Grinding rt front 4X4 hub 'area'

[thebadj]

Hi-miles...283K first edition '91 ['90] automatic 4X4 near its practical/economic life. All of a sudden I get drastic-sounding grinding ..we're talking real 'texture' here... with buckling/mesh conflict sounds... not a scree or squeal or even, steady sounding thing from area of rf wheel. It'll start without warning and stop if you lay off the brake. First instinct is worn/de-laminated pad, so I pull both front wheels, pull the rf caliper, remove and inspect pads, find the pads with a quarter inch or so left and intact. Just did a visual on left front brake assy..sound did not sound like it came from there. There are no wear indicator stubs on these pads, so that's not the sound. I pulled off the rt frnt hub and the grease is what I'd call lean, but I cannot detect bad bearing grind as I would with, for example, a boat trailer. I have looked behind hub for u-joint issue: the shaft slides a little as it should, and the u jt at the hub has only a little, say 2-3 degrees, of rotational slack (at the driven end, at/in the hub) and no apparent looseness between the yokes when pried by large screwdriver. I confess that I am unfamiliar with that on this rig. But chassis maintenance was pretty much given up a few years ago, maybe 70,000 miles ago. [yes, I have look of shame on my face] I've seen threads where fellows have gone thru the whole front end without curing this. I think I might be able to drive it to a shop, but I don't want to worsen this and condemn it to the heap. I need to either find this to be cheap for a shop or easy for me. Any ideas, amigos?

 

[RangerX]

Maybe check the bearings? They might be disintergrating.

About the auto hubs, they don't take grease, so they should be 'lean'. To lube them, pull them off and fill with ATF, let soak for a while, then drain. But that's not causing the noise.

 

[fordrocker]

i had the same problem on the same side and it was my auto locking hub....it had broken and made a grinding noise....i don;t knwo what to tell you though

 

[thebadj]

Thanks. That was my first suspicion after pads. When I hand rotate, I just don't get the slighest grind from it. But I guess it could be more of an under-load effect. What do you think? In the big picture, bearings would be a godsend. John

 

[thebadj]

fordrocker: How do you tell that? I'm pretty handy, even built a '34 coupe when I was a kid, but I don't know 4
X4 hubs very well. I'm thinking about checking behavior going into and out of 4X4 and maybe lubing the rt one with the atf and seeing if that changes behavior or sound. I can get used replacements for about $90/pr. shipped off ebay. I guess if it's between the hub and the bearings, I might be able to trust the local general/ 4X4 shop that repacked the old Bronco's front bearings...they lasted a 1,000 mi. trip. Gonna play with this a little more driving around my block. Thanks. All ideas still appreciated.

 

[rocco123]

Sounds like auto hubs are worn. Switch to manuals.