While I was in the mud in my 91 trooper 2.8l the front wheels would only engage some of the time. The front CVs clunk but the guy at the parts store said that they will clunk until they break. The plan is to replace them but is this the problem?
A friend says that I have a chain driven transfer case? and that the chain might be loose?
Another friend says it may have something to do with the vacum to the transfer case, but he owns a jeep.

So when I stick it in 4 I go forward to engage and hear all the necissary clicking. Then when I get in some mud and start spinnig only my back tires seem to spin. And my front do nothing. Any Ideas?

Any help is apriciated

It could be your hubs, or it could be your axles from the sound of it. Take off your hubs and see what the end of the axle looks like. Sometimes with auto hubs the clip inside falls off and grinds the tip of the axle so that it won't grab.

Jay <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mrt.gif" alt="" />

I had to take all that apart when I did the brakes. and it looked like the teeth inside the hub were worn. When I took the hubs apart just after I bought it, one of the axle/hub clip was off and maybe thats when the damage was done.

What are these superwinch hubs you speak of in your sig? Good stuff? Is it hard to switch to the manual hubs?

Thanks.

The auto to manual hub swap isn't that serious a chore, especially if you've been into the hubs already and are somewhat familiar with the operation. The only real options for your truck are the Superwinch hubs already referred to ($125 at Independent4X.com ) or stock Aisin hubs either from a parts yard near you, or sometimes they show up on the For Sale forum here. I believe '87-'02 are the compatible years.

James

Thanks guys. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

I assume these are indeed AUTO hubs?

If so, your description may or may not be just the way they work. The loss of the c-clip on the end of the hub is usually more of a problem with the manual hubs. The AUTO hubs use the smaller diameter on the very end of the hub and seem to have the problem less often.

They work by locking via a difference in torque between the axle and the hub. Well, as long as there is still a difference between those two, they stay locked. If slack (or no difference in torque, or a reversal of torque) is present, they unlock.

This is why they can stay locked even if you shift to 2wd and why you have to back up a bit to get them to unlock.

But, it also means if you are rocking it at a bad spot in the trail by shifting between forward and reverse, they tend to unlock. It also means if you bounce a tire, they can also unlock. I've heard these things sounding like they are going to come apart during a hill climb.

So, add in some age, add in some sticky grease and they may just be preforming poorly. The ultimate solution is to convert to manual hubs. The AUTOs are just not worth the time to screw with them.

Also, WARN makes hubs for our vehicles. They seem to be a bit more stout than the Superwinch hubs, but the stock ASINS are also considered to be bullet proof.

Good Luck,
Michael

Thanks for the info Micheal. I am glad to find people who are in the know on these matters. I guess I stay out of the mud 'till I get some manual hubs.

I would add that you really do need to take a look at your CV joints as well. A lot of clunking is NOT good. Look for torn boots, and the last time I checked, you could still get rebuilt CV axles for reasonable. Good luck!