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Rear rotational knock from differential at low speeds.

whiteglad

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Did you make sure the wheel balancing weights are not hitting the brake caliper?
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BJG

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Just rolled over 11K in my 2018 Sport S with rear Dana 44 and this sound has suddenly popped up. Its odd because it sounds and feels like its coming from the front axle on mine but the sound clip attached is spot on. Appt on Monday at the dealership. You can bet your @$$ that I will be referencing all the info in this thread to help them diagnose the issue. I don't want to go through trying X,Y and Z only to have the whole axle replaced anyway
I was dreading dealers and put it off until I couldn't deal with it anymore. Thankfully they literally had just opened a Jeep Only dealership here in Las Vegas and they were awesome.

I'd probably even go back to them to fix it again or possibly let them throw in Rubi axles if I ever feel like dropping 4-5k on it.
 

redsyphon

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I was dreading dealers and put it off until I couldn't deal with it anymore. Thankfully they literally had just opened a Jeep Only dealership here in Las Vegas and they were awesome.

I'd probably even go back to them to fix it again or possibly let them throw in Rubi axles if I ever feel like dropping 4-5k on it.
What was your fix if you don't mind sharing?
 

JeepersCreepers2

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*Update* Dropped off at the dealer this morning and even though the sound seems like its coming from the front, it is indeed an issue with the D44 rear axle and diff. They rattled off multiple parts that have been ordered to replace. So many, that it seemed like a entire new rear axle would be easier. Regardless, they did not give me a hard time about the lift or the larger tires and its all covered under warranty. Will be without the Jeep for about a week. Will report back if the sound is gone upon pickup and give a better update on what combination of parts were replaced.

Sucks to need this thread but it sure was spot on and for that I am grateful
 
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BJG

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What was your fix if you don't mind sharing?
No problem at all. Rear axle. I was lucky that my dealer and the guys that worked on it were very thorough.

The first actually tried removing each driveshaft to identify where the noise was coming from. Even with a chassis ear, it is very difficult to pinpoint this problem because of all of the harmonics associated with it.

Anyway, they first tried to rebuild the carrier. When they opened up the rear diff they noticed wear on the bearings and decided to order a new axle housing altogether. This does not include the axle shafts.

Then upon further inspection, they noticed some damage on the outer bearings too and ordered axle shafts. Keep in mind all of this went down in just a couple of days.

From what I understand warranty replacements aren't as easy as you would think. They have to prove that damage has occurred and justify each part that they replace. It's corporate and challenging for the dealers too.

Anyway my Jeep is better than when I purchased it. It was used with about 6,000 miles on it. I don't think I noticed the sound when I first bought it but now it sounds so smooth and silent like it never really did. I pull a trailer with it and off road almost every week lately, especially due to COVID-19. Nothing else to do but explore and camp.
 

redsyphon

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No problem at all. Rear axle. I was lucky that my dealer and the guys that worked on it were very thorough.

The first actually tried removing each driveshaft to identify where the noise was coming from. Even with a chassis ear, it is very difficult to pinpoint this problem because of all of the harmonics associated with it.

Anyway, they first tried to rebuild the carrier. When they opened up the rear diff they noticed wear on the bearings and decided to order a new axle housing altogether. This does not include the axle shafts.

Then upon further inspection, they noticed some damage on the outer bearings too and ordered axle shafts. Keep in mind all of this went down in just a couple of days.

From what I understand warranty replacements aren't as easy as you would think. They have to prove that damage has occurred and justify each part that they replace. It's corporate and challenging for the dealers too.

Anyway my Jeep is better than when I purchased it. It was used with about 6,000 miles on it. I don't think I noticed the sound when I first bought it but now it sounds so smooth and silent like it never really did. I pull a trailer with it and off road almost every week lately, especially due to COVID-19. Nothing else to do but explore and camp.
Thanks for information. Hopefully when things open up around here I can find a dealer to just as good to take a look. Mine is off and on, so it may not be the same issue. For now she drives ok, but I want a good set of eyes on it if I'm going to keep her for much longer.
 
