I am currently re doing my two front axle u joints on my 1995 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0 6Cyl, and have now noticed play in my front driveshaft, when I go under there and try and wiggle it (as if it was spinning) it seems to be knocking around inside the differential case and wondering if this might be a broken pinion bearing tooth or something. I have been hearing the worst knocking/clunking/ almost breaking type noise from either my wheels or under the truck when I am making turns, assumed it was only the u joints since they had obviously play in them and needed to be replaced, but if it might have something to do with my axle (Dana 30), what would be my best option about going to fix it? Have done a major amount of work to this vehicle and have been lately considering sellin her and getting a newer model maybe a 2000 because of all the work I’ve done, and must continue to do to this vehicle in such a short amount of time, will leave pictures/videos of the problem and work I’ve done to my xj to hopefully get someone’s opinion on what I should do...

 

Some rotational play and clunk when you turn back-n-forth is normal. How much play is there? A clunk on hard turns and between forward&reverse can sometimes be the slip joint at the xfer case needing greased. Sway bar, track bar, suspension bushings, leaf springs, can all make noise too.

 

I know that I might need a new bushing or two but there is a good amount of play and the play also causes the u joint I still have to fix, move. And the clunk noises are very loud especially when making turns but I do think I need my slip joint to be greased

Also any advice on what to do if my pinion and other gears are chipped?

 

What is that greyish piece between the inner axle and the u joint?

 

Not sure what you’re talking about but it may be the edges I had to file a bit after using the hammer method to get the old u joint out

 

I'm talking about the part in white in my pic. I may just be looking at it weird. It's been a bit since I changed one.

 

Oh that is just the middle of the u joint, my replacements look like this

 

Your replacement is what I expect a u joint to look like. The one in the original pic looks as it has some extra beef on it.

 

Nah, they’re the same one lol

Honestly just wondering if it’s even worth going ahead to see what problem I might be having with the front axle differential or my yoke needing to be greased, if it does have something to do with my bearings being chipped, what’s my best option? It’s a 1995 I got it at 135k miles or so last year in August and have already done all that work it it in the past year (the list I have posted above) and it still needs major work with the floor pans being completely rusted gone, leaf springs shot, etc

But with all the work I’ve done to it, the mileage (almost 150k) and the year, it being the 4.0 straight 6.. I thought if I did end up trying to get rid of it for a 2000 or something ‘96+, how much do you think I’d get for it?

Honestly just looking for what’s my best option and due to the fact that I am not in a great financial state atm

 

I had the same worry with mine when I tried it, but it's running fine. If you definitely had bad UJs I'd just slap it back together with new grease and test drive it. Unless you're looking to justify a diff upgrade

 

I think I would put in up on stands and pull the diff cover. Then you could roll a wheel back and forth and see if you observe any excessive movement. Do this with it in 4WD, so that the driveshaft will not spin. I'm not familiar with diff repairs, so I can't be much help there. You will need RTV gasket maker to reinstall the cover. Be sure to clean both surfaces before applying the RTV. I would also squirt the gears and inside of the case with brake cleaner to remove any grime, and let it dry good before assembly. I use Lube Locker gaskets, which can be used several times. They save all the time cleaning the mating surfaces, and are less messy. I tried to post a link, but their site appears to have issues. lubelocker.com

If it were mine, with that mileage I would probably keep it, as long as the diff doesn't need major repair. Even then, you could take your chances on a junkyard diff and see how it works. Around here (Oklahoma), they go for ~ $100 with a 30 day warranty. They are not horrible to swap. That engine / tranny combo should have a lot of life left. If the pans are not Fred Flintstone condition yet, you could limp it along until you could repair them. It is not very expensive to do yourself, but does require time, a welder and skills to accompany it. I bought my 98 XJ 8 years ago with 135K, and the springs were flat or a little worse then. 30K later, they have the XJ frown, and I continue to rock it. I may get around to replacing them someday.

In my area, it would probably sell for around 2K, with me asking 3K to start. Your market may be different, with different values. If I were to upgrade, a 98 or 99 would be my choice. The 2000 and 2001 have a different head with a known tendency to crack. If it happens, and is not caught in time, it will damage the bearings to the point of needing an engine rebuild. They also have a low pinion front diff. The main difference between a 98 and a 99 is the intake. It was upgraded in 99, and supposedly provides about 15 more horsepower.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Not looking to justify an upgrade at all, honestly not in the position financially to upgrade anything.. honestly this couldn’t have come at a worse time

 

Thank you for your response man, I live in South New Jersey so you know had bad the rust can get from leaving in the north east, the pans are practically gone and I’ve known I’ll have to do a large amount of work to them when I can, and the leaf springs have had the xj frown since I’ve gotten the thing. Will put a few pictures of damages below

 

Yeah, they say rust never sleeps, and it is worse there. How are the frame rails?

 

Does the yoke have up/down free-play? If it does, could be the bearing. Zero in on it before driving a lot, b/c there's a short time period between inner bearing wear and axle lock-up. (I know). The yoke bearings are pretty easy to replace, but takes some time.