Rojo_Grande

Howdy all. Newbie issue/question.

I got a 2000 Cherokee back in August. Only 86K miles, 4.0L, Auto, Command Trac? all stock/no lift or mods. We had a little snow in Denver this past week. This is the first time I've had a chance to check out the 4wd. I dropped it into 4 high. Turning either right or left taking a normal turn there was a significant clunking/popping noise from the front dif or u joints. The noise occurred when there was loss of traction of the front wheels going straight as well. I put in 4lo with the same results. No noises to speak of in 2wd nor when driving straight in 4wd high or low.

I crawled under the front and gave the u joints a yank and didn't notice any play. No leaks around the dif.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Rojo

zjrog

Get the front on jackstands and check for play. Grab the top and bottom of each wheel and try to shake it. If it moves, your balljoints or wheel bearings are the culprit.

Grab the sides of the tires and shake side to side. If there is siugnificant movement, then you have some play in the steering system.

Still with the front off the ground, rotate the tires back and forth and watch the axle joints.

You might also check the control arm bolts for tightness and also check your shocks. Just a few things to look at...

Rojo_Grande

Zgrod,
Thanks for the tips. I'll ckeck out those items. I'm going to be out of town for the next couple weeks so I won't be driving it for a while.

Thanks
Rojo