Frontera beats Jeep

[darkwolfe]

Hi Guys

If you've seen my last few posts you'll see I bought a 98 Jeep Cherokee to see how it compared to the frontera, so today I took it to Hill n Ditch my local off road pay n play.

Paid my money but half way down the first hill there was some horrible noises coming from the bottom of the car, I'd put some bigger tyres on an thought it may be that but having stopped I could see I had at least a good inch of clearance under max compression. It's a loud metallic joint stess type, clicking knocking noise, the kind you get if you do wheel nuts up too tight.... but knocking too, this was happening every movement of the wheel, forwards or backwards when going over rough ground humps, sorry I didn't do a recording. My guess now is that as the axles flexed the rear prop (axle end) CV was put at more of an angle and this was causing the noise, possible do you think? I can tell you on the flat there is no noice round corners or anything else, also makes no difference whether 4 wheel drive or 2, which as the noise is coming from the back makes sense. Certainly it's something that is only present when the axle is at an angle. Suggestions welcome... other than torch it.

So given the jeep sounded serious I went back for the frontera, here's one of the vids.

[4x4 bobby]

You only just found out that a Frontera beats a Jeep!! We could have told you that allready!!!

I cant see the vid at the moment cos im at work but i hope you had lots of fun!!

[woodwizzard]

Wiggle waggle , more fun with wheels in the air, who needs massive articulation.

[Drift]

Check the chassis on the Jeep, they can snap they are not a ladder chassis like ours.

[jammywagonwheel]

Top Vid!! cant beat a bit of 3 wheel action!!

Stick with the fronty!

erm - dont quote me on this - my Parents had a New Cherokee many moons ago (1996-7?) when they first bought their farm (now changed for a Disco 300 bus, defender - towing, and a disco TD4 - shopping) and if i remember that far back - there is a yoke on the propshaft in front of the rear axle with a bearing in it.. when its gets flexy - or under load - like towing a 4 ton tractor on a trailer it grinds like b uggery.. they had the bearing / yoke replaced by Jeep - and it cost a bomb (warranty work - as they 'forgot' to mention towing tractors around).. sounds like the same sort of scenario.. if it drives OK under normal conditions and gets all squeaky / grindy / bang / crash / rattly when doing non flat surface driving - it could be the bearing as the prop wont be dead centre on the bearing / rear diff..

Dont take this as gospel - It was many moons ago - but it rings a bell in the misty grey matter..

Oh - and burn the Jeep What were you thinking!!

John

[huggy]

i spotted you on the way home yesterday on middlewich road stanthorne,lots of mud on ya truck

[darkwolfe]

thanks for the replys lads, the more i think about it the more i think it's the yolk (propshaft CV), because as you say on the flat it's perfectly in line, but throw it at an angle by going over a bump and it's a nasty sound time. cheap fix thou as the past is £23 from ebay. It's probably not helped by the car being stood for two years when the previous owner couldn't get it running.

And yup that was me covered in mud, my jet wash had packed up so thought i'd blast i through the water to get rid of the buildwas mud, gotta say it worked, it's real clean underneath now, with a light sandy coating that just dusts off. Better than any pressure washer I assure you. I saw you coming the opposite way too, you nearly got a wave like my old beetle days... but thinkin now it my be considered a bit sad .

Also saw another battered frontera there too, B series with 31s I think, been on it's side a few times by the looks of it.

[jammywagonwheel]

Cool - was a stab in the dark guess with the Yoke.. but it rang a bell.. take it off and have a test thrash.. sorry - drive..

John