Hi guys,

I just got a 95 Cherokee Sport 188k, 4.0 HO (5 spd) with Command Trac as part of a trade for a car I was selling.

I dont know anything about these vehicles, but Im liking what Ive seen so far, especially being in the middle of winter.

My issue (and previous owner swears they never had this issue, and also says she hasnt used the 4wd at all in over a year) :

When I put it in either 4 Lo or 4 Hi, when I start moving, the front (seems like front passenger side) bucks and pops...almost like something isnt grabbing, or its grabbing and letting go. Once you 'push' through that and get some speed, it seems to mostly stop, but every now and then, you will hear a single pop sound. Again, this is in either 4lo or hi.

I came across a mention of a vaccum line of some sort maybe being bad? but im not too clear on it and no idea what Im looking for, and being the middle of winter, its not too fun to poke around blindly.

Anyone have any idea what it could be? pics of what to look for, etc.?
I am avoiding using the 4wd, unless absolutely necessary, until i figure it out cuz i dont want to break anything, but Im loving the Jeep otherwise.

oh, and if I take off in 2wd and transition to 4wd while the jeep is in motion, things work fine (with of course, the random pop sound)...just an added mention.


Anyway, thanks, and im looking forward to tinkering more with it.

Lastly, what are the common issues with these? there seesm to be no rust and its seems well maintained.

 

Was this on solid underground of soft?
Popping sound: also inspect u-joint and/or hub/bearing for play

the 95 still had the vacuum disconnect IIRC, if that's what you mean...

 

no it didn't

 

Aha, I did not recall correctly then. Must be even older than the 95's ..

 

Popping and bucking w/o a slip collar... could be a broken tooth on the ring gear, or a bent/broken axle. These are the worst case problems.

 

If you haven't done so already, flush your tc and diffs and inspect their respective interior components. Also, check u joints for play.

 

This is in snow / slushy wet roads



I'll give it a whole tune up/ fluid refresh in the spring... I just want to address the 4wd issue so I can safely use it. If it was a bent or broken axle, wouldn't there be symptoms all the time? not just in 4wd?

 

Im gonna take a video/recording of the sound later, but it almost resembles engine misfiring (while cruising in 4wd hi or lo) and rapid fire misfiring when tryin to accelerate from a stop....im not the best at describing it, so ill record it for everyone.