My XJ is finally fixed! The saga finally comes to an end....

[Staffy]

I don't get to post here very often as work takes over my social life, some of you I have met some will remember me snapping an axle at the jambo

Anyways thought I would share my XJ diff problem the pain and torment and the 5 odd grand to fix it.

To start with I always had a chatter in the back end of my car (even before the Jambo) which I thought was the spare wheel carrier. This will become more evident as the story unfolds.

Snapping the axle at the Jambo was a big blow, a weekend of fun turned out to be a disaster. I borrowed a diff from another bloke and we fitted it in the park at the caravan park. this diff badly whined all the way home (though got me there), where I had a mechanic fit a resleaved axle to MY diff and fit new bearings / sleaves etc.

I drove out of there with my diff to find it had a bad whine, so the mechanic suggested he make 1 good diff out of the two. I got the car back and it drived sweet no problems (but that chatter was still there) mainly when taking off from start on a hill. (there was also oil leaking out of the new axle), I then got married and Bettina and I left for Qld a couple of days later.

The car drove fine all the way, we spent almost two weeks travelling around even visiting Fraser and had a great time. On the way back we stopped at Byron for breakfast to find some halfwit had side swiped the Jeep (finally finding him and exchanging details we headed off). By Grafton the Diff had a little whine, Coffs was louder and by the time we got back to the Central Coast it was deafening. I rang the mechanic who advised me TO SELL THE CAR!

I took it to a diff specialist who rebuilt the diff (all new bearings, etc) and drove it out. The axle still leaked oil (which I had to dodgy up as it failed REGO) and this chatter which I could never work out. The diff bloke could not work out why the diff was leaking and said it was the resleaved axle even though he mic'd it and all) so I bought a new axle from Auto Alliance and he fitted it with new seals again and viola the oil stopped (but the car still had this chatter)

Months passed we prepared the car to go to Tassie (6 times the car to go back to Jeep to find out what this chatter was) They told me it was the exhaust, so a new exhaust went in. They even charged me $68 and gave me my HAYMEN REECE pin in a plastic bag assuring me that was the problem!. (The car was cutting out and running like crap which they couldn't work out and I ended up travelling Tassie with a stuffed O2 sensor still getting 11.5k / 100km My faith in Jeep dealerships and their mechanics has sadly come to an end.

We got back had the O2 sensor replaced and have had the car back to Jeep to try find this noise. Leaf springs have come out and back in, etc

Round July the noise got really bad, even clunking at low speeds especially when the diff had warmed up. Back to Jeep and the guy said it was the spare wheel carrier. That night I ripped off the spare wheel carrier and lo & behold the noise was still there. This had them baffled then they started looking at the diff. They told me to take it back to who fixed it.

I took it back to the guy who said I had the wrong oil, drained and put the new stuff in, said it will take a while to wear in as the clutch pack was very dry, etc) Well weeks went passed and the this horrible noise as well as the chatter was still there, I finally took it back to Jeep who finally confirmed that the clutch pack had packed it in. they said they can rebuild it and do me a good deal at only $1200. I told them to forget it and put the car back together.

I decided to cut my losses, take a punt (which thankfully was right) spent $1695 and fitted a ARB rear locker. The mechanic (a Jeep nut himself said he had a bastard of a time as when he went to remove the axles, etc the whole hemi fell apart in his hands. I drove the car out of his workshop
and NO NOISE NO CHATTER.

I wish I had fitted the locker months and thousands of dollars ago but who is to know, you think they are the experts.

Well now the wife and myself have finally fallen back in love with our Jeep, we had come close to selling her a few times I guess we kept the faith! Our friends thought we were mad but what can I say It's a JEEP THING.........


Jason H
Cherokee Club Aust.

[Jimmyb]

really sorry to hear that story, i do empathise with as. i remember the axle snap at the jambo.

it is hard sometimes to find people who are experienced enough to trust with diffs. i recently went through the same type of issue with my front diff jumping between a dealer service and anyother mechanic. needless to say the jeep service was not the most helpfull bunch in this instance and went through the same problems as you, not quite as costly but equally as frustrating.