I have a 1993 ranger (3.0l, 4x4 with lockouts, stock wheels). Clicking noise started coming from the front driver side about a week ago. Sounds like a CV joint but I'm not 100% sure. Gets quiter when cornering. I had the driver front wheel off a couple days before it started and the lock out came off with the wheel. I took it off the wheel and put it back on the truck so it wouldn't get crap in it. Could I have rotated it and that's what's making the noise? Or is it a coincidence and it is a CV joint? I don't have the money to have a garage look at it (most places around me charge for diagnosing). Has 163,500 miles and less than 2,000 miles on front wheel bearings

 

1993 Rangers don't have CV joints. Do you have automatic locking hubs, or manual locking hubs? The automatics are known to make clicking noises when they go bad. And they go bad frequently. Manual hubs are much more reliable.

 

No cv joints, but there is a U joint just behind the spindle housing, it could be going bad, it might be a wheel bearing too. Is it worse with the hubs locked in, or is the ticking there anytime you drive?

 

Manual hubs, clicks all the time, when locked it has more of a knocking, but that's expected when driving on dry pavement (my front tires are a hair bigger than rear due them being put on at different times)

 

No, that's not expected when driving on dry pavement. As long as the transfer case is in 2wd, you can drive on dry pavement with the hubs locked all you want. It's the transfer case that makes the front and rear driveshafts lock together, making the driveline bind up when you try to steer. As long as the transfer case is in 2wd, the front and rear driveshafts can turn independently and you shouldn't have any abnormal behavior even with the hubs locked.

I would first make sure the hub is working properly. Jack up the front driver side tire so it's off the ground and can spin freely. Make sure hub is unlocked and spin the tire by hand. See if the axle shaft turns with the wheel (it shouldn't). Then lock the hub in, spin the tire again and see if the axle shaft turns (it should). If the hub works properly, that wuold obviously eliminate that as a possibility, and it would also eliminate the u-joint on the axle shaft, since that doesn't spin or do anything when the hub is unlocked.

If that checks out the problem is probably a wheel bearing or possibly something wrong with the brake assembly.

 

I did as you said, took the wheel off. Lockout works fine when in free it doesn't turn the axle, when in lock it turns the axle and driveshaft. But, with both lockouts in free I can turn the drive shaft by hand and it'll turn the axle but not the hub and make the clicking sound, when I lock in the hub the clicking goes away. I drove it with both lockouts set to lock and it made the clicking noise which doesn't make sense as to why it won't do it with the wheel off. Like I said wheel bearing are brand new and it can't be the brakes because it doesn't click when I turn the wheel by hand while on a jack.

 

Put the wheel back on and It disappeared. I did rotate the lockout hub on lug, it must've been sitting funny