97 AWD, Bang/Clunk under acceleration or gear shift from front end. HELP!

[RoyKelly2]

ok, this sounds like the coupler in the transfer case has locked up, along with cv joint damage. Front wheels should rotate at full droop whether or not the rears can. Try this test again after you get the new cv axle in---could be the bad one was hanging up, not rotating freely.

In the 5 years I have had this vehicle, the front and rear have never rotated freely unless the driveshaft is out, then I can rotate the one with the driveshaft out, but the wheel on the opposite side rotates in the opposite direction. If the front driveshaft is out, I can rotate the front freely, but not the rear. Just the reverse if I take the rear out. The only other vehicle I have had with all wheel drive behaved the same way, so I thought this was normal.

I will research this more

 

[Turdle]

The front differential should allow wheel movement, one will spin in the opposite direction as the other, even with the driveshaft stationary.

That's what a differential does.
Now, to compond the issue and to make sure your diff is ok,
Lately, some lower quality cv axles will inhibit this spinning when the suspension is fully drooped, which is why I asked in the first place. You will feel the wheel spin a bit then it hits a stop. Raising the control arm about an inch or 2 will allow the wheel to freely spin , if so you know you got a dud.

you do have a cv which is bad so it might be contributing

Under normal operation the wheels should spin if they are off the ground.

 

[RoyKelly2]

The front differential should allow wheel movement, one will spin in the opposite direction as the other, even with the driveshaft stationary.

That's what a differential does.
Now, to compond the issue and to make sure your diff is ok,
Lately, some lower quality cv axles will inhibit this spinning when the suspension is fully drooped, which is why I asked in the first place. You will feel the wheel spin a bit then it hits a stop. Raising the control arm about an inch or 2 will allow the wheel to freely spin , if so you know you got a dud.

you do have a cv which is bad so it might be contributing

Under normal operation the wheels should spin if they are off the ground.

My front driveshaft CV joint also keeps going out. When it does, it vibrates the car and the bolts back out. The missing bolts in this picture were torqued to 25 foot pounds and coated with thread lock compound. They should not have backed out. Could this also be caused by the trans fer case coupler?

 

[RoyKelly2]

My front driveshaft CV joint also keeps going out. When it does, it vibrates the car and the bolts back out. The missing bolts in this picture were torqued to 25 foot pounds and coated with thread lock compound. They should not have backed out. Could this also be caused by the trans fer case coupler?

View attachment 173714

UPDATE 12/21/2020
I did fix my bolts backing out on the CV Joint by drilling 1/16" holes in the heads and running safety wire, but had to replace the driveshaft because the CV joint was shot as you can see.

I pulled my drain plug and had lots of shavings in my transfer case. Talked with many junkyards and all had lots of shavings if it came from a 1997-99 Explorer with AWD. The 4WD ones did not have shavings but they are different models than mine. Mine is a 4404-05 and does not have the holes for the 4WD motor to change the gears.

I have finally found a transfer case in a junkyard that had no shavings that came out of a 1997 Ford Explorer XLT with a 5.0 and AWD. It only had 15,000 miles on it and the motor seized because of a hole in the drain pan. My front wheels now do rotate if both are off the ground and the rears also. My clunking noise is gone on hard acceleration and hills. Time will tell.

With the old one out I was able to search better for rebuild kits and found two possible sources. What can my brothers here tell me about them?
On is Transmission Parts Distributors and the other is Ring and Pinion, Transmission and Transfer Case Parts

 

[RoyKelly2]

BUMP

 

[Eyepatchjoe]

BUMP

Any luck?

 

[RoyKelly2]

Any luck?

Since last December have had no clunk and everything is good. I do chirp tires if I accelerate fast from the stop light and spin all four on wet pavement.... Need to have some ice on the parking lot of Big Lots so I can see if I can do donuts and slide... so the vehicle is good

As for my question on parts, had no answer. I have ordered parts from Transmission Parts Distributors and will rebuild the one I took out... there are a couple of good thread about rebuilding the transfer case