weird noise mabye from rear end help needed?

[wilson05]

i've not went four wheeling and done nothing to tear my baby up but for some reason theres a noise coming from the rear end of my jeep when moving, i think its from the thing that i call the hogs head but for people that have no idea what i'm talking about its the thickest part on the axel in the rear .... i dont know exactly what is going on it just started and sometimes it gets a little louder sounds like metal to metal grinding .... and i checked the gear oil and theres plenty so any help could be great

[wilson05]

i didnt describe it enough ..... its a rubbing sound constantly when moving ... not to loud but enough to notice and like i said sometimes it gets louder for just a second....

[CanaMark]

Only when moving, so has to do with wheels, brakes driveline. Pay close attention to it, narrow it down.

[wilson05]

nope i know it isnt the brakes, so it has to be the driveline any ideas?

[GreenJeep10]

I'm not sure what model Wrangler you have but I had a simular problem on my 97. Grinding in the rear that seemed to be more noticable at slower speeds(20-40mph). Wind noise seemed to drown out the noise at highway speed. It was the pinion ring gear in the rear end. Apparent manufacturing problem allowed it to spin causing it to create metal shavings in the rearend etching all the rear barrings and the passenger end of the axle. Had to replace the barrings and the axle was nothing that alittle sanding couldn't fix. Repair cost about $250. Don't know if this is your problem but might wanna check it out. GJ10

[wilson05]

yeah i asked my friend about it and he told me it was probably the same thing .... thanx and i have one more question... will it do any permanent damage if i dont have it fixed right away ... cause i'm only 18 and money is kinda tight right now with my crappy job and all

[GreenJeep10]

I let mine go for awhile. Not sure how long. I did notice it was getting louder and I wasn't sure what it was. When my pinion seal started to leak (possible from the cuttings) I had the rearend looked at. I had to have all the rear barrings replaced and the end of the axle was etched but not bad. If I had waited longer there is a possiblity that the axle end would have been bad enough that I would have had to replace it. Around $300 for it alone. Also the manufacturing error was on the case for the rearend that allowed the ring to spin. If you have to replace it. $$$ Not sure how much that would cost. I lucked out and the mechanic was able to seat it so that it wouldn't spin. I don't know if it is a emergency fix situation but as with many other things the longer you put them off the worse and more expensive it can get. Sorry for the news. GJ10

[slacker_53]

Inherent problem with Jeep vehicles across the board, third member bearings.

Last one I had fixed cost me $400 on a Grand.

Chrysler knows about the problem, but won't do anything about it. I don't know if they have remedied this on the later models or not.