4 wheel drive busted

[ReconCmdr]

Ok total non-mechanical guy here. Just wanted to throw that out so I can establish right up front what an idiot I am when it comes to working on my truck. So I am out at the Badlands west of Indy a couple of weekends ago wheeling with my cousin and some friends and I bust my 4-wheel drive. So here is the scenario. I follow a couple guys up a very loose pack hill having to basically gun it all the way up. About 10 feet from the crest of the hill the loose ground gets hard and my front wheels grab and I hear a loud bang. Get to the top of the hill and me and a couple of guys crawl under the truck and do not see anything wrong other than a torn boot. We continue on our merry way. The next obstacle I sit out as my dog is still kinda freaked from the hill climb. We go to take off after they finish playing and I am now stuck in the loose rocks I was chilling out in. My cousin comes over and ask me if I have it in 4 wheel drive which I do so I check 4 hi nothing, front wheels are not moving a bit as the rear ones are just spinning away. he has to pull me out with his jeep , which is embarrassing as I had been tugging him out all day. we get back to the parking area where we can drive around on some level ground and try to see if we hear/feel anything. When 4 hi/lo are engaged makes a hell of a racket underneath the truck below the shifter area. but runs ok in 2wd. So I drive it home in 2wd no problems...and what I have noticeed is that the front wheel wobble is now gone...no feedback vibrations in the steering wheel anymore. I get home and crawl back underneath....and since I have no idea what I am looking at...I cant seem to see what may be wrong.

What I am asking is some basic advise on how to proceed. I have all my work done at a shop usually but my brother has a buddy that is a certified mechanic that does all his work on the side. He will do whatever I need done for cheap and a case of beer I just need to know what we are doing so I can order parts and take them to my brothers a few hrs away.

Any ideas? I will still probably take it in to a local shop for a diagnosis but wanted to have an idea where to direct them to at least start looking.

Thanks for any advise ya'll might have.

 

[ajonesnv]

Worst case the transfer case will need to be rebuilt.

Best case you broke a CV shaft.

Based on where you said the noise was, it probably is the transfer case.

Did you thoroughly inspect the CV's and the drive shaft?

 

[02SE]

I would suggest having your Brother's certified mechanic buddy take a look at it. It could be the T-case, but the front diff is generally considered to be more fragile than it, and the CV joints more fragile than both the front diff and T-case.

You mentioned a torn CV boot, I'd inspect that CV joint thoroughly for damage, before moving on to the front diff, and/or T-case.

 

[ReconCmdr]

02SE,

Thats the problem...he can fix anything....problem is he is 3 hrs away and need to have parts when I head up there for the work to get done. Nothin ever goes smoothly! lol

 

[nevada]

do you have a way to safely lift all 4 tires off the ground?

get it lifted up, put it in the 4wd, start it, and let it idle in gear.
then crawl underneath, and see whats happening.

I expect you'll see both drivelines spinning.

likely you broke a cv axle.

 

[ReconCmdr]

Nevada,

Thats a good idea...I guess I figured if you broke a CV that you couldn't drive the vehicle. Shows you how little my knowledge is when it comes to the mechanics. Thanks for the advise.

 

[earthrealm]

pls keep us posted

 

[KidVermicious]

Nevada,

Thats a good idea...I guess I figured if you broke a CV that you couldn't drive the vehicle. Shows you how little my knowledge is when it comes to the mechanics. Thanks for the advise.

Well, that's the thing. Unless you have manual hubs, a broken CV will be flopping around down there something fierce while you're rolling, and it wouldn't matter if you were in 2wd or 4wd. CV shafts on a 3rd gen are tied to the wheels, so if you're rolling, they're spinning.

If your noise is coming from the shifter area and only happens when you're in 4wd, you've almost certainly done something to your tcase. Four jackstands will help isolate if you have to be absolutely sure.

And for the record, this is why wheelspin is frequently not your friend. Next time you have to burn rubber to make a hill, back off and find another line.

 

[tangdella]

Wha't the broken part actually?

 

[ReconCmdr]

Ok so I finally had a chance to get it in the shop. The report is passenger side inner CV joint has come apart driver side is binding. Passenger side (Light Racing) UCA bushings need replaced. Both Inner tie rods need replaced.

The screwy thing is its running smooth as can be right now. I had one instance where it sounded bad for about 3 min...I pulled over, got of the hwy and no problems for the last week since.

Thinking I may need a new steering rack with the inner tie rods bad and with over 312k on the truck by my calculations its about time to replace it anyway. With the bad CV joints looking at all new CV's, debating between the lotus and the RCV's. The UCA bushings should be good under warranty I think as they are only 2 yrs old.

Thoughts?