Really dumb question
 

'99 Cherokee w/4.0. If the rear of my jeep is on jack stands and the vehicle is in park should i be able to spin the rear wheels? They are reverse of each other as they should be with an open diff. and the driveshft does not spin when I turn them.

That sounds correct.

" jeep is on jack stands and the vehicle is in park should i be able to spin the rear wheels?"

no

Thanks!

so i get a no and a yes. Here is the issue, something gave way in the back of my jeep. It feels brake related and I limped it home. When I would depress the brake pedal the noise would subside and at time the issue was actually slowing me down. There was no massive gear grinding sound or anything. Just sounded like something broke loose in a rear wheel. After removing my wheels and drums I have found a brake shoe that has delaminated and the whole brake surface part was just laying in there. At not point was there any trauma or gut wrenching gear grinding sounds so I am trying to eliminate the possibility of a broken pinion/ring gear which would be unlikely with everything stock on the jeep and it not being much of a 4 wheeling machine at all.

When i put the jack on stands I could turn the rear wheels and couldn't remember if that was correct because I don't feel like it is.

It doesnt make any strange noises when I turn the wheels however.

I'm almost positive you should be able to turn them, every vehicle I have worked on works that way.

Just conducted another super scientific test: with it on stands I started it and put it in gear and there is no odd noise from the rear after getting it to the RPM i was traveling at while limping it home. I am guessing it was just the delaminated shoe flopping around in there.

Nice, should be an easy fix.

indeed. Just waiting on my ride to the parts store.

Not if it's in PARK.


That should lock the rear wheels.

now i am super confused. Either way, I am going to replace the brakes and put everything back together. I'll see if the noise is still there. Seems to me however that had it been a rear end issue it would have locked up or no power would get to the rear wheels or it would have been more of a gear crunching sound or something. It literally sounded like something slamming around in my brake drum. I'll let ya'll know what happens when I get it put back together in a little while and test drive it.

no. Park keeps the driveshaft from spinning. Spinning one wheel forward will cause he other wheel to spin backwards unless there is a locker in the differential. It's fine that one wheel spins forward and one back. If he had the parking brake on they shouldn't spin.

Yep, you're right. I stand corrected.

They are "locked" in park only because they cannot move relative to one another, because of friction with the ground.