Grand Cherokee 34-824

Jeep Grand Cherokee 1996 Rear Problems vibration Off

dave1123

Seriously? I haven't a clue what you're talking about.

97grand4.0

Obviously the answer is Budweiser.

dave1123

Please explain your problem in layman's terms.

Grand Cherokee 34-824

Just a couple days after returning from vacation, started having issues with rear end noise and vibration. Vibration would taper off once speed increased. Was told by friend probably wheel bearings. But, before I could get that taken care of, my daughter was driving down our street, low speed and heard what she referred to as a "bang" and then alot of vibration. She was able to get it back home and jeep is in driveway. There is fluid that has leaked from the rear end. I'm a single mom and mechanically challenged. Son's friend looked at it and said it was something to do with the rear end

97grand4.0

You're going to need someone with at least marginal know how to look at this; without more info, very hard to even hazard a guess. Alot of things can go wrong with a rear end, like, running it dry of oil for one.

dave1123

Worst case scenario, it sounds like the pinion bearings blew up. The best thing for you to do is have it looked at by a driveline specialty shop, like possibly a heavy truck repair place or the dealer. Drive axles, front or rear, are the least understood, most neglected part of automobiles for the average owner and most mechanics.

I had my 97 Grand Cherokee in a transmission shop for a rebuild and they found a leaking rear axle pinion seal. They asked me if I wanted it changed while it was in the shop. I told them yes, IF they knew how to do it properly. They thought I was nuts to say that. Two days after getting the jeep back, the rear axle blew up! I'm saying smoking, banging, fluid all over the road! I removed the rear driveshaft, put it in 4wd, and drove it back to their shop. After haggling for a while, they agreed to fix it with a complete new gearset and bearings. They couldn't even get THAT right because it started to whine a few days later and when I went back, they were out of business! That rear axle whined, getting steadily worse, for 2 years until I sold the jeep. This was a franchise shop for a nationally known transmission company. I trusted them because they rebuilt my wife's Dodge Caravan's transmission perfectly.

A differential is a gearbox that must be assembled with exacting precision. It must handle all the power produced by the engine and deliver it to the wheels. It takes a specialist to do it right!