My 97 ex cab 4x4 is wearing the front tires rapidly, and I here a whirring noise that builds with speed, irrespective of engine revs.

Truck has 130,000 KM, just had 2nd set of ball joints (moog) installed, and a brake service. i use 4wd on weekend when I'm up in Ontario ski country. I suspect the automatic axle is stuck, since there is a lot of resistance on tight turns. My 4wd light has never worked, so I can't tell if it's still lit, but the tranfer case works fine. HELP please!

Scott