I have recently been experiencing a knocking/popping when accelerating from a stop, or accelerating around a turn. My montero sport is the xls 3.5l 6cyn with all awd/4wd. I believe it's my transfer case making the noise. Also something they may be related, my 4wd shifter is stuck and is not movable, a friend said that the cord on my shifter was broke, could i be stuck in 4H or AWD and it mess up my transfer case. I bought the car used, well over 180,000 miles now and never thought to check 4wd. Any helps comments welcome... also does the transfer case from a montero differ much from the montero sport??

 

The first thing I would do would be to fix the 4wd transfer shifter cable. You may want to check the front wheel bearings. They are a sealed unit so actual visual inspection is not possible. Try lifting vehicle off ground, ( always use jack stands and chocks) and grab wheel from the 12 and 6 oclock position. Try shimmying wheel and feel for free play. Also rotate wheel and listen for any noises.