need first gen 4x4 help QUICK! (stuck out of state)

[Acid0atm3al]

ok, i noticed about halfway into out trip that there was a slight rattling noise coming from the driver side front, i didnt really think much about it, until i got stuck in some mud messing around and put it in nuetral and activated the 4 wheel drive, shifter back into gear and slowly crawled out, well about 40-50 feet out i noticed a small clunking noise, so i drove it another 100' or so, then it had a BIG clunk and the driver side front jumped a little, so i think ****....i screwed something up bad.....get out and look, and the drivers side front outer u-joint looks ok, and you cant really see the rear one because of how this retarded suspension is setup, but im what you would call a "stupid city boy" this is the first 4wd vehicle i have ever driven, and i have had a few vehicles in my day.....i took off the tire and looked at the inside of the locking hub thing, cleaned it out real well to see if anything in there was messed up, i took some pictures to show you guys because frainkly i dont even know what to look for......

either way....what do you guys think it could be? it only does it bad when its in 4wd and im giving it some throttle, but its hardly noticable in 2wd.

as of right now im stuck about 6 hours from home because i dont have enough cash to take it to a shop, and im fairly certain i shouldnt take it on the 6 hour highway trek back home.....

im using the hotels wifi right now, thank god i brought my laptop.....




PLEASE HELP!!!!

 

[Acid0atm3al]

oh, and dont worry, i greased it real good before i put it back on

 

[Acid0atm3al]

c'mon i see you guys lurkin, no one has ideas?

 

[dislexiclawyer]

I am assuming you have automatic hubs? Possibly they weren't engaged properly? It doesn't look like anything is broken on the hub. I am sorry I don't have any idea what could be wrong. Did you check your front spring and shock?

 

[Acid0atm3al]

yea, i have the auto hubs, the spring and shock look alright.


i know that the auto hubs get jacked up and make a thud of some sort, but could they make the front end jump like it did? also one i heard a kinda like "whiiirrrr" noise, sounded kinda like metal on metal grinding

 

[dislexiclawyer]

I don't really know what else to tell you. Try and look at the front axle shafts and make sure they aren't surrounded by mud, and make sure nothing is broken. If I remember correctly there should be a hole in the arm that surrounds them that you can look into. I really need to spend more time under my truck just looking at stuff. If it was a problem with the 4x4 shift motor or the speedo cable/ gear I could probably help more because that is probably what I have worked on the most drive line wise on my truck.

Also Nixa is hardly a city : but then again the same thing can be said about Branson I hope you get this figured out, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[dislexiclawyer]

Bah stupid internet being slow

 

[DeRocha]

The HUBs look fine and appear to be the newer all metal cam design (much better than the older nylon one). It definitely sounds like a problem in either an axle or the front drive shaft. It would be a rare case that you damaged the diff as the HUB and U_joints are the weak links in the drive train. If you shift into 2H and reverse direction to unlock the hubs the entire front end drive train will stop moving (front drive shaft, differential, and both LR axle shafts). This will allow you to drive in 2H without any problems. Of course you want to see what's damaged to ensure it won't fall off during the ride back.

Things to check:

• Driver's and passenger's U-joints (3 in total) (1 driver, 2 passenger)
• Front Driveshaft U-joints. (3 in total) (1 @ diff, 2 @ the T-case)

How long have you had the Explorer and when did you use 4x4 last? How old are the U-joints on the truck and when were they last replaced?

 

[bisjoe]

The first thing to go on a vehicle with a transfer case is usually the internal output shaft bearings. On a '90 Bronco I had they went at about 130k miles.
If that's what you are suffering from, it won't do it any good to drive that way, they can overheat, break apart and cause damage to other parts. Back then (about 1995) the repair was $1,100. You might get a tow that far for $300-400 if you can hook up with a transport that has room for one more.

