I've recently had a series of rearend (let me call it) snaps on my 2000 sport 5spd with limited slip diff. It typically happens under acceleration and load (i.e. hitting the gas going uphill). It feels like the rearend slipped on wet leaves and then catches the tarmac with a snap. I flushed the rear and added new fluid and the CRC friction additive (didn't use Mopar). This worked for awhile (a month or so) but now the snap is back. Any ideas?

 

Was there much debris on the magnet in your pan when you cleaned it out?

 

I did find 1 (only 1) very small piece of metal at the bottom of the rearend casing. Without removing any internal parts, I cleaned the surfaces I could reach with a lint-free rag and sealed and replaced the rear plate. Then refilled. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

You need to clean it with a can or two of break cleaner, rotate your gears around several times and inspect all of your teeth and not only your ring and pinion, but also spider gears. You might have and issues with the clutches inside the limited slip. If that is the case you will have to have the whole rear-end rebuilt.

 

Just got back from a long ride and the snap/clunk happened again a few times. Seems to be getting worse. Ring and pinion teeth looked good the first time I checked but I didn't get a good look at the spider gears. I think you may be right about the clutches. The 'clunk' definitely is coming from the rearend and it really just feels like something slips for just a second back there so I'm thinking clutches too. Not something I really wanted to mess with but I really like the Jeep and am hoping to keep it going for many more miles (not sure if I mentioned it has over 183K miles). Thanks again.

 

do you have a lift on your xj?

 

You can always grab a used axle at the junk yard. As long as it is the same gear ratio as what you are currently running it would be no problem. It wouldn't have to be a limited slip either.

 

I don't have any lift kits installed. The Jeep is completely stock.