Manager Forum

Customer is complaining of a ratcheting sound after making a complete stop and rolling forward slowly it will make a quick ratcheting sound - very intermittent noise.

We found bulletin dealing with the ABS sensors and wheel bearings. We did that repair as per the bulletin. Problem is still there. We are pointing our finger at transfer case/front differential. We are thinking that the tube that attaches from the differential to the transfer case is the possible ratcheting sound - the spline slipping?

Has anybody experienced this type of problem? What did you do to fix the noise?

I have a 2000 model and I've had my front diff out before. That tube is pretty robust. Not likely to cause such a noise but I guess it's possible. In 2000, that diff does not come off without moving the main trans back off the engine. It's a pain. Whole lower cradle needs to come down.

I've heard a caliper drag noise described in many ways. If there are no vibrations or any other type of noise while driving at high or around town speeds i would lean away from a drive issue. If you find a wide area or parking lot and drive in figure 8's with no noise it's another non drive train point.

I've seen backing plates so close to the rotor they only make noise after they've warmed up or loose enough to rattle occasionally. Some people's description of a noise can be misleading. A ratcheting noise by their description may be a groan to me. I've actually found noises fitting the customers description only to find it wasn't the noise they were talking about.

I take the customer with me and listen for the noise trying to create it myself and if that fails i will allow them to drive and point it out to me. A few years ago i purchased an electric ear with 6 leads and a box that allows me to isolate each clip to pin point the noise. Using air tools for all these years has mmmmmm, trashed my hearing. If there is any background noise my hearing scatters. My right ear is especially shot. my wife sleeps on the right side of the bed and after all these years it's taken it's toll.

Possibly an axle? Years ago Chrysler had a bulletin on the LH platform for the axle not seating in the hub properly, causing a similar noise.

The customer and I talked about it and he ask me to pull t case out see if we came find problem. When and if the noise comes in It sounds like splines slipping. I will post what the fix or what I found next week thank you for the input.

sounds like abs issue, try graphing the sensors and see if one drops to zero when you hear the noise

Oh, and I had a weird ABS problem with mine that turned out to be a broken abs ring on one of the shafts. Made a ratcheting sound there too.