Hi guys I've been searching like crazy but couldnt find any answers so I joined to ask for help! I am having a drivetrain problem with my Patriot. Its a 2008 4x4 with freedom drive 2 and 104k miles. I bought it with a bad engine, replaced the engine and all is well except for this intermittent drivetrain clunk. I have no history on the vehicle.
All 4 tires are the same with good tread. All steering and suspension components are good and tight. I have no abs lights on. I have no howls or hums or strange noises when driving.
What happens is a couple times a day I will hear a bang from the rear. This is not a sway bar link or bushing type of pop its definitely a strong bang in the driveline. There is no one condition that the vehicle is in that causes it but it is pretty much only at low speeds say under 15 mph and pretty much only when I start from a dead stop. Sometimes its just one clunk and sometimes it does one then quickly followed by a second. Once it gets through the clunk I keep going and it drives fine again. It also seems to do it more often when shifting to drive after reversing, but sometimes it does it without reversing.
The best way I can describe the noise is "Pung" said quickly with an emphasis on the p and it feels like the passenger wheel locks up when it does it but that might just be because im in the drivers seat.
I pulled the 4x4 fuse out so i have the 4wd light on on my dash now.
Today I put the Patriot up on a hoist 4x4 fuse still pulled. I left the shifter in the neutral position. How do you check the 4x4 system?
What I did was stand in the middle at the back and put one hand on each wheel. I then started to spin both rear wheels in the direction as if the vehicle were driving down the road. As I did this both front wheels moved equally as the rears. Is that right? It would seem to me that with the 4x4 off power should not be transferring to the front. So I was thinking the ecc. Maybe im nuts but I took a hammer and gave some whacks to the ecc housing. After that I turned the reae wheels again and this time the fronts did not move. So i whacked a little more. Then the fronts started moving again the same as the first time. I could not recreate the condition where the front wheels would not spin again.
So here I am stuck. I dont know how this system is supposed to work. Initially I thought maybe the problem was a bad gear in the diff that was binding periodically.
Any thoughts?
All 4 tires are the same with good tread. All steering and suspension components are good and tight. I have no abs lights on. I have no howls or hums or strange noises when driving.
What happens is a couple times a day I will hear a bang from the rear. This is not a sway bar link or bushing type of pop its definitely a strong bang in the driveline. There is no one condition that the vehicle is in that causes it but it is pretty much only at low speeds say under 15 mph and pretty much only when I start from a dead stop. Sometimes its just one clunk and sometimes it does one then quickly followed by a second. Once it gets through the clunk I keep going and it drives fine again. It also seems to do it more often when shifting to drive after reversing, but sometimes it does it without reversing.
The best way I can describe the noise is "Pung" said quickly with an emphasis on the p and it feels like the passenger wheel locks up when it does it but that might just be because im in the drivers seat.
I pulled the 4x4 fuse out so i have the 4wd light on on my dash now.
Today I put the Patriot up on a hoist 4x4 fuse still pulled. I left the shifter in the neutral position. How do you check the 4x4 system?
What I did was stand in the middle at the back and put one hand on each wheel. I then started to spin both rear wheels in the direction as if the vehicle were driving down the road. As I did this both front wheels moved equally as the rears. Is that right? It would seem to me that with the 4x4 off power should not be transferring to the front. So I was thinking the ecc. Maybe im nuts but I took a hammer and gave some whacks to the ecc housing. After that I turned the reae wheels again and this time the fronts did not move. So i whacked a little more. Then the fronts started moving again the same as the first time. I could not recreate the condition where the front wheels would not spin again.
So here I am stuck. I dont know how this system is supposed to work. Initially I thought maybe the problem was a bad gear in the diff that was binding periodically.
Any thoughts?
