Im hoping you guys can confirm my thoughts. In my 1991 4x4, when i lock in the front wheels and turn on 4x4 I can drive straight but if i start to turn there is a clunking noise from the front and the truck strains to move, if I really crank it to one side the drivetrain seems to lock up and wont move at all. could this be caused by my front wheen U-joints going out?

 

these 4x4's arent really designed to drive on dry pavement. turning it full tilt left or right in 4hi or 4lo always seems to clunk everything up unless theres no traction. but you should still think about checking them out, if they have play they need replacing

 

I understand the concepts about driving in 4wd on dry pavement and thats not the case. this was never an issue until i spun out at highway speeds this winter. Its to the point that I cannot drive it at all in 4wd because i cant turn it.

the clunking noise is very light, but definitely there

 

start checking u-joints

 

i got under my truck and checked things out, the passenger side shaft and joints are rock solid, no wiggles or shakes. the drivers side is another story. It seems like the whole shaft is slightly loose and can be wiggled by pushing on it with my fingers. seems kinda loose where where it goes through the hub. is this normal for a bad U joint or is there something else going on there?

 

bad u-joints will cause a good amount of play. and i believe you have to pull the hub off to do those anyway so if its something else you'll find it on your way

 

If it wiggles very much in the spindle replace the spindle bearing when replacing the u joints. If it is tight just replace the grease seal and clean and lube the spindle bearings.

 

on my 94 4x4 I had to pull the shafts out before I noticed any problem with the u-joints. Once I got them out I noticed that I could only bend them along one axis... couldn't bend them the other way with all my strength.

 

thanks for all the advice guys, I will pick up the parts for the driver side U joint and be sure to check out the wheel bearing as well.

 

Most check and lube the wheel bearings, the ones located in the hub, I was talking about the spindle bearings. The spindle bearings are located in the spindle and only really looked at when the spindle is removed to service the axles, others can tell you how often that has been on there truck. Get a couple 2X4's or a soft faced dead blow to remove the spindles as they are usually well rusted on.