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jhernandez

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****** Edited for clarity and updated specifics. I realized at 4 am I had mistyped and misspoken on several things******

So my 2018 JL sport has this noise at super slow speeds. I do have the Dana 44 with the anti spin set-up. Vehicle only has 83 miles on it and I stopped by the dealer after reading the other rear diff noise thread on here. They made me an appointment to bring it in next week and get it listened/looked at. But while I was at the dealership I decided to ask my super cool salesman about driving a few other new on the lot vehicles to see if same noise was heard. Well low and behold I had the opportunity to drive 11 new Jeeps. One of which was a 2020 Sahara that had just been pulled off the transport truck. Here’s the specific list of what was driven.
1. 2019 JL Sport S with base rear axle non 44 and 2.0 engine. (No rear noise)
2. 2020 JL Sport 2.0 all base stock axles non 44 and 3.6 engine. (No rear noise)
3. 2018 Jeep Sahara JLU with tow package and 44 and axle w/anti spin and 2.0 engine. (Yes in rear noise)
4. 2019 Rubicon JL, 2.0 engine. (Yes on rear noise)
5. 2019 JL Sport non S With tow package and Dana 44 rear and anti spin and the 3.6 engine. ( yes on rear noise)
6. 2018 JLU Rubicon Dana 44 front and rear. 3.6 engine. (Yes on rear noise)
7. 2018 JLU Rubicon Dana 44 front and rear w/ 2.0 eng. (Yes on rear noise)
8. 2020 JL Rubicon with Dana 44’s and 2.0 engine. (Yes on rear noise)
9. 2019 JLU Sahara with base axles non 44 rear w/2.0 engine. (No noise)
10. 2020 Sport base model non 44 rear and the 2.0 engine. (No noise)
11. 2020 JLU 2 with the obvious 44 axles and the 3.6. (yes on rear noise)

All vehicles had under 200 miles each and all were driven for 5 miles same route each time. All vehicles with the Dana 44 repeat had the slow rear rotational noise from rear axles. So we are either looking at something that is specific to JL’s or we’re looking at a future major recall from Chrysler. I had three different managers and one tech eventually ride along and listen and everyone was like, what the heck... we’ve never heard that before.

My personal 2018 Sport with the Dana 44 rear antispin/axle is an awesome vehicle and has no problems outside of the rear noise and it drives like a dream in 2H-4H and 4L. If this turns into an issue where I have to leave it for multiple weeks while parts are ordered and it’s repaired, like a new axle. I guarantee you I will lay the keys on the salesman’s desk and walk out and never buy another Jeep again. I am an Emergency Rescue first responder for the County and I have to have my vehicle in tip top shape 24-7 where we live and work and this situation will not be acceptable. Three of or guys on our west end team have new JL’s that were all recently purchased in the last 3 months, and we plan on turning them once again into high water rescue vehicles. We unfortunately go through vehicles every three years doing what we do and we can not be down one man at any particular time.

So my curiosity is, do we really have a major situation coming to thousands and thousands of JL owners or is this actually just a noise that has no real problem associated with it.
After replacing the rear axle , rear sound is fix or no?
And to add another point of why this noise became apparent to us is because 90% of the time we are driving 5mph or less down alleyways or on sandy beaches and or through low lying marsh wetlands.

After replacing rear axle, rear sound is fix or no?
My problem now is by turning wheels left to right or forward or reverse on slightly go hearing clicking noise rear, don't where is coming from rear.
 

jhernandez

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No problem at all. Rear axle. I was lucky that my dealer and the guys that worked on it were very thorough.

The first actually tried removing each driveshaft to identify where the noise was coming from. Even with a chassis ear, it is very difficult to pinpoint this problem because of all of the harmonics associated with it.

Anyway, they first tried to rebuild the carrier. When they opened up the rear diff they noticed wear on the bearings and decided to order a new axle housing altogether. This does not include the axle shafts.

Then upon further inspection, they noticed some damage on the outer bearings too and ordered axle shafts. Keep in mind all of this went down in just a couple of days.

