Hello. I've got a '95 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (V8, 5.2L, Quad-Trac) that has been making a really strange noise. It has been doing this for about six months, and no shop has been able to diagnose it. I dropped over a grand in rebuilding the rear end, and it still didn't fix the noise. The shop said it was safe to drive, but for some reason, I don't feel safe driving it long distances (more then two gallons. haha). My goal is to take it up to the mountains in December, but I want to feel comfortable knowing it will get be back home.

The few things I know about the noise: It only does it when the engine is warmed up (approximately at or above 190*F), it doesn't always do it, and if I "press through" it, it won't make the sound /much/.
Not directly related but potentially useful information: My oil pressure gauge is always reading high, and acts like an RPM gauge. I was told it's the sensor... I leak oil... Alot... But not to the point where I have to top it off all the time, just to the point where I can't park on driveways. The shop said they couldn't find the exact source, so they would just replace almost every seal and cost me nearly $800. I said no way, I'll live with it. lol.

Here is the video (mostly intended for audio):
Please help me solve the problem! I'll answer any questions I can to the best of my knowledge, and take pictures/video of anything that is needed.
Thank you so much for your time!
~Gabriel of the Inland Empire, California.

 

well the oil guage is most likely your oil sending unit. mine did the same till i replaced it.

as for the sound... sounds like a vibration but it was a little hard to hear.

where's it coming from front? back? middle?

 

Thanks for the quick reply! I figured that was the case with the oil gauge... I've just not worried about replacing it.

It does sound like a vibration, indeed. As for where it is coming from, it's hard to say... It only makes it when driving, so I can't put it in park and get it to make the noise (most of the time) to locate it. However, my mom seems to think it is the exhaust pipe rattling in the rear, and my dad seems to think it could be the manifold.

 

Strap that camera under the jeep close to the t-case, sounds to me like it could be the viscious coupler going bad. That's a pretty common problem in the Grands.

 

Alright, thanks for the insight! I'll see if I can rig something up.
And if it's the viscous coupler, would it be a bad/risky thing to keep driving it this way?

 

hard to tell in the video, but it sounded alot like the cat converter, get underneath and give it a hit see if it makes a noise

 

Guess i should ask first, does it have only 4-HI and 4-LO, in other words is it all wheel ?

If it makes noise like that it can't be good. And most likely if something breaks there is always the possibility it will leave you stranded.

I'm just giving you and idea of where to look, I'm not saying that the VC is the problem.

 

it very well could be the exhaust. but it seemed like it happened at a certain speed you would think it would rattle more just starting to accelerate. and maybe it does. so something to look into.

 

Heat shield on the cat. Mine made the same noise.