New to forum, 2nd Bronco...

[Skin Krawler]

Hello all. I'm a ford man on my 2nd Bronco. 95 XLT with 165k on her 351, a little weak, but still runs great. My first was a 93 Custom, originally an Air Force service vehicle. Lost her in a divorce /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . I could say I had 3, my old man had an 82' when I was a kid, and I lived for trail day in our woods with him on the occasional weekend. It's what made me want one when I got older! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Last year, I traded an aquantice a 99 F-150 for the 95 Bronco. He wanted truck, I wanted Bronco, was ment to be. To offset the difference in value, he paid my smog fees, registration, etc. He also gave me 3" suspension lift in a box.

First time I had a chance to off road it, about 3 months into owning it, I found the auto 4x4 don't work. 9 mo's later i finally had time to install the lift and troubleshoot the auto 4x4 using the plethera of info on this forum. I thought i't would be a motor on the xfer case, but it's good. After checking all the wires, I lifted the rear by the pumpkin and started it. I put the Bronco in drive. Check! Rear wheels go. I push 4x4, lights on, rear wheels still going, no action up front. I slowly got out of the cab and looked under the truck....WOW. Front drive shaft is rotating and passenger side axle is spinning. Drivers side is still. Does this mean my passenger side hub is messed up? I think these are limited slip front axles, right? Or is my Passenger side hub AND the drivers side of my front diff hosed?

I tried to dissassemble the passenger hub, but I can't get that @#$%! snap ring out. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> What's a good tool for that? I was at the point of drilling a hole in the hub to push the ring down so i could grab it. But, that would be admitting defeat.

 

[Seabronc]

Welcome to the Zone > . Auto 4x4 must move forward about 10 feet to engage and then about 10 ft in reverse to disengage. Most people convert them to Manuals since they fail just when you need them the most. If you are already stuck and try engaging them they will not engage since they need the road resistance to make them ***** in to the lock position.

If you are using the proper engagement procedure to engage them and they still don't engage, then you most likely have a hub problem, which at this point I'm not sure you actually do.

Good luck,

>-

 

[Justshootme84]

SK, if the driver's-side axleshaft is NOT turning, then you'll need to pull it out and check for a break. It should turn when the passngr-side does when in 4WD. I use a small pick set to remove the pieces when working on the hubs. you can also use two small srcewdrivers, just takes longer. Once you remove the hub, rotor, and spindle, the stubshaft/u-joint/innershaft will all just slide out of the center. I've had the axles break clean off, and a few twist then shatter, JSM84

 

[Skin Krawler]

Thanks for the inputs. What are the chances of the diff being bad? Dana 44's are pretty tuff aren't they? Well, there's no clunking anyways, so I guess it would sound pretty gnarly if it were toast.

Shootme, are you saying both front axle shafts should be rotating? At least until I drive forward 10 feet?

You '84 is frikkin sweet BTW! I was look at the Bronco of the moment thread. That looks like it just rolled out of the factory 25 years ago, then landed in the hands of Bob Chandler! (Guy who built Bigfoot). Have you had it in any big magazines? I'm sure if you don't mind taking it offroad, you'd land on a few covers.

 

[Justshootme84]

SK, even with an "open" differential like the front D44 TTB on your Bronco, when one tire makes a complete rotation the opposite side should turn one rotation in the opposite direction.If the front driveshaft is turning, and the right side is turning, the left side should turn. Only the hubs at the wheel will lock after moving forward 10 ft or about 2 tire rotations to engage 4WD on the auto-locking hubs. If there is a problem with the differential itself, neither side would turn, as in a broken pinion shaft. IF you end up having to tear it down to replace an axleshaft, consider replacingthe u-joints and bearings while you're there.

And thanks for the compliments on the 84 Bronco. I haven't had it in any big magazines, but it is shown in some of the Bronco Graveyard ads on Supermotors.net JSM84

 

[Maddog]

Have you opened up the front diff to see if there's metal bits or the gears are chewed up on that side? If you can't open it stick a telescope magnet in there and see if you can pull anything up. The bigger the chunks the worse your luck.

 

[Skin Krawler]

I have not opened the diff. I need to try that. When I was under it with the back axle in the air and running in 4x4, it was pretty quiet at the front pumpkin. I put my hand on the diff and didn't feel any thumping. The right axle shaft rotated true the whole time.

