Rear Differential going out?

[Thelt]

I am hearing a whine from the rear of the Jeep when I am going down the road. Every once in a while I will feel a jerk from the back when stopping or taking off. Likely the rear differential going out or something less costly like a U joint?

 

[tommudd]

First don't drive it anymore until you check it out, could mean the difference between a 100 dollar job and 2000.
If you have the trashloc from the factory, it could be it
How long has it been since you serviced the diffs?

 

[Thelt]

I have only owned it about 6 months and I have not serviced the differential. I am not sure of its service history. I do not think it has any type of limit slip or locker in the back. If I drop one tire off in the grass I usually have to put it in 4wd to avoid spinning up the yard.

 

[Thelt]

I am thinking now that it was a false alarm. The noise I thought was coming from the rear I now think was just road noise. It goes away when I drive on certain surfaces. I still plan to have the differential serviced soon though.