I've googled this multiple times but haven't found a solution yet. My 1996 Cherokee makes a faint clicking sound, that seems to come from the transmission area under the floor. It only happens when you are actually driving the vehicle, and the rate of the clicking correlates with the speed of the vehicle. You can hear it when giving it throttle, and also when braking, basically anytime the vehicle is moving. It's very faint; you can't hear it if the blower is on high.

I know about the flex plate issue, and I'm pretty sure I have that problem too, but this is different. It does NOT happen when the vehicle is stopped.

All of the driveshaft u-joints seem to be okay, and I recently topped off the fluids for the transmission, front and rear diffs, and transfer case.

Thoughts?

 

Could be exhaust leak

 

You are the second person to tell me that. It seems weird that exhaust could make a "clicking" sound, but I guess it's possible? Where should I look, how do I diagnose?

ETA: Also, if it's exhaust, how does that explain that it never happens when the vehicle is stopped?

 

When you drive, the motor/transmission is under load. Your exhaust bracket is connected to the transmission and under load it could show your leak then when you stop, it could go back together enough not to leak. Look on the passenger side under the jeep while its running and put pressure on your transmission with a jack. See if you can diagnose it

 

drive shaft U joints. When mine did that, it was the DS. Lay down and try to turn the drive shaft back and forth by hand and look at the joints, if they are lose and move at all, they are bad.

 

As it turns out, a wiring harness was drooping down and rubbing on the driveshaft slightly. Pulled it out of the way and the noise is gone.

 

x2