nnicoo
Member
- Joined
- September 5, 2007
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Vancouver, BC
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '91 XLT
So this has been going on for a while now, and I started noticing it in 2wd once in a while when I would go over a bump or give it gas after being stopped. What happens is that there is a clicking/thunk sound that can be heard coming from around the front driver's side wheel, and it can be felt on by my foot on the floor as well. Imagine taking a coil over spring, compressing it an inch or two and then releasing it against the underside of the truck - thats what it sounds like.
This would happen once in a while, and I didn't think much of it, thought it was a spring or something (but I know its not). Then it started to snow a lot here in Vancouver, so I had to use my 4x4 a lot in the past week and a bit. So when I'm driving in 4x4 on normal paved road, this clicking/thunking sound now happens regularly with wheel rotation, say if I'm going 50-60 km/hr (30-35 mph), it would happen every 2-3 seconds. If I coast and dont apply any gas, the sound does not happen, but if I have my foot on the pedal, it happens regularily. The less gas I put, the quieter... the more gas, the louder it gets. Also when I brake hard, I hear a few clicks. After I'm stopped at a light, and I start moving again, the sound almost always happens, and loudish. However, still when Im in 2wd, this sound only happens once in a while.
Now, this might be what gives it away. I noticed that when I was in 4x4 in about a foot of fresh snow and trying to manouver, this sound happens a lot more, and sometimes my front left wheel loses power, directly after the sound happens.
***For example, I drove up so the passenger side of my truck was on a mound of soft snow, and the driver side was on basically packed ice. Then, when I gave it gas (not flooring it but not very very gently either) I heard the click/thunk sound, kept my foot on the gas, and heard what sounded like whatever what trying to power the driver side wheel (front driveshaft or something?) disconnect with that previous click/thunk sound, and now the driver side wheel had no power to it and if I keep my foot on the gas I hear a sort of grinding sound (like if you run your fingernail down a comb) and the wheel still remains powerless. As soon as I take my foot off the gas completely for a second, then try again, the driver side wheel has power again. This has happened as well when I'm just driving in some fresh snow with a few other car tracks in it.
This seems like it happenes whenever I'm in 4x4 and there is a large difference of traction between the two front wheels and Im trying to give it a decent amount of gas. Now just so you know, I'm not an idiot here and just flooring the piss out of my truck in the snow, im just trying to drive it normally in a good foot and a half of snow.
The more I drive it in these hard-ish conditions, the more this sound seems to happen, and the more my wheel looses power. I used to only hear the clicking/thunking sound a week ago, and I never experianced the loss of wheel power with the grinding tooth comb sound until a few days ago... now It happens often when I'm trying to get through the snow. It's at the point now where I almost can't use my 4x4 because all I hear are clicks and thunks and then my wheel gives out
I bought this damn thing to use in times like these so I need to get this fixed ASAP... Thanks for reading and I hope you know what it is!
The truck is a 1991 Explorer XLT, has a 5.5 inch susp lift, 33 inch tires, stock diffs, diff gears, and no lockers. Auto hubs as well. Tranny was rebuilt about a year ago without problems, if that matters.
This would happen once in a while, and I didn't think much of it, thought it was a spring or something (but I know its not). Then it started to snow a lot here in Vancouver, so I had to use my 4x4 a lot in the past week and a bit. So when I'm driving in 4x4 on normal paved road, this clicking/thunking sound now happens regularly with wheel rotation, say if I'm going 50-60 km/hr (30-35 mph), it would happen every 2-3 seconds. If I coast and dont apply any gas, the sound does not happen, but if I have my foot on the pedal, it happens regularily. The less gas I put, the quieter... the more gas, the louder it gets. Also when I brake hard, I hear a few clicks. After I'm stopped at a light, and I start moving again, the sound almost always happens, and loudish. However, still when Im in 2wd, this sound only happens once in a while.
Now, this might be what gives it away. I noticed that when I was in 4x4 in about a foot of fresh snow and trying to manouver, this sound happens a lot more, and sometimes my front left wheel loses power, directly after the sound happens.
***For example, I drove up so the passenger side of my truck was on a mound of soft snow, and the driver side was on basically packed ice. Then, when I gave it gas (not flooring it but not very very gently either) I heard the click/thunk sound, kept my foot on the gas, and heard what sounded like whatever what trying to power the driver side wheel (front driveshaft or something?) disconnect with that previous click/thunk sound, and now the driver side wheel had no power to it and if I keep my foot on the gas I hear a sort of grinding sound (like if you run your fingernail down a comb) and the wheel still remains powerless. As soon as I take my foot off the gas completely for a second, then try again, the driver side wheel has power again. This has happened as well when I'm just driving in some fresh snow with a few other car tracks in it.
This seems like it happenes whenever I'm in 4x4 and there is a large difference of traction between the two front wheels and Im trying to give it a decent amount of gas. Now just so you know, I'm not an idiot here and just flooring the piss out of my truck in the snow, im just trying to drive it normally in a good foot and a half of snow.
The more I drive it in these hard-ish conditions, the more this sound seems to happen, and the more my wheel looses power. I used to only hear the clicking/thunking sound a week ago, and I never experianced the loss of wheel power with the grinding tooth comb sound until a few days ago... now It happens often when I'm trying to get through the snow. It's at the point now where I almost can't use my 4x4 because all I hear are clicks and thunks and then my wheel gives out
I bought this damn thing to use in times like these so I need to get this fixed ASAP... Thanks for reading and I hope you know what it is!
The truck is a 1991 Explorer XLT, has a 5.5 inch susp lift, 33 inch tires, stock diffs, diff gears, and no lockers. Auto hubs as well. Tranny was rebuilt about a year ago without problems, if that matters.