From what I understand warranty replacements aren't as easy as you would think. They have to prove that damage has occurred and justify each part that they replace. It's corporate and challenging for the dealers too.

Anyway my Jeep is better than when I purchased it. It was used with about 6,000 miles on it. I don't think I noticed the sound when I first bought it but now it sounds so smooth and silent like it never really did. I pull a trailer with it and off road almost every week lately, especially due to COVID-19. Nothing else to do but explore and camp.
What kind of sound your hearing from the rear?
 

shepherd82

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This is the exact noise we heard on multiple vehicles with the Dana 44 rears. It’s the sound of like a military helicopter off in the distance. It’s rotational, but only on passenger side rear. It’s very strange, and once again the vehicle is going exactly 3mph.



2020 JL sport. Mine makes that sound as well. For those skeptics, it’s very easy to duplicate the sound by simply getting into an open parking lot, make a tight right hand turn. That sound becomes very obvious and somewhat alarming. I have also noticed the singular rotational clunk during accelerations around corners (city driving). I noticed the noises in the first 100 miles of driving this thing. Took it to the dealer. One mechanic came for a test drive. Noises were duplicated easily and repetitively. The tech did agree that he could hear the racket. I’m waiting for response on what to do to move forward with this. I, otherwise absolutely love this vehicle, but this problem has been pissing me off since day 1
 

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Beachcomber, I've got the exact same noise in my 2019 JLU Sahara. Purchased Aug 2019, and the sound started a few months later, but seemed sporadic. I thought it was something loose in the storage compartment at first, but resolved that possibility easily enough. Only notice it during slow speeds, backing down driveway or backing into parking stalls, and have since started noticing it when driving forward at slower speeds as well (may have always been there, just never noticed it until now). I'll be contacting my dealership this week to set up an appointment. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread!
 

Mikeb16

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****** Edited for clarity and updated specifics. I realized at 4 am I had mistyped and misspoken on several things******

So my 2018 JL sport has this noise at super slow speeds. I do have the Dana 44 with the anti spin set-up. Vehicle only has 83 miles on it and I stopped by the dealer after reading the other rear diff noise thread on here. They made me an appointment to bring it in next week and get it listened/looked at. But while I was at the dealership I decided to ask my super cool salesman about driving a few other new on the lot vehicles to see if same noise was heard. Well low and behold I had the opportunity to drive 11 new Jeeps. One of which was a 2020 Sahara that had just been pulled off the transport truck. Here’s the specific list of what was driven.
1. 2019 JL Sport S with base rear axle non 44 and 2.0 engine. (No rear noise)
2. 2020 JL Sport 2.0 all base stock axles non 44 and 3.6 engine. (No rear noise)
3. 2018 Jeep Sahara JLU with tow package and 44 and axle w/anti spin and 2.0 engine. (Yes in rear noise)
4. 2019 Rubicon JL, 2.0 engine. (Yes on rear noise)
5. 2019 JL Sport non S With tow package and Dana 44 rear and anti spin and the 3.6 engine. ( yes on rear noise)
6. 2018 JLU Rubicon Dana 44 front and rear. 3.6 engine. (Yes on rear noise)
7. 2018 JLU Rubicon Dana 44 front and rear w/ 2.0 eng. (Yes on rear noise)
8. 2020 JL Rubicon with Dana 44’s and 2.0 engine. (Yes on rear noise)
9. 2019 JLU Sahara with base axles non 44 rear w/2.0 engine. (No noise)
10. 2020 Sport base model non 44 rear and the 2.0 engine. (No noise)
11. 2020 JLU 2 with the obvious 44 axles and the 3.6. (yes on rear noise)

All vehicles had under 200 miles each and all were driven for 5 miles same route each time. All vehicles with the Dana 44 repeat had the slow rear rotational noise from rear axles. So we are either looking at something that is specific to JL’s or we’re looking at a future major recall from Chrysler. I had three different managers and one tech eventually ride along and listen and everyone was like, what the heck... we’ve never heard that before.

