Ok, I need some help here fellow Jeepers... When I got my XJ it had a 4wd problem (p.o. said it was fine but I really had no where to test it so i trusted him.. yeah i know bad idea) but, I took it off road and put it in 4wd HI (part time) and went to climb a steep sand hill. I made it up with no problems, but it was making a popping noise and I had a bunch of people looking at the front pass. tire, and they had that look on their face like something wasn't right. So I put it back in 2wd and left the sand dunes. well I have been trying to figure it out ever since then and i just cant seem to figure it out. I was told it could be:

Wheel Bearing
Transfercase
Wheel Joint
Front Axle
or miss matched gearing

Here is what it is doing:

Put it in 4wd and it starts rolling, it rolls fine until it gets to a certain point where it binds up and then pops/breaks free and rolls again til that certain point again (both going forward and reverse) it only does it in 4wd, and the noise sounds like it is coming from the pass. side front.

well I replaced the Wheel Bearing, and it still did it...
Tonight I just replaced that wheel joint, and it still does it..
and when I had the axle shaft out replacing the wheel joint the end looked great, the teeth were not messed up or anything.

So, if I drop the front driveshaft and put it in 4wd, would I be able to tell if it was the transfercase (if it did the same thing), or if it didnt do it, then that would mean it was something in the front correct? Would this work to pin point whether it is in the t-case or the front diff?

HELP!!!!!!

 

yeah, try it and see what happens.