davejeep1

hi all, i have a grinding noise coming from the front end of my cheeroke when in four wheel drive.

when it is in 2 wheel it is making clunking sounds under steering and when i brake or give it a right foot full!

i have checked the level of the fluids in the axels and they are 12mm lower than the fill hole as recommened, was temped in filling them up to the fill hole but not sure if this would do more harm than good...

PLEASE HELP as im using the jeep to get my brother to his wedding and airport on friday/saturday ...!!!!

oh and there is a metal deposit on the plug for the front axel top up point

Dave

xjbones

you look at the axle u-joints yet?

davejeep1

no i havent, is this a easy task?

xjbones

yeah....just look at them to see if there is any physical damage. have someone get in your jeep with it running and in 4 wheel drive. have them go from rev to drive a few times (with foot on the brake of course) while you watch the u-joints. any slop, replace th u-joints!! you should be able to see the ujoint move in the cap.

they should have zero slop....

and your fluid level on your diff should be to the bottom of the fill plug. fill-er up!!

davejeep1

would this explain the deposit on the fill plug?

jd4x426

depending on how long its been since the fluid was changed some metal shavings are expected the gears wear with time if it is excessive then i would worry but just alittle isnt untypical. As for the clunking my geuss would also be the ujoints but i dont recomend being under there while someones in there with it in gear just a recipe for disaster. Get a long screwdriver stick it through the yoke and check for slop that way much safer and just as easy.

xjbones

no sure wouldnt but the u-joints sound like that when dry and worn out.

how much metal was on the fill plug? how many miles on the jeep? fluid ever been changed?

xjbones

my middle name is disaster!!! but on a better note...i also dont think this is a good idea. i should have said stay back a few feet and look from the front.

and x2 on the metal

davejeep1

the metal was like a paste and was covering half of the fill plug, was like copper grease only silver,

jeep has done 107 k and unsure when oil was changed as brought the jeep last month!! didnt make the noise when i first got it tho.

as for the level of the oil, it states in the handbook to fill 12mm below fill hole, is this rubbish??

xjbones

prob right.....but this is just how 90 % of the lube shops and mech's do it. plus me.

that amount of metal sounds normal if the fluid hasnt been changed.

i wouldnt worry about it for now...just clean the fill plug and reinstall it. go check the axle u-joints.......sounds like thats your prob to me.

gotta go now but hope you figure it out b4 your bros wedding!! good luck man!!!

davejeep1

right then, got to locate them first, does the jeep need to be in gear or not??

do you know of a guide on how to check the joints??

thank you for your replys and time, its greatly appreciated....

xjbones

they are at the end of each axle tube....right in between your ball joints. they connect your inner and outer axleshafts.

no guide that i know of....start another thread on "how to check front axle u-joints". im sure people on here have many different ways of doing it as do i. i just dont know how to type it out, just know how to do it!!

jd4x426

as stated they are on each axlew end you will see them they are cross leav it in gear with truck off get a screwdriver stick it through the yoke and twist it up and down the ujoint shouldnt move if it does they are shot