Need help with 2009 Grand

[rallygabe]

Hey all,
So I am looking for some help with my relatively new Grand Cherokee.
Its a 2009 laredo with the 4.7L and the hi/lo awd.
about 66000 miles, we've had it since about 55k.
both front wheel bearings were replaced by the selling dealer after they sold it to us (my excitement overplayed the obvious growling noise)
We then had several instances of blowing smoke out the exhaust and power loss, three dealers later it stopped on the highway and the dealer it was towed to said "oh yeah PCV was melted and you were two quarts low on oil" which the oil had been full 2 hours earlier. Sorry, back to the main story here:
We also had the same three dealers claim, when asked about road noise and vibration that ALL of the wheel weights had fallen off. obvious BS but it always seemed a bit better when we got it back.

Now we took it to a final dealer in Platteville WI: Ubersox Chrysler. I will also add that I suggest nobody go there because of a completely rotten service staff. Rude and unhelpful after they get your money. Not to mention bad liars. (first he told us that the replaced pinion bearings needed "set in" time and they will make noise till then. then today told us that the noise is because it is an AWD vehicle and is not a problem at all and that we should stop trying to fix it:flamemad

So we took it to them because the Jeep makes a rumbling/growling/vibration when you are on the gas at highway speeds.
The moment you let off the gas the noise goes away.
It is VERY obvious when you are cuising on the highway, as loud or noticable as wind noise.

We have had the Jeep to an alignment shop and they said it was within spec. Tires were in balance, slight feathering on one of the fronts but nothing significant they said.

I am at wits end. I have 4 jeep/dodge/chrysler that are way low on my shit list now and one that has my by the balls to the tune of $20k for what I can only describe as a lemon of a Jeep.
I traditionally have always done my own auto work, even have a degree in Automotive Engineering. But since taking a job out of college I find that I have no time to work on my own stuff any more! how rediculous when I end up in a situation like this.

has anybody on here come across a similar problem? The girlfriend loves the jeeps comforts and options, but agrees that if we can't solve this problem this thing has to go before the CPO warranty is up.

Sorry for the ranting, but any thoughts are appreciated. I miss my XJ and MJ, they never gave me a problem. Neither did the SIlverado I traded on this Grand, boy is that a kick in the ass.

 

[Ben824]

If this was an XJ I would say it was a bad driveshaft u-joint. Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble. We just got my Dad an 06 Hemi Limited 4x4 WK and we love it! Gas mileage is horrendous haha but manageable.

 

[joejeep92]

When you say on the gas how far in the gas are you?

 

[rallygabe]

When you say on the gas how far in the gas are you?

Anything that makes the jeep under load. So going up an incline it takes very little throttle to create the noise. When cruising on a flat section it also takes very little throttle, now that I really think about it.
At low speeds I can't differential noises enough to say if it is there or not.

 

[rallygabe]

we love it! Gas mileage is horrendous haha but manageable.

That's one of the things I actually am enjoying about this grand: the dual plug 4.7 is getting 19-20 on the highway which is better than my pickup ever got, with 300hp to boot( not that I am getting 20mpg at 300hp)

 

[joejeep92]

Have the techs do their job and look up their TSB's. Sounds like you are dealing with really inexperienced techs. Their is a TSB for noise under acceleration at highway speed.

 

[webby1987]

Just remember squeaky wheel gets the grease. Don't let them get you hot under your collar. They don't want to fool with it. I'd take it back to the dealership you bought it from and speak with the gm. Not the service manager. After you do that then the service manager should be the only person you deal with. Be careful here because the service providers will claim to be service managers. My past experience. that got me hot under the collar... see where you get and dont let them back down because they have to fix it whether they want to or not. They just dont want to go down the road of process of elimination that they will have to, to get it right because that would cost them more money. Good luck hope this helps if you havent done it already.

 

[rallygabe]

Have the techs do their job and look up their TSB's. Sounds like you are dealing with really inexperienced techs. Their is a TSB for noise under acceleration at highway speed.

