KamDaHam

Hello, I have a 1996 jeep Cherokee as my first car. I was wondering if I could talk to an experienced person about some troubles/ noises I am having? Thank you very much!

fb97xj1

Post away. I am sure someone here can help using the forums. You can often find a similar, or even the exact same noise, on Youtube. Even a brief description might go a long way. A squeaking sound from the front for example could be balljoints or sway bar bushings. Another is a rattle from underneath which could be a loose convertor shield, or loose flexplate bolts, which is a common thing. There is also metal on metal, like fingernails down a chalkboard. Descriptions like that can be a big clue.

Its not a good idea posting your email in public. Bots and scammers can see it.

KamDaHam

When every I shift into drive there is a very loud clunk noise coming from the transmission. Also when I take a tight turn, even at low speeds, I hear this rattling sound until I'm finished making the turn.

OldTires

Start by checking the ujoints. The rear drive shaft (the one that connects to the rear differential) should be the one that causes the clunk when shifting into drive.

The turning sound could be the ujoints in the axle shafts in the front.

awg

in no particular order

* failed trans mount or LH engine mount (common, inspect with mirror)

* above, causing exhaust to hit something (visual check)

* rear drive shaft unis or diff (grasp driveshaft and shake/turn it...(there should be minimal freeplay)

* front axle unis (should be evident at very low speed full lock turning circles)

BruceB

You should check the rear differential for an aftermarket install of a lunchbox locker..they sometimes have a clunk when putting into gear. Either way an inspection and fluid change is a prudent maintenance item.

97grand4.0

^^^^ THIS X2 Also check to lube the rear driveshaft splines with grease where it slides in t o the T case.

KamDaHam

Thank you all very much! I will be checking all of these the next day I don't have work. Another problem that has occurred and keeps reoccurring is high idle. I do not have a tachometer, but I can just hear that the idle is high. I have replaced the TPS sensor as well as the IAC but no luck. I have also cleaned the throttle body and replaced the gasket in doing so. After all of these didn't work I went ahead and checked for vacuum leaks around the entire engine bay and found nothing. The only way I can sometimes get it to go into the normal idle is, when the jeep is on, quickly press the gas down then let off fast and sometimes that works. I was just wondering what else I can do?

awg

why do you not have a tachometer in a '96 ?

jordan96xj

Many 96 sports have the "dummy dash" (like mine) that only has dials for speedometer and fuel level. The rest are simply indicator lamps (dummy lights) for things like oil pressure, coolant temp, and voltage. No values, just an indication that something isn't right.

jordan96xj

That is why I wired in an OBD2 scanner and a $50 walmart tablet to act as a digital dashboard, so that I get all of those values and more in realtime.

awg

i like your idea so much that i intend to do the same thing, (just have a smaller mobile atm, with BAFX), but the larger screen is much better for display

in the near future, i may start a thread to discuss it...or have you already done a write-up ?

such as the what parameters to set on the display

sorry to the OP about thread drift

OldTires

My 1996 has also had issues with fluctuating high idle rpms, The reason it is so difficult to manage is because there are many different factors that can cause the issue. I started trouble shooting with the same things you did, and still had the problem. Then I replaced most of the vacuum connectors on the intake manifold. That worked for about a week, then the high idle was back. Then I changed the grommets on the valve cover valves, and the valves too. That brought down the idle immediately, and it worked for about a month. High idle then came back. Then I replaced the oxygen sensors to NTK, and gradually the idle came down. But a few months later it went high again. I couldn't figure it out until I was crawling under the Jeep and noticed a small hairline crack in the outlet pipe of the catalyst, right below the oxygen sensor. I patched that up, and the idle has been at around 1000 ever since (7 months). It is little things like that that can trip you up.

You can also buy a used instrument cluster with all the gauges, change a couple of sensors and it works. That's what I did. Google search it and you will find plenty of threads on it.

Good luck.

jordan96xj

I also used a BAFX. There were pictures on the reviews for it on amazon that someone showed how they opened it up and resoldered the connector to run the 12v positive out of the adapter so that you could hook it up to another power source other than the OBD2 connector. Because the OBD2 connector is always on, having the adapter on there continuously can draw down the battery (I once left it 2 days on a good battery and it was very sluggish to start, I think 3 days would have killed the battery). So I run the adapter to the accessory circuit so that it comes on/off with the ignition switch. I used a low profile OBD2 extension cable to get the adapter out of the way (just tucked it behind the carpeting). Then the tablet just got loaded up with torque and I glued an old GPS mounting cup to the back of the tablet. The rest is history. I run coolant temp, rpm, intake pressure, throttle position, fuel trims (short and long), o2 voltages, and load% values on my dashboard. The 96 doesn't have that many other data points to offer, but just those are pretty great for troubleshooting.

KamDaHam

Thank you guys very much! I
will be checking around my o2 sensor this weekend for cracks and will be investing in an
OBD2 scanner shortly!