Jeep Cherokee - Rear Axle/Diff Noise

[2SPN]

Bit of a long shot this one....

My 1998 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 Ltd has been getting noisier and noisier as I drive it along, didn't really think much of it until a mate with a similar Jeep pointed it out. The Jeep doesn't do much mileage so I decided to run it up to Suffolk and back at the weekend and during the journey the noise got worse and worse - and worse.

The best I can describe now is that it sounds like a Jumbo jet taking off as I accelerate away.

A few more pointers;

The rear diff gets quite warm - I topped up the oil, it took about 200ml but that made no difference to the noise
If I put the car in neutral as a I drive along there is no change at all
If I put the car in 4WD as I drive along there is no change at all

Took it to my local garage today, he test drove it and reckoned it wasn't the diff itself because it would only be noisy under load, i.e. putting the car in neutral would stop or reduce the sound. He reckoned it was a wheel bearing and was so confident he ordered one for me.

Great, me thinks. But curiosity got the better of me and I jacked up all four corners tonight. There is a small amount of play in both rear wheels but unless I'm not recognising the symptoms right all the wheel bearings seem fine.

With the car in neutral and handbrake off, I could spin the front wheels easily with no noise but both rear wheels were very difficult/impossible to turn.

The noise is so bad I can now only really drive the car once to the garage that will fix it. So my question is - is this likely to be a wheel bearing or similar or do I need to be going to a differential specialist? My local garage won't touch the diff.

All thoughts gratefully received!

[dingg]

had something similar on a BMW diesel I had a couple of years ago - I swore it was the diff. groaning hardly any play at rear wheels , went to the bother of going to real heavyweight oil in the diff. still no damping of the noise, did in fact turn out to be a wheel bearing - go for that first it's the cheapest anyways

good luck

[2SPN]

Many thanks. After several hours of Google mechanics last night I convinced myself the diff carrier bearings have gone but I guess the only way of telling is getting it up on a four wheel lift and having a listen. Hopefully it is just a wheel bearing - the rear wheels are supposed to have slight play in them on a Cherokee.

[jas xjr]

i was looking at jeeps on ebay last year and rear axle problems were very very common. i know thats not much help but there it is

[2SPN]

Yeah, its a DANA 35 and they are not known for their longevity and reliability....

This particular Cherokee has had a factory tow bar all its life, albeit with FJSH. I've just towed something heavier with it which might have tipped the balance.