. Ended up pulling the front drive shaft to get it home.
 
ok, so if I cant figure out what the problem is by next weekend, I would say its not safe to put into 4wd then and I should just rent a 4wd or cancel the trip?
 
My 1990 does not have the vacuum disco. My xfer is a 242 so the front DS turns everytime.
In my Ram, with a 231 and Vacuum Disco, the DS stopped turning when in 2WD.

If you want to check the U-Joints, move the DS up and down or side to side and if there is play, the U-Joints are bad (The one that have play).
 
Sounds like it could likely be gears. Have you re-geared at all?
Could also be a carrier bearing.

If you don't have a disconnect the driveshaft will spin all the time, but it doesn't see the same load it would when in 4wd so don't rule out the "cv" joint. Usually bad U-joints causes vibration.
 
TRAILREADYXJ said:
Sounds like it could likely be gears. Have you re-geared at all?
Could also be a carrier bearing.
Click to expand...

Nope, I have the original 3.55 gears and I checked yesterday and have plenty of gear oil (didnt take off the cover though so I cant rule out bad gears - Hmmm)

TRAILREADYXJ said:
If you don't have a disconnect the driveshaft will spin all the time, but it doesn't see the same load it would when in 4wd so don't rule out the "cv" joint. Usually bad U-joints causes vibration
Click to expand...

I dont think I have the disconect type (mines a 1994), and when its up in the air and I spin a tire the drive shaft spins also.
 
ok, just to make sure something is wrong....when you put the t-case into 4WD and drive fater than 15 mph its NOT supposed to make any noise?? :dunno:

OH and the noise is louder at higher speeds (40 mph+)....when you go slower (~25-35 mph) the noise gets a lot less and when you go really slow (~0-25 mph) there's no noise at all
 
If I had the radio on or the heater/defroster it wouldnt be that noticable, I still would hear it though. It definitely makes a distinct noise though when you put it into 4WD HI and drive at cruising speeds, the faster you go, the louder it gets. In 4WD low, it makes no noise and opperates normal with good 4WD traction.
 
how soft of a noise is it? with air and radio shut off in my xj the trans and xfer case are so close to the floor that i can hear a faint gear whirr from the trans. and if you pay close attention in 4 lo the faster your driveline is spinning it does make a noticeable whirring noise. I would think that in 4 hi the higher ratio would mean that the same noise would occur at higher speeds. btw how fast and where are you driving your xj in 4hi? i think it sounds like a normal noise of the engaged gears in the t-case spinning with the chain.
 
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