The other day I went to plow my driveway,and my truck only made one pass before one front hub started refusing to lock,but only when going forward,in reverse,4wd worked fine...had to back it into the garage and investigate..
I jacked up the drivers side front and when I turned the tire,I could make the front axle "skip" like gear teeth or splines were stripped in it..
...
I also noticed the wheel bearings were VERY loose,it had a good 1/4" of play if you shook the tire at 6 and 12 o'clock...
Strange thing was driving the truck,it felt perfectly normal..
One thing I feared had happened ,was one of the axle shafts or a locking hub broke,because on Monday when I drove it 1/4 mile to the corner gas station in 4WD,when I went to back up and turn around,I felt the driveline bind up,and something went "BANG",it felt like a car hit me!...
My NP-208 must be internally screwed up,because in 2wd,it still sends power to the front driveshaft,and I adjusted the linkage,it was not mis-adjusted,so whatever locks it into 4WD internally must not be releasing..
I just unlock the hubs and drive it that way in warmer weather with no issues,but it makes winter use suck,because with the plow on it,in 2wd,you'll just sit and spin at every intersection if its slick out--and if you leave the hubs locked, and hit a dry stretch of road,you'll get the driveline bind and "bang",which part time 4x4's usually do and is considered "normal"...makes it very tough to drive around town when the roads vary from clear and dry to iced over..
I got out and unlocked the hubs,drove it 4 miles to the bank and back after it went "bang",and it felt and drove normal..
Next day after it snowed,I locked the hubs and went to plow,and soon found only my rear wheels were spinning,when I went forward....yet it would back up fine with all 4 wheels pulling..
I had replaced the front axle u-joint on the drivers side about a year ago,and was certain I adjusted the bearings right,and when I took off the locking hub and went to take off the bearing lock nuts,the outer one was still torqued properly...
Being in a bind with 2+ feet of snow to plow,I just decided to tighten up on the inner lock nut until all "play" was gone,then re-assembled everything..(and what a pain in the butt that outer snap ring is to remove,and get that stupid "dowel washer" to line up with the pin on the inner bearing nut--certainly someone can think up a easier way to keep the bearing nuts from backing off!)...talk about frostbite,it took 2+ hours to get the dam thing back together..
I assume the inner wheel bearing's outer race has spun in the hub where it is supposed to be a press fit..this has happened to at least 3 of my GM 4x4s,I dont know why,is this just a common issue,or just normal wear and tear from old age?..
..on two of my trucks that did that,I cheated and used some shim stock to take up the slop in the hub along with some Permatex Stud & Bearing Retaining Compound...
After I got the drivers side hub back on,I could still get the axle to "skip" when I turned the tire,so I watched the axle shaft,the drivers side and passenger side ones were both turning,but the passenger side tire was not turning,and it sounded like it was the hub "skipping"--so I took that one apart,for the first time since I owned the truck in 12+ years--busted an allen wrench before the last hub bolt came off too..
When I got it apart,everything inside looked nice--fresh looking grease,no evidence of water or ice in the hub either--but it looked to me like the "gear" in the hub that is retained by a phillips head screw "might" have been in backwards..I flipped it around,re-assembled it,and tried the hub,it locked and unlocked OK,and the "skipping" was gone,and I was able to plow with it with no issues...
--but I'll probably have to buy a new hub and wheel bearings ,and the rotors are about junk from rust in the cooling slot areas,they are whittled away to nothing...
Now I'm reluctant to drive the dam truck on the road,knowing my wheel bearings on the left side are likely "too tight" and bottomed out,and will likely grind up in short order...
..just wish this winter from hell would give me time to breathe,we've had over 5 FEET of snow in less than 3 weeks since Jan 27th here...another storm coming tomorrow night and another one sunday too,plus more next week...not a good time to take the truck apart and try fixing it "right"...
I jacked up the drivers side front and when I turned the tire,I could make the front axle "skip" like gear teeth or splines were stripped in it..
...I also noticed the wheel bearings were VERY loose,it had a good 1/4" of play if you shook the tire at 6 and 12 o'clock...
Strange thing was driving the truck,it felt perfectly normal..
One thing I feared had happened ,was one of the axle shafts or a locking hub broke,because on Monday when I drove it 1/4 mile to the corner gas station in 4WD,when I went to back up and turn around,I felt the driveline bind up,and something went "BANG",it felt like a car hit me!...
My NP-208 must be internally screwed up,because in 2wd,it still sends power to the front driveshaft,and I adjusted the linkage,it was not mis-adjusted,so whatever locks it into 4WD internally must not be releasing..
I just unlock the hubs and drive it that way in warmer weather with no issues,but it makes winter use suck,because with the plow on it,in 2wd,you'll just sit and spin at every intersection if its slick out--and if you leave the hubs locked, and hit a dry stretch of road,you'll get the driveline bind and "bang",which part time 4x4's usually do and is considered "normal"...makes it very tough to drive around town when the roads vary from clear and dry to iced over..
I got out and unlocked the hubs,drove it 4 miles to the bank and back after it went "bang",and it felt and drove normal..
Next day after it snowed,I locked the hubs and went to plow,and soon found only my rear wheels were spinning,when I went forward..
..yet it would back up fine with all 4 wheels pulling..I had replaced the front axle u-joint on the drivers side about a year ago,and was certain I adjusted the bearings right,and when I took off the locking hub and went to take off the bearing lock nuts,the outer one was still torqued properly...
Being in a bind with 2+ feet of snow to plow,I just decided to tighten up on the inner lock nut until all "play" was gone,then re-assembled everything..(and what a pain in the butt that outer snap ring is to remove,and get that stupid "dowel washer" to line up with the pin on the inner bearing nut--certainly someone can think up a easier way to keep the bearing nuts from backing off!)...talk about frostbite,it took 2+ hours to get the dam thing back together..
I assume the inner wheel bearing's outer race has spun in the hub where it is supposed to be a press fit..this has happened to at least 3 of my GM 4x4s,I dont know why,is this just a common issue,or just normal wear and tear from old age?..
..on two of my trucks that did that,I cheated and used some shim stock to take up the slop in the hub along with some Permatex Stud & Bearing Retaining Compound...After I got the drivers side hub back on,I could still get the axle to "skip" when I turned the tire,so I watched the axle shaft,the drivers side and passenger side ones were both turning,but the passenger side tire was not turning,and it sounded like it was the hub "skipping"--so I took that one apart,for the first time since I owned the truck in 12+ years--busted an allen wrench before the last hub bolt came off too..
When I got it apart,everything inside looked nice--fresh looking grease,no evidence of water or ice in the hub either--but it looked to me like the "gear" in the hub that is retained by a phillips head screw "might" have been in backwards..I flipped it around,re-assembled it,and tried the hub,it locked and unlocked OK,and the "skipping" was gone,and I was able to plow with it with no issues...
--but I'll probably have to buy a new hub and wheel bearings ,and the rotors are about junk from rust in the cooling slot areas,they are whittled away to nothing...
Now I'm reluctant to drive the dam truck on the road,knowing my wheel bearings on the left side are likely "too tight" and bottomed out,and will likely grind up in short order...
..just wish this winter from hell would give me time to breathe,we've had over 5 FEET of snow in less than 3 weeks since Jan 27th here...another storm coming tomorrow night and another one sunday too,plus more next week...not a good time to take the truck apart and try fixing it "right"...