I've been driving the bronco for 9 mo's without using the 4x4. I'd figure if the diff were crumbling, enough chucnks would've fallin to the bottom by now and would sound real ugly. So again, I think I have a good diff.

In high school, I had an 83 mustang LX that someone had done a bad job welding the spider gears to make a "Lincoln Locker" It failed and man, that was an ugly sounding diff!

Time to go get a pick set and tear open this hub and axle.

Shootme, I bet if you send a few photo's to FOUR WHEELER or PETERSEN'S 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD, they'd fly out to do a spread on that thing.

 

[Justshootme84]

The problem with checking the front diff on the ttb is you have to pull everything out in order to remove the guts from the back, and there's no removeable cover on the front.

 

[Maddog]

Sounds strange to me. If you had the front wheel hub mostly apart and didn't notice any signs of metal bits and what not it sounds suspicious to me. Is there sensors or some sort of air actuate, or otherwise actuated, component that engages the different sides seperately? Maybe the lines for that are clogged or pinched that do not allow the actuation of the hub? If it's electric it just may be a matter of cleaning the contacts. Similiar to a wheel speed sensor?

 

[Justshootme84]

The auto hubs will only engage when the axleshaft turns, or about 10 feet of forward movement. If the axleshaft is broke, it won't turn the hub on that side.

 

[Maddog]

That being said,

Wouldn't one find metal bits in the hub if it where drained?? Seems logical.

 

[Justshootme84]

Again, if the driver's-side axleshaft is not turning, it is likely broken inside the differential where it slides into the gears.

 

[Yardape]

The front diff isnt the easiest to drain. You need to find a way to stop the right tire so that the left has to work. I cannot think of a way I can advise you to do it without the possibility of hurting yourself so I will leave it at that. take it out in the mud or snow whichever you have and get the tires to spin, that should engage it if it will. then jack up the front see if the left axle turns when you turn the tire. I would swap over to manual hubs. The auto hubs are a pain, you dont know they are broken til your stuck.

 

[Yardape]

I just had an idea. Jack up the drivers side front, truck in 2wd. turn the driveshaft by hand to see if the drivers side axle turns, if the pass side turns (only will if its unlocked) stuck a screwdriver or prybar through the knuckle to stop it, then turn the driveshaft again, now the left should turn. if it does, try another screwdriver wedged in that one, if the axle is not broken you should not be able to turn the drive shaft. Does that make sense?

 

[Maddog]

Ok,

Thought you said hub. My bad. My chevy's auto 4x4 pushes the front axles into the hubs.. So I was thinking hubs when you were saying diff.

 

[Maddog]

Just something I pulled out from another post. It may or may not help your problem but did you check the switch? or the Transfer Case Shift Motor? I'm wondering if it faulty would it cause your simptoms.. Just a thought.

"There's a mode shift switch that takes about 1/2 hour to change Airtex part # ( Four wheel drive switch # 1S4283 ) Start your troubleshooting with this." Double check the numbers as it may or may not be for you model

Also found this it was posted for a similar problem "Possilbe transfer case shift motor failed or failing. There are slip ring contacts in the motor you can clean. The slip ring contanct is under a plate held on with 3 screws. remove the plate, clean the contacts lightly w/ sandpaper and **** w/ die electic grease and reassemble. Cheap and free fix."

I figure it's like turn signals just because they stop flashing in the cab doesn't mean both bulbs are out.

Just trying to help..

GL

 

[Skin Krawler]

Thank Maddog, but I know the Xfer case is good. (See my first thread) And to the hub idea, thanks again, but those are completely self contained hubs, meaning they egage thereselfs when the 4x4 is engaged. No electric, no vacuum. I get a headache trying to think how they work, but they just do. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I'm going with broken drivers side axle shaft at the moment. as soon as i quit dicking with my bike...and work...and rc's.... anybody got any time i can borrow?

 

[Yardape]

Im putting my bet on the hubs are toast. Its really hard to break an axle on an open diff.

 

[92bronco_in_progress]

Im putting my bet on the hubs are toast. Its really hard to break an axle on an open diff.

im going to second that one, warn makes a very easy to install auto to manual conversion kit and if memory serves me correctly advance auto parts has it for around 80 bucks for both sides