A few days ago, I attempted to replace a rear bearing due to a bearing noise, and I thought the bearing was bad. Well, after pulling the cover off the differential and pulling out the axle shaft, I suspected the bearing was still good, but after going this far, still replaced it. I then noticed on the differential cover a lot of metal shavings. After puting everything back together, the friend helping me moniter for noise while I was in the car. We still had it jacked up, and wanted to elliminate tire noise. Well, the rear end still made a lot of noise with the tires off the ground. My friend got underneath the car and listened, and determined the noise was coming from the differential, which obviously explains the metal shavings. It is a 2000 Cherokee Sport, with a Dana 35 rear axle.

Has anyone had experience with this? I am assuming this will be an expensive fix, and I more than likely won't put the money into it, as the car is getting to the point where it is just awfully expensive to maintain. Also, while I am reasonably good with cars, I'm not good enough that I can start dropping axles, and putting different ones on, and things like that. My friend also suggested that something in t he differential may need to be adjusted, but after looking in the service manual, I determined this is beyond my knowledge, when the manual spoke of measurements down to 1/1000 of an inch. Any suggestions of what I can do for a reasonable amount of money, or is my best bet to hope it lasts me until I buy a new car?

Thanks in advance!

 

probably just needs some bearings, they arent real hard to do. most likely the pinion bearings making noise

 

might be a good time for an axle upgrade!

 

Its really dumb to replace the pinion bearing when you can usually get a good rear axle to swap right in from a junkyard for less than 100 bucks. The bearing itself is cheap but its a couple hour job and requires a good amount of tools.

Anyone can drop the rear end on a Cherokee however, its all of like 8 bolts, disconnecting the driveshaft and one brake fitting. It can be done in under an hour if you know what you are doing.

You literally undo the 4 little bolts holding the driveshaft onto the yoke and then unbolt or cut the ubolts off the axle itself, disconnect the one brake fitting, put tires on the new axle, roll it right into place, re-attach everything and bleed your brakes.

You might need to swap the brakes over too if they are bad on the new axle, another easy job.

Do it yourself, as long as you can follow simple instructions and have a couple hours free its no big deal. It can be fun and you might learn something.

 

OK, is the pinion bearing difficult to replace? I did the right wheel bearing, because I was just positive this was the one making the noise, but obviously it isn't. We inspected the left wheel bearing, which appeared to be in perfect shape. The right one did too, but we still replaced it, since when doing the s turns, the noise disappeared when turning right, and got loud when turning left

 

I said in my last post, its not something for a backyard mechanic to attempt, a replacing a pinion bearing is nothing like a wheel bearing.

 

Didn't see this inside of your postings but... If you opened up the differential and replaced a wheel bearing, did you look at the bearings on your carrier also? Had a strange noise in the rear end that came and went and when i finally went inside to replace gears and diff I discovered that it was carrier bearings and the wheel bearings that had all gone bad. Pinion is not to hard to do in your backyard... did it in my garage with some help. ( see my pictures and you'll understand). The hardest part is the "drag" on the bearing and getting that crush sleeve right. Bought three crush sleeves and used two because the first one wasn't right. Best of luck.

 

x2!!!!

 

Not entirely off topic... but one thing that works pretty good for isolating a noise is a 3/8" or 1/2" wooden dowel rod about 3' long. It works sorta like a doctors stethoscope... same principle. Press one end to wherever and then put your ear to the free end and listen. Move the dowel to somewhere else and do the same. In the situation of a rear end... press it against the differential cover then listen... then against one of the wheel backing plates then listen... then the other one and listen. Wherever the sound is the loudest is usually 'where' the problem is. It works under the hood, too. Just be careful, though.

 

When mine started going I got really happy about it because it was a good excuse to upgrade to a chrysler 8.25. WOO HOO!!