Loud "pop" in 1st & 2nd gear

scottward

New member
Hello ... I have a '97 TJ 6cyl ... 2.5 lift with 32'' all terrain's
When taking off and putting torque on drivetrain ( clutch , trans ,motor-mounts) a real LOUD pop in 1st gear..shift to 2nd, give it gas, loud pop again in 2nd gear...shifting to 3rd, 4th, 5th...no poping..but has a flopping sound..faster you go, faster the flopping sound?..... afraid to go faster than 30 mph .... was told clutch or transmission ? Im thinking something else, Motor-mount, Trans mount ? the u-joints seem ok. and this is happening when driving on the smooth street, not off-road

Thanks
 
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When taking off and putting torque on drivetrain ( clutch , trans ,motor-mounts) a real LOUD pop in 1st gear..shift to 2nd, give it gas, loud pop again in 2nd gear...shifting to 3rd, 4th, 5th...no poping..but has a flopping sound..faster you go, faster the flopping sound?..... afraid to go faster than 30 mph ....

Thanks

This pop accompanied by the shifter sticking slightly during shifting? Clutch might not fully disengaging, due to air bubbles in the hydraulic line. Shifter would stick while pulling it out of gear.

If the loud pop is accompanied by a momentary loss in forward momentum, it could be the transfer case chain skipping a tooth or the rear axle pinion skipping a tooth on the ring gear.

Motor mounts can easily be inspected for excessive wear, by seeing if the bolt going through the rubber is close to the metal surrounding the rubber.

The rubber bushing should pretty much keep the bolt centered.

With a trans mount, wear can sometimes be felt through the shifter. It will move around as the mount & trans move.

Not sure what you mean by "flopping sound" but it could be something with the clutch release unit/bearing.

You might check the engine to trans bolts, if they are loose it could cause binding.
 
I would drain and replace the fluid in both the transmission and transfer case, inspecting the fluid as it comes out. Also pull the cover from the rear differential and inspect the spider gears, as well as the ring and pinion gears.

Replace the transmission oil with Redline MT90.
 
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