bigredridr

i have a 97 GC DOES NOT HAVE ALL TIME 4x4,and when i turn left at say above 20mph or faster i hear a groaning noise in the front end, the sharper the turn the louder the noise. if i turn slow in a parking lot no noise is heard.

now that that is said i have replaced both front u-joints both wheel bearings both sides upper and lower ball joints. with the noise still there. i even swapped out both u-joint axles to new c-v axles still with no effect on this noise. diff fluid is clean and full. front drive shaft slides freely and ujoints are tight.

This is also my first post, i am quite mechanical and can diagnose any other vehicle but this has me stumped so now i turn to the professionals......tell me i overlooked something please help me fix my jeep.

1slo_camaro

trac bar, goes from driver side uni-body to the front of the axle on the passenger side. mine did the same thing for the most part and after swapping out the trac bar it was gone

Bustedback

I replaced the swaybar frame mount bushings to quiet down my groaning noise. Does it make noise going over bumps?

jnicewan

If you are familiar with the noise of a bad bearing, does it sound like that? I have heard worn spider gears and/or cross pin that made a noise like that. If they are real bad it can be felt as play when turing the driveshaft/pinion too.

bigredridr

it is a bearing noise, there is no play in the pinion bearings as far as i can tell, so i guess pulling the diff cover and looking for abnormal wear will be next on the list.
as far as the trac bar and swaybar frame mounts i counted them out already it is a noise that resembles a wheel bearing going out. if i go around a long gradual turn like an off ramp on a highway it is a constant noise that only stops once i straighten out, seems like if it was either of those two problems i would hear the noise when the body starts to lean or as i enter a turn and would stop as i maintained the turn. just my 2cents. im not sure what noise your jeeps made for that problem.

jnicewan

I would pull the cover then, When turning a couple things could be happening, either the axle shaft is loading the side gear or spiders, or when corning the side gears start turing at different speeds causing the spider gears to rotate, or rotate faster. When going straight the spider gears are revolving with the carrier but they are not spinning and if they are it would be real slow as long as you are going straight and have 2 matching tires on that axle.

You might at least pull the fill plug and stick your finger in there or let a little fluid run out. If the fluid looks metallic that would be a good indicator of something wrong, but fluid may look fine too. After pulling the cover, have wheels off the ground so you can turn them and/or the pinion to look for excessive play, you may even notice chipped or galded gear teeth too.

bigredridr

i pulled the cover with the front tires off the ground an observed that the spider gears that are held in place with the pin have some play either the gear or pin or both, no unusual wear on the gears and no flakes in the diff oil. are these generic pins and gears in the carrier? that i could get out of another gc or regular cherokee? gear ratio shouldnt effect these i think. any help would be appreciated. thanks

PatriotGT

what about the brake backing plate? I've had one to rub the rotor while turning. The
faster you're going the more it will flex and rub harder, thus going slow through the turn get you no sound. Just my thought.

1slo_camaro

mine sounded exactly like that, sounded like a wheel bearing ****ting the bed. whenever i turned whether it was a quick sharp or a long gradual. also check your hubs, that could also give you some noise, just jack it up so the wheels are off the ground and rock the wheel top and bottom (in and out) you shouldnt be able to make it move by hand.

Grand99

This sounds like a similar problem I and many others have with the WJ. Mines a 99 model and makes the same whining / groaning noise when turning, but only at low speeds (under 15mph).

I have been listening to it for about 2 years now! Have performed hours of searching and posting but haven't yet found an answer.

Sorry this post isn't any help, but you're not alone!

bigredridr

thanks guys im sure it is the gears or pin in the dif, everything else is brand new out side of the diff and those loose gears on the pin would def make that noise. my question is are there any other carriers that have the same gears and pin in them i can use to fix mine or am i stuck with only grand cherokees?