no drive to front wheels

[justin&narlah]

hey guys my mate just baught a 99 grand cherokee, he took it off road today and discovered that he has no drive to the front wheels. the frond drive shaft spins and the diff flange spins, however there is some movement in the shaft. when u drive it makes a clunking noise and shuders through the steering wheel sounds like a broken cv but i kno nothing about jeeps setup with the full time 4wd. any advice would be verymuch appriciated

[Green as Grass]

I'm no expert but I think you'll find that on the front drive shaft of these Jeep use a CV whereas most other 4wd have universals. These CVs do tend to be a little weak. I'd say yours is busted and has been at least partly removed. If you are going to be taking it on serious 4wd tracks you can get a uni kit for it from the states. Unis are stronger than CVs but give more vibration on the highway. If it's just a light duty 4wd just replace the CV on the front drive shaft.

[CheSter]

Certainly sounds like a diff / axle issue .. I'd start by pulling the diff cover .. should give you some insight into whats going on .. if all looks good there .. it could be a snapped axle.

A busted CV / Uni would be pretty easy to see .. well they are on my TJ.

C