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Issue with something not sure what while driving

1K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  Mumbleem 
#1 ·
Hey, I have a 98 wrangler sport - 110k miles - 5sp manual 30/35 axles

So the other day i threw the jeep into 4hi since it was raining pretty heavy out just so I could make the short 2 min drive to work and after I took a turn (not really sharp) and it started to buck, i read that its because of something binding up since i must have hit a dry spot on the road but after the turn it kept bucking even while going straight, so i took it out of 4wd and it drove fine...but this morning (next time driving it) the car is -not- in any 4wd setting and now its randomly giving me the same feeling like it did the other day, the bucking, not constantly but it randomly happens and then i couldn't get it over 40mph no bucking feeling, just a feel like i was limited to only 40mph, so i turned around instead of going to the beerfest thing going on at the casino to start looking into this =(

The jeep idles like normal, no CEL, i do have an exhaust leak i need to fix but don't think that's related, the only maintenance Ive done recently is replace the rear drum brakes since all the small parts were rusted out. (i took off the old drum and half the parts fell out) Since i replaced the rear brakes it did seem to vibrate a little bit more then it did before but not by much.

I am not sure where to even begin to look

also right before it gives the bucking feeling, it almost feels like the tires spun a bit (like it didn't have traction just for a small skip)

Ive only had this jeep for around 5-6months and before i had it im assuming it had sat for most of the time, not sure if it was outside or garaged, but tranny was rebuilt in 2008 and between then and when i received it, its only had 6k miles on it
 
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#3 ·
its a habit to type out car, when im talking i just say my jeep..haha not sure why, but will do in the morning, but the u joints, would that cause the bogging down/limiting speed feel? from what i saw online it would just cause alot of vibrations. I was planning on ordering those anyways since they are inexpensive and could cause alot of problems..but didnt want to place an order if i was going to need a few other things.
 
#6 ·
That it started bucking/giving feedback through the steering wheel while making a turn while in 4Hi while driving on pavement is 100% normal. The reason is your Wrangler's part-time 4x4 system wasn't designed for use on pavement like the Grand Cherokee's, Liberty's, or Cherokee's full-time 4x4 system was.

The reason why it bucks when in 4x4 on pavement is that a part-time 4x4 system mechanically locks the front and rear axles together so they are forced to turn at the same speeds. That doesn't work when you need to turn left or right since the front tires need to travel faster through the turn than the rear tires do and because they're prevented from doing so by the transfer case being in 4x4, you feel the bucking since the front tires and rear tires are fighting each other. The Wrangler's part-time 4x4 system is too aggressive for street use, it is designed solely for offroad use.

Full-time 4x4 systems place a differential between the front and rear axles which allows the front and rear tires to rotate at different speeds... which is why they can be driven in 4x4 when on pavement, like when it's raining heavily or there's snow on the street.

Roads that are only wet from rain still offer too much traction for the tires so they will fight each other during turns when you're in 4x4.

The bottom line is, again, that your Wrangler's 4x4 system is too aggressive for street use and if you'll read your owner's manual, it will say not to engage it on high traction surfaces which means pavement. The only time your Wrangler's part-time 4x4 system can be used on pavement is if it was totally covered in snow or ice.

Keep your Wrangler in 2wd even when it's raining. :)
 
#7 ·
i knew it was bad to use it on dry pavement, figured driving with rain since im constantly going through puddles and potholes all the time it wasn't going to have an issue, but i was wrong. But could the whole bogging down feel be caused by any problems in the drive-line? like is it possible for something to be messed up so the rear just doesn't want to/isn't moving properly?
 
#9 ·
i knew it was bad to use it on dry pavement
Then why did you do it?

Rain does not require 4 wheel drive, unless you're facing mud from the rain, or slippery clay, etc.

Go off road and put it in 4. Then back into 2.

Is there a 4wd light on (upper right corner of dash)?
 
#8 ·
It's possible, though unlikely, that you are still bound up in 4wd. If the transfer case is really bound from protracted driving on pavement, you might need to shift into reverse and back up a bit while pushing the transfer case lever into 2wd mode. You might give that a try.
 
#12 ·
Ok, so i guess it may have been stuck in 4wd slightly, reversing a little bit pushing down on the lever seemed to work. But now that im not getting the strange feelings in the drive line, i know the bogging down situation is completely different. I guess i just have bad luck with them starting at the exact same time. But it got worse from when the 4wd issue two days ago to now -_- and all i did was take a spin around the block.

So now its something under the hood that's causing an issue. I guess its time to start playing around in there again. Feels like its either starving or backed up .. possibly too much backpressure from manifold leak? not sure just yet
 
#13 ·
Our transfer cases never shift back into 2wd immediately, it can sometimes take a short distance before that happens. No need to shift into Reverse, just keep the gas pedal neutral so you're neither accelerating or decelerating which will help speed the transition back to 2wd.

A manifold leak won't increase backpressure, it'd only reduce backpressure.
 
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