I have a 94 country 4.0 (possibly cammed) with a standard 5 speed conversion done by the previous owner, from what I can tell its a relatively new aftermarket clutch/trans. Few days ago it started making a rattle that i thought was a loose pulley or something but it got worse and now every time i let off the clutch while its in any gear EXCEPT 4th it sounds like something is hitting against the inner bell housing, or right in near there. If it’s something that bad im cashing out and finding another xj at this point so any input would be great...

 

Could be as simple as a flywheel bolt had gotten loose, or little more difficult the pilot bearing wasn't replaced, and it is now going out. Could be worse, and need a new flywheel if it has gotten out of whack. I would first check your transmission and motor mounts, if those are bad, could lead to stress on the drive train leading to the rattle. If not you may need to drop the tranny and take a look at the pilot bearing and the flywheel bolts.

 

Any gear except 4th sounds like a trans issue to me.

4th is direct and straight through the trans. The rest of the gears go through the counter gear. Have you ever checked the trans fluid level?