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'98 cherokee frnt differention popping noise

15K views 29 replies 6 participants last post by  newdad1 
#1 ·
I need any help possible on this one.
This is what I have;
My daily driver is a 1998 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 4wd 4speed automatic 166,000 miles VIN:1J4FJ68S4WL173795

This is what it is doing;
Making a popping noise most offen when I turn left or right after initially starting to move. I can get the jeep to make the noise by turning the wheel to the left and moving slowly fwd. I can get it to make the popping noise again by putting it in reverse and keeping the wheels turned to the left move slowly backward.

The vehicle is not in 4wd when it makes this popping noise
When I do put the vehicle in 4wd it runs fine as long as I don't go around any sharp turns. There are 2 4wd settings; 4H, and 4L. There is another setting, 2H which is what I run in all the time.I can do 60mph in heavy rain with it in 4H with no problem. 4L is for going up hills at low speed which I don't do.

I just put new synthetic gear oil (140W grey bottle by SuperTech I believe)in both front and rear differentials. When I pulled the front cover off of the differential, I did not see anything obvious but then I wasn't looking for anything specific.
Two people have said the noise seems to be coming from the front differential. The front axles have universal joints not CVJ. They looked OK.

My questions are;
How can the noise be coming from the front differential if I don't have it in 4WD?
If I take the front differential cover back off to inspect, what should I be looking for that would make this noise?
What else should I check for?

You guys have saved me lots of $$$ already from previous posts.

As always, any and all responses are greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Robert D.
 
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#27 ·
newdad1 said:
It looks like the one piece hub/bearing assembly is making the popping noise. Where about should I apply wheel bearing grease on the new hub/bearing assembly? I'm going to replace the universal joint also, just to be safe. Do I have to apply the high temp wheel bearing grease anywhere else? And if so how much?
If it is the regular sealed bearing assy, there is no grease required. We sometime put a little lube on the axel splines to help them slide into the bearing but once the nut is tight nothing can move.
The bearings usually make a whining noise when bad. I dont think I have ever heard one pop but there is always a first time
 
#28 ·
Well, I finally finished the job. It never fails in that the auto parts store sold me a universal joint that was two small. Of course I did not find this out until I had everything apart. Other than that, everything went smooth. I took the entire axle/shaft/hub/bearing assembly out at one time. Chet, you were right, the bearing/hub assembly was fine, only the universal joint was bad. The directions you guys gave were right on the money.

I figure one of the true values of this website is this; The dealer wanted $202.00 just for the labor to do the job. Another auto repair shop wanted $370.00 to replace the whole axle/shaft assembly. Yes, my time is worth something, but let me say it feels good to keep that money in my pocket instead of handing it to someone else, particularly when I can do the job myself.

Once again, many thanks to everyone for all the help.
Robert D.
:D
 
#29 ·
If you are one who changes your own oil, don't forget to grease that joint. So few vehicles have grease fittings now that most people forget that grease is still needed in universals on a lot of vehicles.

Glad it all worked out for you.
 
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