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problem in front end

marko

marko

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I NEED HELP I HAVE A INTERMITTENT CLUNKING IN FRONT END ITS AN 1989 K5 ALL STOCK. SHOULD THE FRONT SHAFT SPIN FREELY WHEN IN TWO WHEEL DRIVE? THERE IS NO SPECIFIC TIME THE CLUNK COMES AND GOES. THIS IS MY DD SO ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. IT STARTED YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN SOME TRAILS IN TWO WHEEL DRIVE NOTHING EXTREME AT ALL. PUT IT IN 4HIGH AND 4LOW AFTERWARDS NO PROBLEMS OR NOISE AT ALL. PULLED HUB CAPS AND EVERYTHING LOOKS NORMAL DRIVER SIDE SEEMS TO HAVE LITTLE MORE PLAY THAN PASSENGER BUT NOT MUCH. ANY IDEAS.
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FIrst id get your keyboard fixed, seems your CAPLOCK is stuck. Oh BTW, typing in all caps is the same as YELLING. :D

ANyways. CLunking noises are very hard to figure out.

1) could be suspension binding at the bolt locations where the leaf springs bolt to the shackles ( I replaced my bolts and bushings with ORDs greaseable stuff and it took care of my "clunking")

2) COUld be a crack in your frame behind the steering box, this will cause all kinda intermitted issues.

3) Could be motor mount or tranny/tcase mount is bad or busted.

WIthout actually hearing/seeing it for our selves we can only guess and give you ideas what to look for.
 
Sorry didnt mean to yell just frustrated need it to get to work tomorrow motor mounts look good as does leaf springs. i really felt the noise and shake through the steering wheel thaught it was coming from front diff.:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
 
Just crawled out from underneath it spun front driveshaft about three times then it caught now i can move it back and forth but not all the way around.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
See now, you just added something important, you didnt mention the SHAKE in the org. thread. Id look at your steering components and definetly look at the steering box and frame area.

Could be something in the axle itself, maybe gears are going bad on you.
 
steering works great no cracks around box what about the shaft should that spin like i described.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
what do i need to pull the hub and i assume its safe to drive with it out. like i said in earlier post driver side seems to have more play.what do i look for when i pull it?:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
marko said:
what do i need to pull the hub and i assume its safe to drive with it out. like i said in earlier post driver side seems to have more play.what do i look for when i pull it?:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
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there is a snap ring around the outside edge of the hub gear.it's easy to pull out the hub gear with two of the bolts that hold the cover on.you can drive it for a few weeks without trouble.cover it with something though.i have used plastic bags and rubberbands.:laugh: was this the first time you went off road?if so i'm guessing lack of use.mine went when it was a DD. use it or lose it. i went years without locking the hubs.then i expected them to work when i did.:rolleyes::D
 
what is the proper procedure to lock the hubs. is there any way that they can engage when not in 4 wheel. no this is not the first time i had it out two weeks ago no problem. i cant seem to get to clunk again after i spun the front shaft by hand. it made about two full revolutions then locked in place with mininmal movement back and forth.:doah::doah::doah::doah:
 
They could be going out.. the auto hubs are pretty problematic. The ones in my Sub would once in a while unlock in reverse. If you spin the driveshaft by hand they should/will lock up. Swapped Warn premiums on and it's all better :wink1: Very easy swap to do, take maybe half an hour.

My Ranger's auto hubs made a lot of noise before they finally died. I haven't taken them apart(mostly because the trany is dead right now, why bother), so I'm not sure if they are similar in design but they are blown. They would make a metallic clang noise when reversing and occasionally when going forward, and they would unlock following the noise. Eventually it got to the point that no matter what they did that and I wouldn't have any power to the front wheels.
 
To answer your question about being able to spin the front shaft, Yes it should spin freely while in 2WD, that is until the locking hubs kick in and then it won't spin because the front tires are on the ground. I guess you haven't learned yet that the auto locking hubs are junk and notorious for giving troubles. You should buy a set of Warn Premium manual locking hubs and that will take care of the problematic auto hubs. Not sure if those are your problem but you'll at least eliminate that weak link.
 
Auto hubs may very well be your problem. I would also suggest replacing them with some manual ones.

Like said above, random "clunks" are tough to chase down. You really need to go over your entire front end to check for any other dangerous problems. Ball joints would be the first thing I would look at. Never a bad idea to just replace them anyway.
 
While you have a competant mechanic checking out the auto hubs have him remove, repack and reinstall correctly the wheel bearings. Loose wheel bearings will "clunk" too.
 
Another vote for the hubs.
Sounds to me like the auto hubs are on their way out. They can cause all kinds of troubles and noise when they get worn. They also have a nasty habit of not working when you need them most. New or rebuilt autos are very expensive.
Best to replace them with manual hubs.
Warn Preimum or Superwinch are good hubs. Easy job
 
Picked up a set of warn mauals today they didnt have premium in stock so i got the regular ones should i wait till premiums come in or install these ones.thank you guys for the help really appreciate it.:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
I would wait for the premiums. The standard ones have plastic knobs and IIRC some other plastic pieces. The premiums are all metal and much better.
 
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