hi guys,

2003 wj overland. 189k tires are new, within the last 10k miles or less.

im having a noise in the front end. more like a growl, like a mud tire would make, but the tires are goodyear sr-a's. i rotated the tires today, and the sound didnt move, so its not a tire issue.

the wheel bearings are tight, and have zero play. i do know however that it doesnt mean i dont have a bad bearing.

the front and rear diffs have been rebuilt by a very reputable local shop within the last 30k(have work order from PO)

i have noticed while i had the front end jacked up that the front diff has quite a bit of play(backlash?) could that be causing the issue? i have a bad pinion bearing in my truck, and the sound changes when getting on, or off the gas pedal, but it doesnt do this in the jeep.

any help is appreciated!

 

Can you reproduce the noise with the tires off the ground? Maybe raise all four up and put it in 4wd and see if you can get the noise to occur with you under the jeep. I owned/tore apart my 04 wj in my high school days. Just out of curiosity, is your jeep lifted? Which transfer case does it have? (The full time 4wd or part time with 2wd option)

 

i havent got all four off the ground yet. its got the nv247(awd), and it has the factory upcountry lift(~1").

i called the trans shop that rebuilt the front diff, and hes willing to take a look at it, so thats going to happen if i cant figure it out.

the noise that i found in the front diff, he says is the side gears, so that sounds normal.

gonna pick up a stethoscope friday, and get her up on jackstands, and have a listen.

 

Wait....the noise is normal? Or the little bit of play in the front diff? I didn't think you had found the noise yet...

In any case, my 04 also had the 247 trans case but I switched it to an older 242 when I started getting a grinding from under the jeep, especially when turning. I had a 4 inch lift at the time and what was happening was my front driveshaft angle was too steep for the stock driveshaft to handle. That's why I asked about the lift. I put in the 242 case which allowed me to drive the jeep in 2wd until I could get my driveshaft changed to one of these:
http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merch...egory_Code=PFW

Here's some pics of my old beast!

 

But yea, I'd say your next step needs to be to get all four wheels off the ground and see if you can recreate the noise. It's possible that your driveshaft cv joint at the transfer case has gone bad...or it's the front diff or wheel bearings...tough to tell just by sitting in the jeep

 

i have the overland, so i already have the "upgraded" driveshaft from the factory.

sharp looking jeep! i too am going to be swapping out the 247, for a 242. gotta source one, and the driveshaft to go with it.

no, the clicking noise i was getting when i turned the front wheels by hand, was the side gears, and its normal.

the howling growling whatever noise is not normal. haha

again, i have the double cardan shaft, not the rezzeppa shaft. so im good there. all u joints are solid too. no play, i checked!

 

Didn't know that the overlands came with all that good stuff! The 242 t cases really are superior...why they switched to the 247 is beyond me. Probably to cater to the needs of soccer moms and yuppie city folk who cant understand when and when not to properly use 4wd lol.

Lets hope that the growling noise is your 247 t-case going bad so you have an even better excuse to swap that 242 in there haha!

 

yeah our jeep has every single option for the year, except navi.

its not the t-case. its definitely in the front end. which is good cause i dont have the money to get a new t-case and rear driveshaft right now.

we have the 4.7ho, and the 545rfe trans. varilocks(lsd) both front and rear. steel skid plates everywhere, tow hooks, factory tow package.

 

Find a large parking lot, that doesn't have a lot of cars in it. (at night, after hours, usually works.) Get the Jeep moving at a speed that you can hear the noise fairly well, then turn as hard as you safely can in one direction. Does the noise get louder? quieter? Doesn't change at all?

If the noise changes, it IS a wheel bearing. If it gets quieter, it will be the side to the INSIDE of the your turn, (as it is being unloaded.) if it gets louder, it is the bearing on the OUTSIDE of the turn, as it is taking more weight. Don't roll the jeep. don't have to turn that hard.

 

ill try that tonight. i have to leave my house at around 1030 tonight to pick the wife up from work for 11. ill do it then.

the hospital where she works has a large parking lot that is empty at that time of night, ill do it there.