Jeep question

[buddiesel]

Anyone know how auto locking hubs work? My daily driver is a 95 jeep Cherokee, it has also pulled my K5 out of more then one mud puddle as I usually leave it parked at the trail head. Lately it has been making a winding sound that speeds up as I move. I thought it was a brake pad but I checked them and they were fine. While playing with the breaks I noticed that if I spun the front tire the front drive shaft spins, I know in my K5 it only does this if the hubs are locked but the jeep was supposed to be in 2wheel drive. I have no idea how auto locking hubs work but I figure if they were working correctly turning the tire would not spin the drive shaft.

 

[pauly383]

Is it an actual auto hub? I thought newer jeep front axles had unit bearings without provision for locking hubs (auto or manual). /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif Other brands of truck don't have hubs anymore either. Most had a center axle disconnect (dodge). I think jeeps just let the front spin all the time. /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[Sample]

They are unit bearings. You either have the 231 or 242. I bet your driveshaft is the noise culprit. You can pull it in a few minutes and drive it to see if the noise is gone.