I have found a great deal on a 97 Jeep....the owner claims that when
you put it in 4 wheel drive it makes some noise and that they think it
may be the transfer case. Any ideas what this could be and what the
cost would be? Thanks in advance. Jeeprs

Something is wrong :0

That's about the best you can do with the info provided. It could be an
operator error (don't use 4wd on hard surfaces or it will bind), a
simple adjustment to the shift linkage, a bad U-joint, a trashed trasfer
case, a bad front diff, or several other common maladies.

A rebuilt transfer case, rebuilt front diff, and 4 new U-joints
including labor might run a couple grand. Offer two grand less than the
going market rate and you should be in good shape.

Personally, I'd try driving it and see what the 'noise' is and where it
is coming from, post back here with some findings. A growl vs a click,
straight line or turns, 4wd-HI vs 4wd-lo, big tires, lift, etc are all
important clues.

Jeeeprs wrote:

Transfer case, front driveshaft, front axle. Some gear noise when engaged is
normal, a little more in low range. Clanging, banging, scraping noises are
not normal. If the owner drove it on pavement with the transfer case
engaged, some noise would have been the least of his problems.

"Jeeeprs" <justin.wahrenburg (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote