Only when in 4wd I hear this annoying metal on metal creeking/clanking like sound. Its not constant, just pops every now and then. Also usually seems to only happen when I hit the gas. I noticed it the other day when I was crawling through about 8" of snow with the windows down, then it was doing it alot, but that was with me spinning the tires trying to get traction, so putting kinda alot of strain on somthing...just dunno what. Today I put it in and drove foward and only heard the metal on metal clank twice. Deffenitially sounds like its coming from the front so I'm not thinking t-case.

Front drive shaft is sitting on the work bench torn apart, putting new u-joints on it tomarrow just to see if that'll do it, but if it was u-joints you'd think it would do it all the time since the front shaft spins in 2wd too. I was also thinking axle u-joints

I'm maybe thinking my axle might not be engaging all the way. My old Jimmy had a similar (not exact) sound when the push button 4wd didn;t disengage completely, but that only happened when going from Drive to Reverse..

What do you guys think? I don't want to be out in the back country and have my 4wd break on me when I need it!




EDIT: I just thought of something. My drives side axle shaft seal is leaking pretty good, fixing it next week, but would maybe low 80/90 cause a creek like that where the axle shafts get engaged?

 

while your in there next week to replace the seal maybe you could nock out the ujoints too..since the axle shafts are coming out...and give a good look-seee on them balljoints to rule them out

i bet ya if you were super careful you could jack it up and support it on the frame and start it up and put it in gear and then 4WD and get in there and see really where that sound is coming from ...also would help you to see if both shafts are engaging correctly...

i do it often when i have a odd drivetrain sound... jackstands under the frame and the truck running and moving the wheels at slow idle... gotta be wicked carefule though... who knows what would happen if that thing came off the stands..deffenatly a 2+ person job!

 

I'm planning on doing the axle u-joints when I do the seal, since its gonna be a pita to get to that seal, have to take my ring gear and carrier out [:@]

I'm gonna check the fluid tomarrow just to rule that out. It'd be nice to have it be something so simple!

 

Had a similar sound in a customer vehicle. turned out to be the ujoint out at the wheel. there wasn't any play in it and was still holding some lube in it. Wound up replacing it just to rule it out and thats what fixed it. who would have thought.

 

hey socha... wanna get some pics and a write up if you ahve to go that far? (removale of the carrier and shafts for the seal and joints etc etc) i know ps.com has one but the pics suck ... im gonna need to do the same thing in the future and it would be nice for you to be the guniepig this time! LOL

 

These are generic, but the pics are good. http://www.detroitlocker.com/techtips.htm Just click on the install button on the right.