Owning a couple of Cherokees one here in the west,one in the east i go thru a lot of thought on when an issue comes up with one of them:

NY : 97 GC laredo 4.0 auto, select trac 4wd, 200k mostly hiway.

Heard a sound like bearing wear and had a leak in rear axle seal so had those replaced along with bearings, a worn axle.
Both frnt/ rear diff oil is full.

But the sound continues and thinking is that is coming from front axle hub bearing ? Hard to determine location when I am driving the car.
Can be described as if you were scribing a piece of metal on a lathe with a small cutting tool- the whine gets faster with speed increase. Not present at idle slow drive.

This is baffling me....

 

if its a hub bearing, youll feel it pretty good about 45+. atleast with my experience

 

Most hub bearings can be described as a growl and grind noise the way you describe fits into the category. The easiest way to check it is lift up the front and jiggle the tires pretty hard and feel for play if it exists. Chances are if it jiggles its bad. You can also spin the hubs without the tire on and listen/ feel for grinding. If one side feels or sounds like any of the above replace the hub. Also make sure the dust shield for the rotor isnt bent an rubbing on anything and everything else in the general area isnt bent/broke and rubbing on anything

 

Thanks for the info. With it at 200k, think I should replace hubs regardless of exact cause. I do run up miles on the Jeep city and hiway commuting for work + play when I am in Northeast. Can get a good deal for a pair 90$ though it is an ebay outlet. believe they are made by SKF.

I did an old timer test where I steered the car hard in one direction taking weight off opposite wheel, then the other way and there was little change in noise. While this was a tried true method for early 70s muscle cars we all ran back in the day, I am suspect if it applies to 4x4 front ends anyway esp. with the diff in there.
There is some vibration up at speed small but it is there. thought it might be steering dampner.

But will have my mech ck out the dust cover and etc when I get back there.

 

Unless they are rusted in then they are an easy job to replace. Don't use the eBay ones even if they are SKFs. My opinion is either NAPA or Timkin for unit bearings.

 

A few auto parts outlets near me sell the SKF brand for replacement hubs fairly expensive, then why should I pay more by buying from a brick + mortar parts store then online ?