My personal 2018 Sport with the Dana 44 rear antispin/axle is an awesome vehicle and has no problems outside of the rear noise and it drives like a dream in 2H-4H and 4L. If this turns into an issue where I have to leave it for multiple weeks while parts are ordered and it’s repaired, like a new axle. I guarantee you I will lay the keys on the salesman’s desk and walk out and never buy another Jeep again. I am an Emergency Rescue first responder for the County and I have to have my vehicle in tip top shape 24-7 where we live and work and this situation will not be acceptable. Three of or guys on our west end team have new JL’s that were all recently purchased in the last 3 months, and we plan on turning them once again into high water rescue vehicles. We unfortunately go through vehicles every three years doing what we do and we can not be down one man at any particular time.

So my curiosity is, do we really have a major situation coming to thousands and thousands of JL owners or is this actually just a noise that has no real problem associated with it.
Had a similar issue with my 2018 JLU Sport with the 44 with limited slip. From what I’ve read the rear diff wasn’t assembled correctly and the bearings start to wear. Took it to the dealer they never heard of it but replaced the diff and bearings took a while for parts but by the time mine was finished they had several others there for the same issue. I noticed mine mostly between 13-18 mph
 

Joe Paul

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2018 Sahara here with D44 and anti-spin, I usually only hear a clunking sound when I slow down to around 2-5 mph right before coming to stop at a red light. The sound I hear is like a one or two knocks in quick concession, almost like slack in the drive shaft u joint or that clunk it makes when you shift from Park to Drive on a cold start.
My 2018 JLUS has done that from day one. I have a slight 'humm' at 1500rpm, but no other issues; drives great on the highway.
 

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Just thought I'd drop this info as it might be meaningful to some here. I was told by a out of state Jeep technician they've been seeing quite a few Rubi rears where the seal for the locker has failed. He said they've reported it to Jeep and they're apparently researching it.

If it took ~4 years to solve the steering, this should results in a TSB by the end of the decade, maybe.
 

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I have a 2018 JLU Sport, non S, w/the 3.6 engine, the tow package, 6 speed manual, and the Dana 44 rear w/the anti spin, and yes, I have the rear noise, be it a knock, click, or clunk. :)

I get a noticeable click noise from what sounds like the rear end, taking off from a dead stop. The noise either doesn't happen, when you need to show a dealer, to a very loud cluck, which just happened yesterday.

Anyway, I brought it in once to the dealer, and of course, nothing happened. I don't know what the local temperature was at the time. This past Friday I brought it in again, especially w/the local temperature being in the upper 90's, so the gear oil won't possibly muffle anything, and drove w/a mechanic/supervisor, and sure enough, it did happen this time, and he claims to have heard it as well. He immediately made the claim of it being probably a loose powertrain, especially having a manual transmission w/the anti-spin rear. I told him that I've had other Jeeps, including a couple of JKU's, w/similar hardware, and I never had this noise on them. Also too, I've had pickup trucks as well, w/manual transmissions w/a limited slip rear, and again, no issues w/them either.

It could be simply the Rake and Pinion gear wasn't adjusted properly, or the Anti-Spin, or more properly called, a Limited Slip, is failing.

My Jeep is totally stock, w/stock wheels/tires, so there are no excuses there. It's also well maintained. I do go offroad, such as dirt roads and such, but nothing like the Rubicon, or anything crazy like that.

Anyway, I made an appointment to bring it in for them to address it. I'm hoping they open up the rear differential, checking out the oil for any abnormal materials and such, and making sure that they put the right weight oil back in, full synthetic, because of the trailer towing package, as well as the moly additive for the anti-spin differential. Also too, to check, and measure any play in the powertrain as well.

While there, I'm going to start having the powertrain oils changed as well, starting w/the transmission and transfer case. The vehicle now has almost 19K miles on it. I like to change the powertrain oils w/clean oil after vehicle break in, generally around 15K.

Oh, and the mechanic/supervisor said that in the meantime, he'll check out some used Jeeps on the lot, though that may be a problem since they rarely have any Jeeps, new or used, w/manual transmissions.

This has been the only real issue that I've had w/my JLU since I bought it new, though the wheels were a little out of alignment when I first got it, and I immediately had that addressed.
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