i live on the penninsula which 2 places did you take it to it still could be the chail but you would have metal in the tcase fluid i dont remimber if you said that you changed it but the bext way im told to check them is to lift the front wheels of the ground then try and shke it that way all the weight is of the tires and hubs you can try shaking the wheels but it might not move the axle but will be a good time to check the wheel bearings if the wheel moves when grabing it and push and pull on the top and bottom of tire then the wheel bearings are bad when you do that have someone watch the axle shaft and see if it moves

 

I live in Va Beach near Chicks Beach. The first place i took it to was some little place of Independence called Hutches Metro Auto Service, they really didn't do anything at all, told me I had it not all the way in two wheel drive and that it was all better now. Unfortunately, I did have it in two wheel drive and nothing was any better after I picked it up. The second place was E.T.A. (Eastern Truck and Accessories, I think) they are an off road specialist. They seemed to do a thorough inspection but also seemed confused by the problem. I think they just threw TC chain out there for lack of better idea. I feel pretty certain that it is not wheel bearings. Right now I am leaning towards u-joints on the axle or drive shaft or possibly the front differential. I have to keep the TC as a possibility since two shops suggested it even though I am skeptical. I just dont understand how the wheels turning (steering) would effect the TC chain in 2 wheel drive when they are not engaged to one another. Is this unfounded skepticism?

 

Take your Jeep to an empty parking lot, turn the wheel full left (and or right) and do circles with varying amouonts of power. When I did this, it was painfully obvious that the left u-joint was binding and made much more noise than usual. Additionally, does the Jeep have any vibration or grinding when you go over a dip in the road? Mine does that as well, I believe it is the left motor mount causing this, as it is REALLy worn. I will replace it sometime next week, I'll let you know if it eliminates that problem as well; however, I'd be surprised if it doesn't fix the vibration.

 

eta is a good shop but they are more for ford and chevy than jeep as for the tcase diagnosis by them i have to agree with ya i think that was there way of saying we dont know either

 

With my limited experience, I'm not sure that I can answer those questions.

(1) You will be able to better check the driveshaft u-joints and remove any load that the free wheeling front driveline puts on the t-case.
(2) If I understand the question, 4WD engages in the t-case. The hubs are self locking.
(3) In turns, the front wheels rotate at different speeds than the rear wheels. With the t-case in part-time 4WD, there is no center differential to accommodate for the difference in rotation. I believe that the t-case has to rely on tire slippage on the "slippery" surface (gravel, snow, dirt, etc.), but there would still remain some stress (not to the point of failure) on the t-case.

You have SelecTrac. That t-case has a differential for full-time 4WD operation. You can drive it engaged on surfaces that aren't "slippery." Does that change the noise?

I don't think that your noise can be diagnosed with the wheels off the ground. Did either of these repair facilities have someone ride with you to verify that you and they were hearing the same noise? Also there is a diagnostic tool that has a series (4 or 5) of microphones that transmit to a central speaker. The technician attaches the microphones to suspected locations under the vehicle. By changing a dial, the technician can listen to each microphone and note the sound emitted and narrow down the possible offenders.

I've never done it, so do the front hubs need to be removed to really be able to move around the front axle u-joints and diagnose a problem with them?

 

I inadvertently fixed the noise I was hearing while accelerating and turning left. I noticed that my transmission mount was badly worn out (rear mount, but i think that is the only one). I decided to replace it cuz it was easy and affordable. The new one pushed my transmission up about an inch and a half higher than it previously was. Apparently this made enough of a difference in the alignment of the front drive shaft to completely solve the mystery noise. I guess it was the double cardon joint grumbling from being at just a bit too much of an angle. As I read this, and in hind sight, it almost seems obvious!