Binding and Acting weird.

[Colin2722]

Alright so after putting my exploder in 4x4 and making some sharp turns i got a bad binding from both tires not just the outside tire. I just fixed the 4x4 about a week ago after it not working for 11 years so my first question is where should i start from there.

Second. after disengaging the 4x4 i started driving down the road and i got a horrible grinding noise somewhere from the front and my check engine light came on. i engaged the 4x4 and disengaged again and it went away but came back after giving it a little gas.

I put some trans fluid in and it kind of went away but when i tried accelerating it jerked about three times and then slowly acted normal. this is my daily driver so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Should i change hubs/cv joints? i have no idea but please point me in the right direction. thanks

Colin

 

[MrShorty]

Did the 4wd ever fully disengage? It sounds to me that you got the drivetrain bound up in your little test. Once you get that tension fully released, it should be ok.

 

[Gadget X]

Yeah, you should NEVER use the 4WD on dry pavement! It will tear something up! Also, when you take it out of 4WD, you need to reverse for about 20 or 30 feet to "unlock" the front hubs.

 

[Colin2722]

So what should i do to release the tension? my check engine light has come on all day at about 5 min intervals and i jacked it up and there is a little side to side play and i can fully turn the wheels. would that be a bearing issue?

 

[MrShorty]

my check engine light has come on all day at about 5 min intervals

CEL is probably not related to the 4wd issues -- the engine management system and the 4wd system have next nothing in common. 1st step in resolving the CEL is to pull codes (see stickies in EEC-IV forum).

i jacked it up and there is a little side to side play and i can fully turn the wheels.

When you rotate the front wheels, do the axleshafts rotate with the wheels? what else rotates with the wheels (front driveshaft, rear driveshaft, rear wheels)?
To release the tension, you might try getting all four wheels off the ground and run it a little.
When I've had the drivetrain bind up like that, it has usually released itself after driving for a while.

 

[94Sport5Sp]

Hi:

Also keep in mind that when in 4wd (hi or low) sharp turn in either direction will cause a binding on both wheels as the U joints flex. This is much more noticeable on high traction surfaces which is why it is not recommended to use 4wd on and hard surface. You can get away with it for a while but you will eventually cause some problems. So unless the "...sharp turns i got a bad binding from both tires..." you experienced was on grass or mud or some such soft surface then the binding is normal byproduct of U joint flex.

Just more info
PaMnd

 

[Tony H]

You haven't been able to rotate those front axles in 11 years.... I bet your front axle 'U' joints are frozen.

A frozen Axle joint will bind when Turning.