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[prophet]

The rear axle on my Jeep sounds like the bearings are going, lots of grinding noises at under 40mph. Over this speed, everything goes a bit quieter. Also there's a bit of a whine when accelerating which goes away when coasting. This level of mechanics is beyond me, so are there any specialists who could repair or replace the knackered parts? I'm not sure if the rear diff has a diff lock or not, there's no switches in the cabin for it. Any idea of prices?

As I'm sure you can tell, I'm a newbie to the world of Jeeps!

[Bishops Finger]

Not good methinks,,,where in the Universe are you...

[prophet]

I'm near Liverpool, but I don't mind travelling to find a decent specialist.

I found this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REAR-AXLE-REBUILD-KIT-JEEP-GRAND-CHEROKEE-WRANGLER-D-35_W0QQitemZ330349860294QQcategoryZ116508QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3907.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D37%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D54

But I'm not sure if it's the right part because I'm not sure exactly what the problem is! If I could find a rear axle/diff from a breaker if would probably be better than the one I've got, as long as the donor car had fewer miles on it.

[tim_aka_tim]

If you have a proper 97 model year (rather than a late registered 96), then you have no LSD.
You have a facelift model and only 96 or older have an LSD.

For a rebuild, try Mik at Rednexx. www.rednexx.co.uk

Lots of members have used him to rebuild their axles. He's not that far from you either - Todmorden.

[prophet]

Thanks mate.. I'll get in touch with them soon. JeepSpecialists.co.uk will do the job for £350, so I'd be interested to get a few other quotes. Credit to these guys, they're the only company I've emailed today who have answered (bank holiday today).

[captain cavalier]

get an axle off a breaker


should be cheaper (about £100) and about a 2 hour job

[PtP]

What about the company who fit everyones lockers etc? Mick or Mik is it Miltec?

[tim_aka_tim]

What about the company who fit everyones lockers etc? Mick or Mik is it Miltec?

See my post above

When having work done on a 12 year old vehicle, it's always worth bearing in mind the
value of the vehicle vs. the cost of repairs, so as noted above, getting a breaker axle
and fitting it yourself is really the only cost effective solution, as your Jeep is only worth
probably 700 - 900 quid anyway.

[PtP]

See my post above

Doh! I missed that!

[sprintagogo]

To say all 97+ XJ's don't have the LSD is misleading. My 2000 4ltr classic came from the factory with one for a start.

Getting back to the OP's problem, have you checked that there is actually any oil in there?

Otherwise I will add my vote to getting a secondhand axle (with 30 day guarantee or similar). Just make sure it is from the same engine as yours as the ratio depends on engine.

2.5ltr petrol manual is 4.10 ratio

2.5ltr diesel manual is 3.73 ratio

4ltr auto is 3.55 ratio

[prophet]

Thanks for all your suggestions chaps. The car's going the to Jeepspecialists.co.uk guys tomorrow afternoon. Axle off a breaker for 250 notes fitted. Whilst it's there, I'm hoping to get them to fit the new exhaust too. Looks like it would be quite a simple job to do without the rear axle/diff and prop in the way!

It's too late to worry about the oil level in the rear diff.. it's knackered! The front axle makes a bit of noise when running in 4wd, so I'll ask for a price on that while I'm there. Where do you guys buy your axle grease from? I've got the grades in the Haynes manual. I'm pretty sure it's the front axle making a bit of noise, but it could be the transfer case too. Do these fail as often as the axles? I don't mind spending a little money on the Jeep, I paid 450quid for it from a friend of mine.. that included an MOT and the new exhaust! I figure if it costs me £500 to get right, then I'm about evens.

Driving the Jeep always brings a smile to my face, so it's worth doing the overtime to pay for these bits and pieces!

Once I've got it up to a reasonable standard.. I can think about upgrading a few parts 

[vinyljunkie72]

sometimes it isnt about the cost...
i agree with tim,get your hands dirty!its great fun.
 i bought my 96 grand cherry zj 8 years ago for 3 and a half grand and if id've scrapped it everytime someone said it wasn't economical id be riding around in a volkswagon! first it was the autobox(dealer quoted me 3 grand and told me to scrap it, i did it for 1500) then replaced most of the front end ball joints and cvs. then all the discs and pads,then shocks etc. then the rear diff and so on and so forth and now i have gearchange problem(think its the tps) and i definately have to do the body next year as its got to the point where i'm going to have to stop the rust before it starts,but its worth it. i love my jeep, i love all its quirks the way it rides and the way it makes me feel when i drive it. no matter how bad i feel, i live for the moments when i can hit a nice bit of road and unwind that lazy 4.0l or when i chuck all my hiking gear in the back and just hit the mountains,it never fails to put a big ol' grin on my face. wouldnt swap my jeep for any other.... sometimes its just not about if its 'economical' otherwise we'd all be driving 1.0l euroboxes and saving petrol, its a jeep thing.  

[Bishops Finger]

Rock n roll....

[big g]

Be intrested to note how this turns out before I take the plunge

[Dave69]

grab the spanners and have a go, buy and axle of fleabay (gamble) or a breakers yard (gamble but more expensive). and swap it. not as hard as it looks just undo the bolts with the right sized spanners ans then repeat the process in the haynes style. if you are unsure on how tight to do the nuts and bolts then buy a torque wrench. Once you have started then you will see yourself saving pounds in labour charges at the garage.
 plenty of people on here will have done most of the jobs you might need to do so plenty of advice will be given if you are unsure