Hey everyone,

Well, I took the truck out to Minnesota in the frigid cold, I am talking like -20 degrees F. Truck worked fine, heat still goes down when stopped but in that much cold I was happy to have heat at all.

I did use 4X4 a lot, and I have a problem. When I turn hard to the right, as far as I can turn right, I get a terrible knocking noise, sounds like metal hittting metal. Not grinding, more like a banging. When I ease off the turn a little it stops, but I can't find it for the life of me. Doesn't happen when turning left. It is really bad, and it definately places a strain on the truck, like it wants to come to a complete stop, and quick. Sounds so bad I thought at one point that a torsion bar or something fell off and was dragging on the ground and ripping up the asphalt the first time.

A history on the truck, put 31" tires on it, and raised it about 2 inches in the front with new keys and 3" in the back with blocks and air shocks.

Any ideas?

 

I feel ya with the heat thing.

Anyhow, did you check the CV joint. Mine makes all sorts of bucking noises when I'm in four wheel drive and making really tight turns. Course these things have the turning radius of a Perterbuilt conventional cab tractor with a king sleeper...hehe

 

How slippery was the ground? If you were driving on dry pavement it was probably the drivetrain binding up. If you were on a slippery surface I agree with the cv joints. Mine are so worn out it makes a popping noise in 2 hi when I make a sharp enough turn.

 

Well, I am usually on dry when I hear it, but I can't say it is always dry, weather has been so bad I think it is always slippery here now. But it did happen in a parking garage where I should get good traction. I will have to test it out some more. If I can get it to happen when I am turning hard left it could be the drivetrain?

Is there any way I can check each of these easily to determine which it is? The drive or the cv joint?

Would a bad cv joint make the truck feel like it was grinding to a halt?

 

Usually a bad CV joint is accompanied by a torn boot on the joint. Unless it's just plain worn out then the only way I know of to check it is to disconnect it and check for excessive play. I'd like to say that this procedure is no big deal but, given where you are now and the temps, I don't envy you.

 

If you get into a place with a lot of traction DO NOT use 4 wheel drive. (I don't mean that in a mean or rude way, I'm just putting a lot of emphasis on it). What happens in a turn is that each tire takes a different path around the turn and therefore each tire goes a different speed. The transfer case tries to force the axles to go the same speed by locking them together and therefore either your tires will skid around a turn or your drivetrain will lock up. If you continue to do this you will eventually break something and it won't be cheap to fix.

 

Question for you about the 4X4, the few occurences where I was on dry ground with traction came as I drove off of say an alley covered in ice and snow and hit the main road which was plowed and salted and turned onto it. Happens a lot in the city here where the alleys are sheets of ice and snow where I can't get out without 4X4 then I hit the main road. So, if this noise is only happening on dry ground with traction, should I just not worry about it really or shoudl I make plans to change the drive train in the summer and when it is warm?

I will just be sure to turn off 4X4 after I pull out of the icy alleys and such and hit good ground, which I do normally anyways. It is usually that first turn out of the alley though that gets me with the noise.

 

If it were me, I would try very hard to get the truck out of 4 wheel drive before all 4 tires contact the dry pavement. If that is truly impossible to do try to make the turn as shallow as possible. If you don't already have one you might want to look into putting a limited slip diff in the rear axle. I put one in the 9 1/4 inch rear end I installed on my truck. It almost never snows around where I live but we got about 6 inches of snow last week and I was out driving in it unplowed all morning and barely used 4 wheel drive. The limited slip diff will give the truck's rear axle twice the grip.

 

Do you get the noise when in 2wd at all?

 

No noise at all in 2WD. Just 4WD.