javajeep

I have seen a great number of posts on here about driveline noise.

My noise was a roar or hum I could hear at about 40mph and got progressively worse.

Mine is a 97 XJ with about 155k -- NP242 transfer case.

Here is what did NOT work.

I changed the front hubs.

I climbed under it about 100x checking for play in the u-joints and didn't find any.

Changed diffed fluid and inspected the diffs -- they seemed fine.

Changed transmission fluid and filter.

Finally, I took it a shop. They told me I needed new tires. They didn't sell tires. So, took it to WalMart and bought new tires. The noise is gone.

I am a little embarrassed that I could not figure this out myself. It sounded like it had big mudder tires on it, but they were highway Bridgstone Alenzas. I knew that I was close to needing new tires, but -- this is the crazy part -- I wanted to find the driveline noise first. I did not want to ruin new tires. In my opinion, they were only about 75% worn.

I looked on the internet about worn tires and road noise and found info. about cupping, feathering, and uneven wear. However, I inspected my tires many times. They were worn, but the wear seemed even with no signs of over or under inflation. The alignment and balance seemed -- and still does seem -- fine. There was no vibration.

In any case, I am surprised it was the tires, but happy the moaning and groaning of the heep is over. It wasn't that big of a turn on.

I spent a lot of money on stuff that didn't work, but that stuff needed to be done anyway so I am not sweating it.

In any case, I thought that some might benefit from this experience and some might want to comment on what was going on with these tires that did not seem to have uneven wear on them.

tavish_g

glad to hear it worked out for you, at least it was something easy like tires. had a buddy that just bought a 4x4 blazer, the thing drove horribly, i told him not to buy it. turns out it just had 2 broken belts on two tires, new set and it drove like it was brand new.