low-speed clunk under acceleration

theBIGbCraig · **Joined:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:28 pm **Posts:** 20

My liberty with 47,000 miles has started to klunk when I try to accerate from low speed. It does not happen from a stop or over about 25mph, but especialy around 15mph. If I am going about 15 constant (i.e. When waiting for someone to turn off of a road), and then try to accelerate, it will 'not catch', klunking until it finely engages. It is as if I had a manual, and was slipping the clutch until 20-25 mph. What really worries me, however, is that while this happens, it shakes and sounds like muffled banging or something trying to engage, but not catching. Hard to explain. I can't tell whether it us transmission or transfer case or rear axle, haven't yet had the opportunity to try 4wd) it does not happen at higher speeds or constant acceleration from a stop, hard or soft.

Also, I dont know if this is related, the torque converter's seemed to stall at higher speed that ever before, a full 1200 rather than about 900 rpm.

Logan · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:17 pm

i just had that happen to mine the other day and i couldn't figure out what it was. any ideas?

Pote · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:46 pm

CV joints??

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:02 pm

driveline slack

torque converter

CV's

My money is on item number one. My Liberty had done that same thing for the last 6 years. It's loud, scary and totally cool all at the same time.

theBIGbCraig · **Joined:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:28 pm **Posts:** 20

Edit: accidental post, sorry. Read below.

theBIGbCraig · **Joined:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:28 pm **Posts:** 20

Upon driving home and paying attention to it, the best way I can describe it is like a very sloppy kickdown(downshift). It's very easily repeatable. I think 4WD has no effect except adding the normal 4WD feel on top of this.it was a little harder to occour or feel but no big change.

Checked trans fluid and it's right above the middle of the dots where it should be. Clean.

Does the rearend have CV joints? It's a solid axle! Will u-joints go bad in the same way CVs will? Since bad CV's are scary and 4WD didn't effect it / it first appeared in 2wd, I'm going to try to rule it out.

Torque converter would suck, and I thought of that as a possibility also. Actually, it was the first thing I thought about. new Grand Cherokee CRD needed one at like 4000 miles was not pleasant. Having said that, I know the trannys are completley different, but this feels very different.

I've never noticed THIS much drivetrain slack before, or course the trans has always
felt loose but this is extreme.

I think the fact that 4wd has little effect means that its not the transfer case... Might be trans/ torque converter... I guess it could be u-joints ( / CV's but I dont think there are any I'm the rear and it doesnt seem to be from the front) ... Rear axle? At first it seemed to be from the back not middle but now I don't know.

Any more advice would be appreciated.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:15 pm

The rear end is a solid axle so no, it doesnt have cv joints. The rear driveline, however, does have ujoints that can go bad.

The front cv's will click when they are going bad. Usually in 2wd or 4wd.

My drivetrain has an amazing amount of slack.

jdumont · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:34 pm

I also say slack.... You can get the tranny/driveline to do some VERy funky sounding and feeling things depending on when you speed up or slow down in relation to the shift point.

Your best bet is not to baby it and you wont notice it so much. I notice that the slower i come to a stop or accelerate the more slack, vibration, and general harshness I feel. If I accelerate and be deliberate about it I feel nothing

theBIGbCraig · **Joined:** Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:28 pm **Posts:** 20

LOL... So its bad for the Jeep that I started to drive calmly? I was under the impression that being at WOT the majority of the time was bad, even with synthetics.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:21 am

The Clunk won't break anything. It'll scare passengers (the cool part) and maybe spash some coffee out of it's cup onto the center console.

Dive normal. You can go easy, but not WOT all the time.

jdumont · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:15 pm

LOL, not WOT but deliberate...

low-speed clunk under acceleration

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