Rattling / Clunking Sound

murphyslaw

New Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2020
Messages
9
Location
Pennsylvania
I have a 98 SE. I have recently started to notice a rattling/clunking noise that seems to be coming from below the drivers side of the jeep. I hear it in first and second gear but it seems to go away or I can no longer hear it in third and up. It is louder when going over bumps that make the jeep rock from side to side. After I disengage 4WD it gets much louder so I assume it's something coming from the transfer case or transmission? Just looking for some guidance on where I should be looking to find the cause of the noise.
 
I just replaced all the u joints a few weeks ago. I didn't replace the double cardan because it was pretty pricey and I wasn't sure how to tell if it even needed to be replaced. Is there any way to tell from just looking at it?
 
The issues are usually associated with the yoke assembly and it is not serviceable nor can it be visually inspected (unless it self destructed) but the yoke assembly can be replaced along with the u joints so no need to replace the entire joint.

Either way pull the driveshaft and test her out, could easily be something else but what clicked in my brain is when you stated it was louder in 2WD which makes me believe it's the cardan joint.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLSGBK1/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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Okay so if I pull the front drive shaft and go for a drive the noise should go away then, correct? If it doesn't then what?

A good starting point would be to jack her up on 4 stands and run it that way so maybe you can pinpoint the noise location before pulling the driveshaft. Just follow safety first.
 
I pulled the driveshaft this morning and the noise is still there. After trying to pinpoint where it is coming from I discovered that if I move the shifter all the way to the left as I would to go into first gear it makes the rattling noise if I hold it there.
 
Nothing seems to be broken, just makes the noise when moved from side to side, I can't tell where exactly on the linkage it is coming from. If I hold the 4wd lever down it all but eliminates the noise when moving.
 
Just ordered, should have it by next week. In the meantime tightening the bolts for the bracket inside the tub and giving the linkage a nice coating of WD40 seems to have helped with the noise a lot.