Should my front drive shaft be spinning when in two wheel drive? It spins and makes this clunking noise, should I get it fixed or is it normal?
Should my front drive shaft spin in 2WD?
- Thread starter Mburke237
- Start date
It should be spinning, but should not be making noise. Pull it out and drive around to see if the noise goes away. If so, probably time to rebuild it
Definitely echoing what @Mattific said. The TJ has a “live” front axle so the disconnect for 4wd is at the t-case. The front axle shafts, ring and pinion, and shaft will all spin when driving due to the wheels spinning. However the noise should be minimal (maybe some drive line vibes depending on your tune).
Should spin, but there should be no noise. Several culprits but first, if you get under the Jeep, with the tranny in neutral, there should be zero play anywhere in the driveline.
it won't spin with the wheels on the ground, correct? I was under mine yesterday (4 post lift so the wheels were on the ground) and I could rotate my front drive shaft maybe 1/8th to 1/4 inch, also made a noise on the passenger side. Neither of the ujoints in the knuckles moved or had play.
Definitely not a problem. The gears in the differential have some backlash that allows the driveshaft to rotate slightly back and forth by hand.
Absolutely not. The teeth of the gears need a little space between each other to allow gear oil to do its job and for the gears to thermally expand when they heat up (there are also a few other uses for backlash as well). The front driveshaft is basically disconnected from the driveline at the transfer case while in 2wd so the only thing holding the driveshaft in place is the tires. The little you can move it is just the gears coming together within the diff.
Nope, that's a normal amount of back lash. If you really want to think you have something fubar, put a Detroit up front. About a half turn is normal with those.
Not according to the above posts #9 and 10 coming from some extremely knowledgeable forum members.
Okay, so I have nothing to worry about? It just sounds like it shouldn’t be making that noise, I will check it when I put it in neutral to see if it does it, I know it has no noise when in 4wd
Well the clunking noise you are hearing while driving is not normal. It is normal to be able to turn it by hand and hear a slight clunk as the gears come together. If you are hearing a clunking noise while going down the road then you may have a problem.
You know the noise it would make when you turn it by hand? Like that clanking noise, that’s the noise it makes when I just drive normally, it’s the worst when I’m slowing down, in reverse it’s the same thing
Nevermind the rotational movement. Like others have stated, that is the normal play in the gears. I would try moving the shaft up and down / side to side.
Look for movement where the the pinion shaft exits the front diff. Then look at the front u-joint, the slip joint on the driveshaft, at the rear double cardan and where the front output shaft exits the t-case. I wouldn't worry much about a tiny bit of movement in these areas, but if there is anything more significant, I'd start investigating further.
Look for movement where the the pinion shaft exits the front diff. Then look at the front u-joint, the slip joint on the driveshaft, at the rear double cardan and where the front output shaft exits the t-case. I wouldn't worry much about a tiny bit of movement in these areas, but if there is anything more significant, I'd start investigating further.
clunking noise? I agree with the above advice to pull it out & see if the noise goes away. I'd be careful if it does turn out to be that shaft, it could be problematic in an expensive way if it goes too far. Are you hearing anything that sounds like the below videos, if so you want to rebuild or replace that shaft as soon as possible:
Yes , if your jk clunk when accelerate , front axle u joint need replace or front drive shaft , and this happen to my jk u joint axle make clunk in 2wd mode