I have a 97 Cherokee Sport 4.0L with roughly 200,000 miles. When I put it in 4wd everything seems to work fine, and I can drive forward, until I turn the wheel at all. There is a massive clunking noise at intervals. It sounds like somebody is continually compressing a spring that came from hell. My technical know-how is limited but I have suspicions that it's my front drive U-joint. This clunking never occurs in 2wd, regardless of the degree the steering is turned.

 

Simple answer. If your shift lever says (2hi-4hi-n-4lo) then you shouldn't drive on any dry pavement with it. That's part time 4x4 for slippery roads only where wheel spin can occur