4x4 noise (banging thud) at front dif. ????

[mussey ex]

Haven't had much time to do alot of trouble shooting, but here goes...

Transfer case engaged with hubs unlocked = no noise

hubs locked with transfer case disengaged = no noise

hubs locked with transfer case engaged = banging comming from drivers side front end.

replaced ball joints, u joints at wheel this summer along with pads, and rotors and wheel bearings.

noise does not increase with m.p.h. , just a steady bang......bang......bang

 

[fordsutii]

have you found the reason yet?? Mine does same thing and this is my vid! check!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilr09s-YRMs

 

[mussey ex]

Have not explored it much yet. Yours looks like the U-joint is good, but I'm thinking the carrier bearing in the front dif. may be sloppy.

 

[fordsutii]

Have not explored it much yet. Yours looks like the U-joint is good, but I'm thinking the carrier bearing in the front dif. may be sloppy.

U-Joints are new. but my car makes same sound when driving 4wd on.
klonk....klonk.....klonk

 

[MrShorty]

The one time I have seen this was when I was running mismatched tires (same size, but different manufacturer/style). Every so often, even in snow or mud, the front would bang as something slipped from the tension built up from the mismatched tires. It also tended to be difficult to get the 4wd to disengage because of the tension.

 

[DeRocha]

How long have you owned the Vehicle and did it operate like this in the past?

The 4 wheel drive system is symmetrical 50/50 so power is evenly distributed front and rear. As such Torque wind up occurs whenever 4x4 is on.

The front/rear symmetry causes Torque wind up within the drive train (Transmission, T-case, Differentials, axles shafts, hubs,tires). This force is ONLY released when the traction at a wheel is lower than the torque wind up force which will cause the wheel to brake traction and spin. Note: The driver's front wheel has the shortest axle shaft and is therefore the most likely candidate to brake traction when on a similar surface. Wet roads obviously have much lower traction than dry pavement. As such torque wind up is isn't very noticeable. Dry pavement however has a very high traction value and torque wind up is VERY Noticeable and cause for concern as it can damage and accelerate wear on your driveline. 4x4 should only be used when driving in low traction situations (wet pavement, snow dirt roads, off-road etc).