Help me diagnose a driveline noise

rbo1577186

rbo1577186

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Location
Winston Salem
98 TJ 4.0
Manual Tranny
3 in sus lift
1 in body lift.
1 in XFer case lowering kit with Xfer linkage lowering bracket
50k

For the last 3 years or so I hear a "clicking" noise from under my TJ when taking off, then goes away.. It's similar to how a locker makes its ratcheting noise at a slow speed, but just a little louder. It doesn't do it all the time, but most of the time. It sounds to me as if it's near the XFer case. I know it's not anything in axles, not the driveshaft U-Joints, not the tranny mount and it's not the transfer Case linkage. It has done this since I bought in 03 with 37k (hasn't seemed to get any worse either) so I'm not too concerned about it but it's getting on my nerves...... anybody got any suggestions?
 
Used to wheel with a guy with a F150 pick-up (I know it's not a Jeep but making point) and everytime he let out on the clutch it would make a very similar sound. Another guy with almost the same truck & setup, his did the same thing.
We only guessed it was something with the clutch/press plate engaging and as they made contact, it would chatter. One of them put lower gears in the axles and it stopped. That made us think being under-geared or the clutch's did grab hard enough and it caused the clutch to slip and chatter as it would grab/release/grab/release/etc.
The sound came from the splines on the clutch disk kinda slapping on the input shaft splines, since the disk had a tiny bit of play in the splines on both trucks.
We never proved that but it was the best we could come up with.
Both of them fixed it with louder radios'
-Byron
 
I had a 69 Chevy that done that, Cracked flywheel.
Only made a noise under Heavy Torque, like take offs
or when you Threw the coal to it.
 
Hard to say from your description.. Also you say its NOT certain parts, how are you sure ? Did you remove them 1 at a time ?

And its done it since you had it ? What mods did it have and what have you added to it?

My guesses are:
Exhaust manifold is cracked ? Sometimes that can make a metallic tinging sound..
Front (factory) CV joint can be dry causing noise
Tcase linkage can slap around in there as the vehicle torques a bit on acceleration..
 
Exhaust Manifold replaced in 04, I know what a leaky exhaust manifold sounds like.

TCase linkage - I got the TSB Kit for that, but that was not the problem. The tub mount for the torque shaft has a lowering bracket (I'm guessing it came with the body lift / TCase lowering kit) so the torque shaft never comes in contact with the tub.

Since I've had it.... I've regeared/replaced seals/bearings in diffs. All splines looked good.
Replaced rear axle seals/bearings.
Replaced rear Driveshaft U-Joints.
TSB Kit for TCase linkage.
Checked out the Tranny mount, it's not bent or worn.
Had XFer case out to replace a seal.
Exhaust Manifold.

Front CV feels good.

I'm gonna recruit some help this weekend, I'm gonna lay down beside it while some else lightly line locks it....

Thanks for the replies.

I will figure this out dammit.............
 
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