98F250 4x4 4.6L
On a trip to Mojave we were pulling a camping trailer up a pretty good grade in 4H around a dirt switch back. There were a couple of loud clunks out of no where but the truck kept on climbing. Should I be concerned?
The transmission had just been rebuilt a couple of weeks earlier. I haven't heard anything since.
Thanks for your comments.

 

If you don't mind me asking; how could anyone on a board tell you about a noise you heard pulling a tight turn, on a hill, in 4wd?
Maybe you kicked up a stone!
In a turn, the front wheels don't have the same 'bite' as on the straight because they are locked togather and will sprag in a turn fighting for traction and dig some dirt up.
Good luck.

 

If you don't mind me asking; how could anyone on a board tell you about a noise you heard pulling a tight turn, on a hill, in 4wd a thousand miles away?
Maybe you kicked up a stone!
In a turn, the front wheels don't have the same 'bite' as on the straight because they are locked togather and will sprag in a turn fighting for traction and dig some dirt up.
You should have felt this in the steering effort.
Good luck.

 

Made me think... I was in the passenger seat and It may be possible it was a stone. We've been spooked about the transmission. We both had the impression it was the T which made us both pucker up, but I'll present the possibility to my cousin.
Thanks for the thought.

 

Having run all kinds of 4X4's through the years, from IHC Scouts to Dodges, Chevys and Fords, I can tell you with some authority that they all come out with some alarming noises at times, for no readily apparent cause. My philosophy has developed into a wait and see attitude, unless a quick glance out the mirror shows some smoking piece of recently-departed hardware laying on the trail.

 

Thanks.. I haven't had any other symptoms. I hope to use this truck for camping in the desert so I want to keep it somewhat reliable. If that is not just a fantasy.
It's turning out to be a really complex machine for someone who doesn't like getting their hands greasy.

 

OK, a little less smart-alec answer than my last post.
When turning a corner in 4WD, the front wheels go farther than the rears, but can't turn at a different rate because they are all locked together. Torque builds up, then releases when one tire slips on the road surface, releasing the tension on the drive train momentarily. This can make a surprisingly loud bang sometimes, that's probably what you heard. Most times, the slippage happens more smoothly, and no bang happens.