GRINDING and banging, Scared to drive

[hitman17mk]

ok i have a 94 limited 4x4, bought about 2 months ago, and now have been goign down the road the past day or so and it is grinding (ggggrrRRRRrrrrrrRRRRRrrrrrRRRR) and click as if some gear is grinding, but i only notice it at slow speeds and when slowing down, now today i had no gas so i figured i'd test it on the way to the gas station, so it is grinding and now it BANGS once ina while, realy loud, and also sound like osmething is wet and squeakin at slow slow speeds, i got home and i got underneath it, i wiggled the rear drive shaft, didnt turn or wiggle at all, front drifve shaft turned freely, turn car on put in 4x4, front drive shaft turned lil then locked in, turned 4x4 off , front driuve shaft turned freely again, also is seems to make more noise sometimes when i turn, check power steering fulid full but very brown, i just dont know what to do, after doign all this i went to a big empty parking lot and did a bunch of braking turning acclerating, it was gone, i leave and it grinded for about 30 seconds and stoped. so i figure it has somehting to do wit u-joints, t-case or tranny, but have no clue, i looked in the hayes manual and it said it could be the u-joint but i think it might be something more serious. please help

thanks

 

[hunterdan]

ok i have a 94 limited 4x4, bought about 2 months ago, and now have been goign down the road the past day or so and it is grinding (ggggrrRRRRrrrrrrRRRRRrrrrrRRRR) and click as if some gear is grinding, but i only notice it at slow speeds and when slowing down, now today i had no gas so i figured i'd test it on the way to the gas station, so it is grinding and now it BANGS once ina while, realy loud, and also sound like osmething is wet and squeakin at slow slow speeds, i got home and i got underneath it, i wiggled the rear drive shaft, didnt turn or wiggle at all, front drifve shaft turned freely, turn car on put in 4x4, front drive shaft turned lil then locked in, turned 4x4 off , front driuve shaft turned freely again, also is seems to make more noise sometimes when i turn, check power steering fulid full but very brown, i just dont know what to do, after doign all this i went to a big empty parking lot and did a bunch of braking turning acclerating, it was gone, i leave and it grinded for about 30 seconds and stoped. so i figure it has somehting to do wit u-joints, t-case or tranny, but have no clue, i looked in the hayes manual and it said it could be the u-joint but i think it might be something more serious. please help

thanks

Sounds like your wheel bearings are shot. Replace them immediately before they weld themselves to the spindle, or worse yet, seize up on the highway and force you off the road.

Dan

 

[Glacier991]

Undercarriage noises on a 4x4 can be tough. Like Dan said, given all you have checked so far is a good start, but you might want to spin the front wheels and listen. T'case is far enough back you might be able to isolate that section. If it is shifting ok it's unlikely it is the trannie. Whatever it is I think prudence says find it before you venture out with it again. (Damn that gal).

 

[hitman17mk]

so how much od u think gettin the wheelm bearings will set me back? and if it is the wheel bears bwhat is thae banging i heard?

 

[hitman17mk]

also just took the truck out for 15 minute drive didnt seem liek much grinding and no banging this time, and i have a xmas party to go to night prolly 30 minutes or more driving, will it be ok to go there?

 

[yosh18981898]

Sounds like a more severe syptoms version of when my front end u-joints went out.

 

[MrShorty]

Do you have the stock auto hubs, or have you converted to manual hubs? If you still have the auto hubs, I would say there is a problem there, and I'll tell you why. You said, with the transfer case in 2H, the front driveshaft spins freely. with the auto hubs, when the driveshaft (and by extension the axleshaft) spins, the hubs should lock. If the front driveshaft spins freely, then one of the hubs isn't locking. Bad auto hubs are known to make all kinds of noises.

 

[hitman17mk]

i alreayd had that problem LOL, i converte3d to manual