Loud metallic clanking noise on 95 YJ

Langleyj95

Langleyj95

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Apr 24, 2020
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Hogansville, GA
I am a new owner of a 95 Jeep yj. I've had it about a month. Today, out of the blue, as I shift into 3rd gear I hear a very loud clanking sound coming from under the vehicle. It persisted through the the rest of the gears. I took it home and checked it out. I thought that it might be the front drive shaft, as it had some play and had been rubbing the exhaust. I removed the drive shaft, and took it out again. This time it did it through all of the gears. It does not make noise revving the motor while sitting, or even out of gear while rolling. Any ideas?
 
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Here's your best shot at finding it.

Put the vehicle up on 4 jack stands securely, just so that the tires are a few inches off the ground.

Once you do that, have someone get inside the vehicle, start it up, and drive it, shifting gears throughout the process.

While they do that, you get under it on a creeper and look / listen for the noise.

This is a sure fire way to figure out where it's coming from, and is much better than guessing (y)
 
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Try putting the front driveshaft back in and removing the rear driveshaft and see if it continues. Put it in 4WD when you do so so that you are driving in front wheel drive. If the clunk continues, it's probably related to the transfer case, transmission, or other upstream component.

Inspect the u-joints on the driveshaft while you have it off.

While you have each one off, check the transfer case outputs and the pinion shafts for any play. (A small amount of rotational backlash is normal, but excessive backlash or vertical/lateral play is not.)

Check the motor mounts and transmission mount to make sure they haven't become damaged. If the rubber in the mount looks rotted, it probably needs to be replaced.

Check all the leaf spring mounts and shackles for loose hardware. Loose spring mounts or shackles could make a lot of noise on sudden acceleration or deceleration. Check the transmission crossmember/skid to ensure all hardware is tight.

If you are still stumped after the above, I recommend changing the fluid in the transmission, transfer case, and front/rear differential. If you see any excessive metal shavings in any of those, that could be cause for concern, and may or may not be related. (Regardless, it's a good idea to refresh the fluids in an old vehicle which has an unknown service history.)
 
In addition to everything others have mentioned, wiggle your tail pipe. They like to come loose and bang against the rear spring, and it can sound like it's coming from further forward on the rig. Mine only did it when I was turning left. Also, check all your shock mounts, and the track bar mounts if your rig still has them.
 
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Walt Jaquith said:
In addition to everything others have mentioned, wiggle your tail pipe. They like to come loose and bang against the rear spring, and it can sound like it's coming from further forward on the rig. Mine only did it when I was turning left. Also, check all your shock mounts, and the track bar mounts if your rig still has them.
Click to expand...
MY cat converter was hitting my skid plate on the xfer case on my first jeep, took me about 30 minutes to find the issue. I checked my newest aquisition and its also hitting in the same place.
 
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