Problem with 4wd. plz help!

[sean4385]

Yesterday after working on disconnecting my sway bars, i was doing a little test driving at some mud pits down my road. While turning around and pulling out of the lot, i missed the driveway and dropped into a 3-foot ditchthere must have been a concrete pipe or something cause i heard a big smashing noise. I threw it in 4wd and drove out. Only the front passenger side fell in the ditch and my driver side wheels were still up on the driveway. as i was turning back onto the road i still had 4wd on, and there was this grinding noise with an occasional pop, and it felt like like wheels were locking and being dragged, cause i had to accelerate harder than usual. after taking it out of 4x4 the problem went away, and it only comes back when i put it in 4hi or 4lo.

could this have anything to do with removing the sway bar(so far i only have the rod that connects the bar to one A-arm dissconected on one side. The larger bar is still bolted to the crossmember and the rod on the other side is still connected to the other A-arm. For some reason my crappy socket set wouldnt fit most of the bolts, and the bolt going through the rod that connect sto the A-arm, was completey stripped.) or do you guys think this is from falling in the ditch. I definately cant go wheelin until this is fixed, cause sharp steering is almost impossible.

So the wheels and/or steering are binding ONLY when i turn and ONLY when in 4wd. Anyone know what this could be? anyone know a way to fix this prob?

Thanks,
Sean

 

[sean4385]

bump

 

[mhn3773]

so wait the sway bar is still under the car? its just disconected at one end near a tire?

if thats so try taking the whole thing off..completely out from under the car then see if it still does it
i think mabey its rubbing? but that wouyldnt explain why only in 4x4 it does it

if u feel down a hole and the tire landed funny couldnt it smush the axel? i dont really know sry but just try and get the sway bar totaly out..worth a shot

 

[Nate1]

If you use 4x4 High or Low on pavement and turn your front and rear wheels will spin at different speeds, and you will feel your driveline binding up. That is probably what is happening.

 

[sean4385]

im gonna have to wait till i can get my hands on a sawzall before i can take the other side of the sway bar off. eve after that im gonna leave the main bar on to protect the rack and lower part of the radiator until i get a skid plate. As long as the two rods connect to the arm are disconnected it wont have any effect. im already feeling the effect of no sway bars with only one of them removed. but either way i doubt thats the cause.

it does feel like the driveline is binding when i try turning in 4wd. what part exactly could be causing this though. and how would i go about fixin it??

Thanks,
Sean

 

[JDraper]

The drivetrain binding when turning a sharp corner in 4 wheel drive is normal. All of 'em do it. It's normal. That's why the owners manual tells you not to drive it on dry pavement in 4WD. As Nate said, one wheel is trying to turn faster than the other, and since all the wheels are coupled together, something has to give and the wheel slides, which gives you the binding/popping noise.

 

[sean4385]

this is normal?! ive never noticed it before. wierd.
so this only happens on dry pavement and wont happen on the trails? because i offroad all the time in 4wd and im sure i would have already noticed this inability to turn. but if it doesnt happen off the road then i dont have to worry.

also another symptom ive noticed is the whole truck seems to lift up on either side when turning, in addition to the popping and grinding noises. then when i switch out of 4wd into auto theres an even louder popping noise and the truck seems to drop down a couple inches and level out.

 

[JDraper]

When you're on dirt, there is much less friction between the tire and the ground, so the tire slides much easier, and it's not as noticeable. All the stuff in your last post seems normal to me too. When you switch out of 4wd, you are allowing the wheels to turn freely, so if you are turning as you do it, it will probably pop and settle as it releases.

 

[sean4385]

what a relief.

thanks again guys!!

 

[Premier]

Just thought I would let you know before a moderator gets on your case, your signature can only be 6 lines

 

[sean4385]

its 6. The fat@$$ monkey and the beer just make the lines wider.