when its in 2wd? i was looking under my truck and i see that the front drive shaft is spinning and its in 2wd.. so i put it in 4 part time and it started to make crazy clunking noises.. then i stick it in 4wd full time and the noises go away.. then i had hard time putting it back to 2wd

what is going on with my front end?? i have a NP242 TC

 

..... wait for it.....

..... wait for it.....

 

LOL

Not me pal...

 

i dont get it.. did i say something funny?

 

it is always spinning

 

Your front driveshaft u-joints are toast (could be your pumpkin pinon bearings too but less likely). When you put it in 4wd they're under load so they don't have wiggle room. Take it out of 4wd and they can shake about as they please. Park in neutral on a flat surface in 2wd and shake your front driveshaft to determine which ujoint.

Neither of your driveshafts should be spinning if you're laying under the vehicle- unless its suspended or something. Otherwise the driveshaft spins when the front axle does- the connection to your drivetrain occurs in the transfer case and does not engage until you move the corresponding shift lever.

 

How did you diagnose bad u-joints from that small amount of information?

Your last sentence, however, answers one of the OP's questions.

Yes, when in 2wd your front drive shaft will always spin. (Unless you have a vacuum disconnect axle)

 

I had the same problem, except mine vibrated the whole jeep when ever I drove. Turned out to be a bad yoke that ruined my ball joint in my double Cardan joint

 

More like taking a shot at it based on my experience. Diagnosis should come from parking it and trying to shake the front DS.

 

[/QUOTE]Yes, when in 2wd your front drive shaft will always spin. (Unless you have a vacuum disconnect axle)[/QUOTE]

Or if you have manual hubs.

 

part time noise full time no noise sounds like transfer case issue to me .

 

Or, it could be as simple as not shifting the transfer case properly.....

242s are especially sensitive.

MUKAK, try this first and report back.

Here's how the factory suggests you shift the transfer case and I've been doing this since these things were new and I worked at the dealership. Quoted from the owner's manual.

"To engage, shift the transfer case lever from 2H to 4H while the vehicle is moving at any legal speed". I let off the gas, throw the lever, and then tap the gas and let off.

4L position: " To engage, slow the vehicle to 2-3 MPH , shift the transmission to Neutral, then shift the transfer lever to the right and pull firmly rearward to 4L".