You wouldn't happen to have a a # for this TSB would you? I looked through http://www.wkjeeps.com/wk_tsb.htm#MISC
and the only mention of vibration issues was SRT8 only (wish I had that problem...)

I would love to go back to the dealership I bought it from but sadly that dealer is now about 6 hours drive from me. we moved right after buying the jeep, that was probably another mistake among many.

The service guy at platteville was incredibly rude to the point that I don't even want to go back to the property for fear that I will punch him in the face when he shows up. The GF is calling the Chrysler hotline to see what they say.
:smsoap:

For clarification: The "noise" is one of those noises that you feel as much as you hear. You can feel your pant leg vibrating agains your leg, or you can feel it through your seat or the steerings wheel as much as you can hear it. Like wind/road noise- equal parts vibration and sound. In my opinion it very much sounds like wheel bearing noise but it ONLY is can be heard/felt under power. coasting down a hill it goes away, letting off the throttle completely and it goes away.

 

[Ben824]

Post up on JeepForum in the WK section with your problem. I usually stay away from JeepForum since it tends to usually be a bunch of teenagers on there with wranglers asking "what lift will i need to get 40s on it?" but the guys in the WK sections seem to be on top of their knowledge and they can get pretty creative since there are small amounts of aftermarket support out there for them. And it seems you have already discovered wkjeeps.com which I think is a huge God send for these Jeeps as it answers so many questions and has soooo much information for WKs, I wish there was a site like that for XJs haha I know we have our which has always be my go to for questions and information for my XJ but to have a pure information site setup like that would be so nice.

 

[joejeep92]

I will look up the TSB number when I get to work on Monday. Does the noise change with steering angle side to side?

 

[rallygabe]

I will look up the TSB number when I get to work on Monday. Does the noise change with steering angle side to side?

I appreciate it Joe.
As best as I can notice it does not change with steering angle, though I cannot put much angle into the wheel at 60 or 70 without ditching it.

The front wheel bearings (both sides) were replaced right after we bought it, though who-ever tech did it gave it back without tightening the bolts. (another part of the long story of this Jeep) so about 10,000 miles on bearings. I don't notice any slop in the wheels, though I have found a shake of the tire to be not overly conclusive in the past.

There is no noticeable change with surface condition either; we drove to Da UP and back and it made the same noise at the same speed the whole way.

 

[87manche]

rear axle pinion bearings
rear driveshaft u joints

would be the first two places I would look for a noise under accel.

 

[joejeep92]

Without tightening the bolts? Sigh...mistakes get made but wow

 

[rallygabe]

rear axle pinion bearings
rear driveshaft u joints

would be the first two places I would look for a noise under accel.

well, the tech in platteville must have had the same thought because they did replace the pinion bearings. No change in the noise though.

I guess I will find some time to examine the Ujoints this week. I really dislike working so much that I can't do my own work any more. I thought a college degree was supposed to make your life "better"? This is not my definition of better!

 

[87manche]

it's possible that the gears are just toasty then. If it was ran with the bad pinion bearings for a while it may have just scored up the face of the ring gear. If that's the case the only thing that's going to make them quiet again is a full rebuild. probably easier/cheaper at that point to just swap an axle.

 

[rallygabe]

Well we finally have some resolution.

Louisburg Garage, in Louisburg WI, took the grand under wing and said "your fu%&ed" I a very nice kind of way, rather than rudely like other dealers.
Luckily they also have some professional skill, also unlike other dealers, and also said "your Tcase is shot, luckily that is covered under your CPO warranty"

So I said do the Tcase, as well as the 60k service and low and behold: the Jeep doesn't not make the death growl/howl any more.

We did call Chrysler Customer care back about getting our money back from Ubersox in Platteville, and again Chrysler Customer care said "go fu*% yourself, you can talk to the dealership in question but we aren't doing jack squat for you."

So minor victory, in terms of getting the mechanicals fixed, minor defeat in having a good experience with the people who take my money.

I have decided that another XJ is in my future when this Grand sells. Something I can fix myself, in my garage.

cheers,
Gabe, the whiner about stuff.