Banging noise from under jeep

[SIRed]

Hey everyone...its my first post here so hello. I recently got a 94 xj 4.0 5speed. When I put it in 4wd I heard a banging/clunking noise. I changed a sloppy joint on my driver side axle shaft. Tried it again and I still here the noise. It seems to be coming from the case. The drive shafts are tight and have no play in them. This jeep is stock for now and has no lift. It does not do this in 2wd only in 4h and 4L. It seems to still b pulling fine...ie no slipping that I can tell. Can anyone point me in the right Direction?

[Brasscatz]

Hello and welcome! Can you describe more of what's going on when you hear the noise? Does it happen once, or many times? Is it the action of shifting into 4wd? If so, moving or still, park or neutral?

[SIRed]

Only while moving a little while idling along...louder when on the gas

[cantab27]

tc chain ..????

[SIRed]

That's what I was thinking. If it is the tcase chain what else should I do while I have it apart? Just replace the chain? And thanks for the quick replies

[4.3LXJ]

You have to replace the sprockets too or the chain will wear out quickly

[Pookapotamus]

transmission mount? in 2wd do an aggressive take off does it make the same noise?
Is the double cardan in good shape?

Pook

[SIRed]

I don't know...I will try that. If it is the tcase what is the best place to order one from that will give me everthing I need? I looked at Oreily's site but it didn't say what came with it

[SIRed]

the double cardan being where the front shaft mounts to the tcase? what do I do to see if it is ok? there doesn't seem to be any play in the shaft...the sound sounds like a slapping sound.

[Pookapotamus]

the double cardan being where the front shaft mounts to the tcase? what do I do to see if it is ok? there doesn't seem to be any play in the shaft...the sound sounds like a slapping sound.

yes that's the double cardan, to properly check it, you have to remove it, and see if there is any stiffness or excessive play when moving the joint around, and they can be pricey to fix, but they also wear out easily.

a slapping sound,and its coming from around the t-case only in 4wd.

what t-case does it have?

[SIRed]

Im not sure which it has. shift patteren is 2h-4h-n-4L

[Pookapotamus]

Im not sure which it has. shift patteren is 2h-4h-n-4L

that would be a 231 transfer case.

[SIRed]

Ya I looked and it is a 231. I am going to remove the front drive shaft to see if the noise goes away while in 4wd. If it does then I know its not the tcase. It does not do the noise at all in 2wd. It seems to be coming from the joint where the front drive shaft meets the tcase

[SIRed]

Well I removed the front shaft and now the noise is gone. So I'm thinking it was coming from the joints. What do you all think? And thanks again for all the suggestions

[Brasscatz]

Yep, sounds like the u-joints on the front shaft.

[SIRed]

Well I replaced all the joints in the shafts. I still have the clunking noise. I drove it around the house a little. The popping/clunking sound seems to be coming from the front diff. I don't know what else to check as I have eliminated everything else. Could this be a busted tooth or something on the ring and pinion? Or backlash that I have read about? If so what do I need to do to fix this

[4.3LXJ]

Best thing to do there is pull the cover and take a peek. Good luck

[Mudderoy]

Did we already rule out the transfer case?

[SIRed]

Gonna go take a look in a few. If it is in the diff what's the better route? Repair or replace? If replace what are some options

[Mudderoy]

Gonna go take a look in a few. If it is in the diff what's the better route? Repair or replace? If replace what are some options

Well popping the diff cover on the dana 30 will be easier than cracking open the transfer case. You won't know until you find the problem.

I just know from personal experience that around 80k the chain stretched and made all kind of weird noises.

It's hard to see but you can remove the drain plug on the transfer case and see how low the bottom of the chain is.

[SIRed]

The noise seems to be coming from the front end and up the front shaft. With the front off the ground you can feel play in the axles

[4.3LXJ]

What kind of play?

[Pookapotamus]

Well I replaced all the joints in the shafts. I still have the clunking noise. I drove it around the house a little. The popping/clunking sound seems to be coming from the front diff. I don't know what else to check as I have eliminated everything else. Could this be a busted tooth or something on the ring and pinion? Or backlash that I have read about? If so what do I need to do to fix this


Well at least you know your shaft is good now, and we are slowly narrowing down the culprit. have you jacked it up and checked wheel bearings and ball joints?

Pook

[SIRed]

Yeah I have jacked it up and all the joints are tight. By play/ slack I mean if I have the front end jacked up and spin say the driverside tire I can feel play in it before it catches and spins the other side.

[4.3LXJ]

Some of that is normal.

[SIRed]

when you put torqe to it is clunks/pops/ reminds me of when I have broken a hub before. I picked up a D30 off a guy near by for a 100 bucks and it has new bearings, joints, etc in it so Im going to stick it in and hope it fixes it.....the only down fall is its a low pinion and mine was a high pinion. Is there any downfalls or major differences other than the pinion on these?

[SIRed]

LoL....well the front has been replaced and its still doing the same noise.grrrr. oh well at least I know its not that and its all been gone thru. So I guess next in line is the transfer case like I had originally thought. Any tips on pulling this apart? And ideas of the best place to order the parts from? Thanks again