[QuickZJ360]

Hey guys, my parents 04 WJ 4.7 has about 7800 miles on it now, and I'm hearing a whining sound coming from the front end on the highway ( around 70-75mph) The sound is most noticeable when you are doing 75mph, and letting your foot off the gas allowing it to coast. Sure does sound like the front diff to me, unless it's the driveshaft, which usually won't make a whining type sound. Any ideas on what it could be?

Thanks in advance.

[greasefingers]

Sounds to like it does not get driven enough Have you stuck your finger in its hole yet? It should come out wet and smelling like dog doo. Any signs of the leaking around the input yoke?

[QuickZJ360]

No signs of leaking, if the diff needs to be rebuilt already then that is pretty ridiculous. Oh well, I'll see what the dealer has to say.

[greasefingers]

They would have to be extremely low in gear oil (dog doo oil) or they are defective. They are not the strongest diffs on the road but even a Buick Rendezvous front diff should last at least 100 k miles. Did I say Rendezvous. Now that's one butt ugly vehicle.

[QuickZJ360]

Do you think the front driveshaft would make this howling type sound? I'm going to check the diff oil in the morning, maybe it was underfilled from the factory? Who knows

[K-Pax]

i'm hearing the same noise as you described in mine. after a few hundred miles, the display would tell me to service the 4wd switch. called the dealer and they said it could cost from $150-$1k. it doesn't come on all the time though like when your wiper fluid is low . i've also been told it could be a broken snap ring in the TC which is around a $5 part or the entire TC needs to be replaced. i'm not sure, but the money i've got coming in to buy a new TC is gonna go to a big D attorney probably

[Woody]

Originally Posted by greasefingers

They are not the strongest diffs on the road but even a Buick Rendezvous front diff should last at least 100 k miles. Did I say Rendezvous. Now that's one butt ugly vehicle.

Careful grease, my wife has one. It's better than an Aztek and holds more people than my GC. It's also got a HUD. It rides pretty darn good as well. It doesn't really have a front diff. It's got a transaxle (transmission, T-case, axle all in one) with a driveshaft to the independant rear. Great design though. It doesn't have the ride height my GC does, but it doesn't mind ice and snow at all with the Front always having power and the rear engaging during slippage. Plus it came with an OBA compressor and automatically adjusts the rear ride height to make a smooth ride and keep the rear from sagging.

Can't compare a Buick to a Jeep. The Jeep is definately tougher, but the ride and fuel efficiency of the Buick is hard to top. Not to mention, I love having a HUD.

[greasefingers]

Sorry Woody. Just IMO. It's sort a like pizza. What tastes best to me does not necessarily mean it's going to taste the best to the rest of my family

[brandoncrone]

You probably have an issue with the rear diff, noises like that can be very misleading, sound like they are coming from one place instead of another. It wouldn't be uncommon to hear noises from a Jeep diff, they aren't that great. I remember when the WJ was a new body style back in 99 and we were doing complete axle overhauls at 10K miles.