Noises from my NP231

I am in need of some advice, and I figured that this'd be the best place to get answers... so here goes:

I have a 93 XJ and it started making a ticking sound that would get faster as the speed got faster, not with the rpm's. I got under it and noticed the joints on the front driveshaft were a bit worn, so I figured that to be the problem. I took it off and had it on the bench in my garage for a while there while I waited for parts to come in, and I continued to drive my Jeep as it's my DD. With the front shaft off, the ticking dissapeared completely, reinforcing in my head that the joints were the issue. Anyways, long story short, I finally got it all fixed up and went to take it for a test drive today, and the noise is still there... I disconnected the front of the driveshaft so I could freespin it and noticed the ticking noise seemed to come from my 231. Any ideas? I am leaning towards it being a stretched chain in there, but I'm new to all this so I figured one of you might have a better idea.

In addition to my DD XJ, I have a parts 93XJ as well that is just sitting in my driveway getting parts stripped off it. I figure I can take what I need from that one and just drop it into my DD, but it's got the 5 speed, and my DD has the AW4. Will that make any difference here or am I just way out to lunch there? Like I said, I'm pretyt new to all this. My past mechanical experience revolves around smaller vehicles like skidoos, dirtbikes and quads, so I'm still getting a bearing here on how the "big" vehicles work exactly.

Thanks for your time,
Mark

check this out lots of info

http://www.jeepfan.com/tech/jeeptech/main.htm

Try all the ranges of the 231...2wd, 4wd H, N, and see if you can hear it...how about coasting in 2wd while in N...

Id both of yours are 93XJs, the TC should be a direct swap.

THanks for the link, there is certainly a ton of info there... I'll be reading that at work tomorrow.

Anyways, back to my problem though:
I can't hear the noise at all in any range without the front driveshaft on. Coasting or under power. With it on, I hear it in every range.

The plan is to swap the Tcases this weekend if I can get away from work for a day or two... unless just popping the cover and swapping guts is easier? How long should I plan on this taking me (I know that's a relative question, but realistically like a full weekend or an afternoon)? And what is the easier/faster route to go since this is my DD of course...

Thanks again guys,
Mark

if u can only hear it when the front DS is in, are u sure the u joints are bad?
does ur parts jeep have a front DS?, if so have u thought about trying that one.
cause the only other thing i can think of is the the front bearing is gone in the TC.

ert01 said:

THanks for the link, there is certainly a ton of info there... I'll be reading that at work tomorrow.

Anyways, back to my problem though:
I can't hear the noise at all in any range without the front driveshaft on. Coasting or under power. With it on, I hear it in every range.

The plan is to swap the Tcases this weekend if I can get away from work for a day or two... unless just popping the cover and swapping guts is easier? How long should I plan on this taking me (I know that's a relative question, but realistically like a full weekend or an afternoon)? And what is the easier/faster route to go since this is my DD of course...

Thanks again guys,
Mark

Click to expand...

It does sound like a loose chain is the likely culprit (based on me reading, not personal experience). Splitting and reassembling the case should take you probably 45 minutes to an hour each, the first time, just because you'll be paying attention to how everything fits together - once you've done it once, it should probably take 15 minutes if you're slow like me.

If it was me in your situation, I'd probably split the case under the jeep, pull the chain and compare it to the spare chain. If it's stretched any, I'd just replace the chain and call it good. If it ends up being something else, you'll have the mainshaft and back half off the case, so it will be light enough to easily handle when you remove it from the tranny and swap in the spare case - you'll have to go through the added trouble of putting the chain back in the spare (vs. just swapping the whole spare in), but it's not a bad experience imo, and personally I'm the sort of person who would drop the TC on my head if I tried to change it out as a whole.

this was in my bookmarks - there's more out there that a search will find, as well as a list of proper tools:
http://www.4x4trailhunters.com/article.php?id=20

It's the CV socket yoke that is worn. The jeep sounds like a roller coaster climbing the first hill as the chain clicks, right? Call tom woods, get a new one, takes about 30 minutes to install. check this for nomenclature.
http://4xshaft.com/techinfo.html
I hunted my front dive shaft noise for 3 months. IT's as simple as this.

daffyxj is right it just sounds like its coming from your t-case but its more than likely the cv socket. i found that mine was worn to bad so i just picked up another from the funkyard and greased it like i was suppose to all along. good luck

Thanks for pointers guys. I'm probably going to crawl under it on Saturday and pop the case to see what's going on in there... If it's the CV socket, chain, or something else even I have the parts here to sawp in form my parts Jeep so hopefully it goes rather smooth. I'll let you know what I find.

Mark

hey dude u know that the CV joint is on the driveshaft? eh

Yes I do know that... I don't understand why you would assume I don't though? Like I said, I'm going to get under it this weekend and hopefully fix it and get back to yall...

i just wanted to make sure cause u sound like a noob, and its easier if u know all u can before. I do alot of "FYI"

ert01 said:

Thanks for pointers guys. I'm probably going to crawl under it on Saturday and pop the case to see what's going on in there... If it's the CV socket, chain, or something else even I have the parts here to sawp in form my parts Jeep so hopefully it goes rather smooth. I'll let you know what I find.

Mark

Click to expand...

I'm confused. Why "pop the case" when the most likely culprit is in the drive shaft. You did say the noise went away when the drive shaft was REMOVED. Right?

ert01 said:

I can't hear the noise at all in any range without the front driveshaft on. Coasting or under power. With it on, I hear it in every range.

Click to expand...

So why mess with the T-case?

I still think it is the case even though I will check the shaft too.

Like I mentioned in the first post, I have replaced the Ujoints in the driveshaft. I didn't notice anything wrong with the CV socket when I did that which is why I still plan to check the guts of the case as well this weekend.

I will check the socket and verify it's still good but I'd rather not count on that being the problem. I'm a bit of a pessimist when it comes to vehicles this old. Especially when they have 475 000+kms on it already.

Update:
I took out the bad 231 and swapped in the one from my other Cherokee this weekend... turns out it was a chain/gear issue. I'll probably rebuild the old one with a Wide Chain conversion and swap it back in at a later date.

But now, with the other 231 in my cherokee I have another issue... the linkage doesn't seem to be adjusted right because it doesn't lock into 4H very well. If I hold the lever back while I'm driving, it's fine, but if I let the pressure off, about 30 sec later it slips half out of 4H. Any suggestions or tips on how to properly adjust and align the linkage?

i see no one ever replied... but in case anyone else is searching.... from what i remember from eiteh rpirate4x4.com or my hanyes manual- get something skinny 1/8" thick, loosen the nut on the t-case shifting linkage, there should be only 1/8" gap between lever and backing when its in 4lo. I knwo this is vague, but i am not home right now and dont have the literature in fornt of me. Look under there and i bet you will see hwat i mean.