 

[Acid0atm3al]

I don't really know what else to tell you. Try and look at the front axle shafts and make sure they aren't surrounded by mud, and make sure nothing is broken. If I remember correctly there should be a hole in the arm that surrounds them that you can look into. I really need to spend more time under my truck just looking at stuff. If it was a problem with the 4x4 shift motor or the speedo cable/ gear I could probably help more because that is probably what I have worked on the most drive line wise on my truck.

Also Nixa is hardly a city : but then again the same thing can be said about Branson I hope you get this figured out, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

yea, nixa is a **** town full of pompus ass upper class people, and short police with bad attitudes (little man complex).....i hate this place, i will be moving back to springfield soon hopefully

 

[Acid0atm3al]

The HUBs look fine and appear to be the newer all metal cam design (much better than the older nylon one). It definitely sounds like a problem in either an axle or the front drive shaft. It would be a rare case that you damaged the diff as the HUB and U_joints are the weak links in the drive train. If you shift into 2H and reverse direction to unlock the hubs the entire front end drive train will stop moving (front drive shaft, differential, and both LR axle shafts). This will allow you to drive in 2H without any problems. Of course you want to see what's damaged to ensure it won't fall off during the ride back.

Things to check:

• Driver's and passenger's U-joints (3 in total) (1 driver, 2 passenger)
• Front Driveshaft U-joints. (3 in total) (1 @ diff, 2 @ the T-case)

How long have you had the Explorer and when did you use 4x4 last? How old are the U-joints on the truck and when were they last replaced?

the truck has 300,000 miles on it, ad i dont know if the ujoints have ever been replace honestly.

one detail i forgot to mention...when the tire is off the ground and you spin it, you get kind of a winding noise coming from the hub assy.

to eliminate my hub beig the problem, would it be safe to remove the locking hub, test drivr it without it and see if that helps? i know that would expose the wheel brearing to contaminates, but it would be a short distance.

thanks

 

[Four0Sport]

you cant mount the wheel w/out the hub.. tried haha

 

[Acid0atm3al]

you cant mount the wheel w/out the hub.. tried haha

i already accounted for that, i have a bunch of washers that are the same size as the stud, and 4 stacked together are as thick as the hub

 

[Four0Sport]

have you tried spinning the wheel with the hub off? driving like that just sounds dangerous. when my auto hubs on my 91 went out they would engage/disengage when making sharp turns and make the noises you described. deffinetly dont rule out other problems though, such as wheel bearings.

 

[Tbars4]

...It sounds like wheel bearings to me...Mine sounded off mainly when I would put it in 4wd...

...Heres a link for some info and the bearings will cost $10-20 a side...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199915

 

[Four0Sport]

my opinion was second-ed. and by gene simmons nonetheless!

 

[Tbars4]

...What can I say, it's almost Halloween and Harley has a dark side...

 

[XploreAlaska]

i vote for a 3rd on wheel bearings, and lucky you there easy to check/fix!
look for chunks of metal, small circular metal pieces, scratches in the race...

 

[DeRocha]

the truck has 300,000 miles on it, ad i dont know if the ujoints have ever been replace honestly.

one detail i forgot to mention...when the tire is off the ground and you spin it, you get kind of a winding noise coming from the hub assy.

to eliminate my hub beig the problem, would it be safe to remove the locking hub, test drivr it without it and see if that helps? i know that would expose the wheel brearing to contaminates, but it would be a short distance.

thanks

The winding noise as mentioned by the others is a sign of bearings (or less likely a hub). HUBs are a dry assembly and only require a slight coating of grease to prevent rust (no more). HUBs that are packed with grease can create a hydrolock condition which forces the autohub to try and lock when the axle is not rotating.. This often sounds like a buzzing or ratcheting sound especially when taking corners.
Does the noise occur on both wheels? Does it occur with the Hub off or on? The rotor looks relative clean/new... Was it replaced recently and if so was it torqued correctly?

 

[little x]

Did you check the pass side hub? Often a hub problem will cause the opposite hub to make the noise.