mmcgarvey79@gmail.com

ok, so i suck at cars. I can build u whatever u want, but i dont know **** about cars. I bought this 04. its clean and runs great. i can feel a wheel rythmic disturbance around 40, runs great at 55-65, then gets violent around 70. I also have a clicking in the front when slowing down to a stop. ive read on alot of issues that sound similar. Just want to get to the bottom of it and not waste my time working down the repair checklist. im hoping the two are related. any directional advise would be greatly appriciated. Thanks.

Jeepwalker

Ok, here are a couple ideas. When working on cars, always start with the most common occuring things, which are usually the easiest to check, then work back to the less common problems:

1) Tire imbalance or out-of-roundness: Take your hands and run around the outside of the tread on the front tires and try to feel for any bulges or out of roundness, any unevenness ...like a broken internal chord. Move the vehicle ahead and check the area on the bottom. Also look on the rim for areas where weights were once installed and may have fallen off (which happens).. Tire imbalance can feel a lot worse at certain speeds than others. If you were wheeling recently, check for any globs of mud on the inside of the wheel. Hard to check and really hard to zero in on, but water in the wheel can throw it out of balance too. If you recently filled up at a gas station, you never know. A tire doesn't account for any 'clicking' though.

2) Suspension issues: Usually suspension issues result in uneven tire wear, so look for cupping and all that when you check the tires. But still, jack one front wheel up (by the axle) and grab the tire and jerk it back/fourth sideways trying to see if you 'feel' wear or play at the tie rod ends or anywhere in the steering. It shouldbn't move much. Then grab the bottom/top and jerk in/out on the top/bottom for any suspension play. Again it should be tight. Worn ball joints or steering parts can cause a wheel to vibrate wildly at high speeds but then eventually centrifugal forces may make them run 'true' at higher speeds. Worn ball joints can also 'creek' as you turn. You should get any worn issues resolved quickly. Just pay someone to do it.

3) Axles: If you still don't see anything yet, proceed to check the outer axle joints. Put the car in N, block the wheels and gently pry up on the front axle right inside the wheel. Don't pry on the rubber boot. You're looking for movement. It's not likely to have any. This is really an outside chance of a problem, but can't be ruled out.

4) Front driveshaft: If the U-joints wear, or if the Yoke has excessive play, or the CV joint is worn and slopy, it can cause vibration and noise as you described. Put vehicle in N ...xfer case in N too and get under the vehicle and push up/down on the front driveshaft with a lot of hand force. Wiggle it hard. If you feel play at the front center or rear, that could be a problem. This is more likely than the front axles. These issues can cause it to vibrate as you say. Maybe check this instead of the axles. Usually the vibration doesn't go away at higher speeds, but it could. If it's a high-mile jeep it could be your issue. U joints can be replaced, CV joints can be too (although it's not for the beginner), a worn Yoke probably means going to the junk yard and getting a non-worn driveshaft. You could change one yourself. It doesn't take a lot of skill to do it, but if you HAD a used driveshaft, any shop could also change it for not too much. It's probably a 30 min job. While you're at it, I would check the rear driveshaft too. The rear U-joint of the rear driveshaft is the most common U-joint that wears out. It only takes a few minutes to check it for movement. There should be NO movement or 'play' in it. A small amount of play at the slip-yoke is fairly common on older vehicles, but more than a little is excessive.

Well there you go. This should help zero in on what it might be or give you things to cross off the list. Good luck!!

dave1123

Jeepwalker did a bangup job of covering all the common issues and I applaud him for not dumping on you about posting in the wrong section of the forum. I suspect a tire issue because it starts around 40 and gets violent at 70. Try swapping the front tires to the rear and visa-versa. If things change a lot, you'll know right off that you're on the right track, although the clicking has me thinking it's a front axle CV joint. A broken tire belt can sometimes be found simply by jacking a wheel up and spinning the tire, watching the tread surface and sidewall for lumps or bulges.

If you can find a small reputable repair shop and not a big national chain for the repairs, you've found heaven! Ask around to all the people you know because most of the good shops advertise by word-of-mouth and won't rip you off because their reputation is most important to them. Things to look for are a clean shop without a lot of junk parts and tools laying everywhere and well lighted.

About being in the wrong section, if you have a 04 GRAND Cherokee, it's body style is known as a WJ. These vehicles have coil spring rear suspensions and are larger and have more fluid body styles that the Cherokee or XJ, which have leaf spring rear suspensions and are more boxy looking. The 2 different jeeps have a lot in common but also have a lot of differences. PLUS, they stopped making the XJ in 01.

2 things you can do to learn more about your jeep are go to wjjeeps.com and go buy a Haynes Repair Manual at any good parts store, sit down, and read it. These will give you a good understanding of what you've got and how all the parts work without spending a lot of money. Welcome to the jeep world!

PatHenry

Agree with Dave - vibe is probably tire related. Clicking is common with worn u-joints (assuming the 04 GC used the D30 solid front axle) so check your u-joints.

It's pretty easy to remove the front driveshaft, it's just a few bolts at the transfer case and the u-joint straps at the axle. You can remove it and then drive the Jeep in 2wd and see if the clicking (and possibly vibes) go away. If so, you know where the problem is. U-joints are not overly complicated (even the double cardan joint is doable) in terms of the steps, but they can be a huge PITA to get the old joints out. I soaked my front driveshaft in PB Blaster for a week and still bent the handle on the bench vise trying to get the old u-joints out. We'll see how I do with 2 weeks of soaking and a ball joint press...

dave1123

PatHenry, his WJ has a double-ended CV joint (both ends) on the front driveshaft and CV joints at the wheels.

PatHenry

In that case the clicking is almost certainly a bad C/V shaft (the ones at the wheels, not the driveshaft. Look for a torn boot).

I would assume it's still pretty easy to pull the driveshaft - just undo the bolts at each side and pop it out, right?

dave1123

The big one on the axle end is a *****. You have pry the ball cup part of it out of the differential yoke. I think it's easier to drop the t/case end first. The only length change in this driveshaft is the little bit of slip inside the front CV. This is why WJ's are hard to put lifts on unless you change the front shaft for the old style, WHICH requires changing the diff yoke. There is a length adjustment in the middle of the shaft, but that's designed to be adjusted, then locked in place. It's not a free-floating spline like the u-joint ones were.