4wd help!
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New User
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: canada
4wd help!
hey guys i got a 1979 ford f150 super cab 4x4 xlt ranger, currently i have some issues with the 4x4 components. first of all as of now i have the front hubs and assembly off as well as the rotors, im getting ready to pull the axel shaft out and get new 4wd U-joints, now that i have had it apart for the first time since it was new is there any things i should be looking for, checking or replacing now that i have it apart? any help would be great! also my original transfer case is giving me some trouble, if im in 4-H its sometimes hard to get it out and you really got to tug on it, going in 4-L is not bad but it when i go to drive it will pop out and grind until i put my transmission in nuetral. i was thinking maybe it was because of my tires? the front tires have good tread but my back ones are bald so i thought maybe that was causing the trouble please help me out thanksssssssssss! 
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8,261
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From: Big Sky Country
If this is all on hard pavement the driveline is in a "bind", sometimes even on loose traction it can bind.....usually just backing up 8-10 feet is enough to release the bind, and allow you to shift freely, hope this helps.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,839
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From: The Shenandoah Valley
You should never ever run it in 4-HI or 4-LO on any high traction surface with hubs locked, especially not pavement or concrete.
Ice, snow pack, looser gravels, sand, wet grass, etc ... OK.
Concrete, pavement, even hard pack gravel .... a nono. You can use 4-LO for hard pulls on these surfaces if needed as long as you unlock front hubs.
Even if all 4 tires are brand new, same size, same war, and even same inflation pressures, they remain loded differently ...
... and in all but a straight line, the front will travel further than the rear.
This all results in real binding up which is why one feels lurching sometimes in grass, etc as that windup suddenly releases and a wheel slips. Like the one soldier in formation out of step, he skip steps.
Ice, snow pack, looser gravels, sand, wet grass, etc ... OK.
Concrete, pavement, even hard pack gravel .... a nono. You can use 4-LO for hard pulls on these surfaces if needed as long as you unlock front hubs.
Even if all 4 tires are brand new, same size, same war, and even same inflation pressures, they remain loded differently ...
... and in all but a straight line, the front will travel further than the rear.
This all results in real binding up which is why one feels lurching sometimes in grass, etc as that windup suddenly releases and a wheel slips. Like the one soldier in formation out of step, he skip steps.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 8,261
Likes: 15
From: Big Sky Country
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New User
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: canada
You should never ever run it in 4-HI or 4-LO on any high traction surface with hubs locked, especially not pavement or concrete tbear, its it has been running in 4wd on pavement in the winter, but when its acting up its on gravel and i switch gears when im stoped
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Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
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Likes: 2,612
From: The Shenandoah Valley
That's the released windup. It's not that the gears or shafts really "wind up" like rubber, but it is the energy stored in bound up or compressed rubber spring eyes, rubber bushings, even in the distorted tire treads. I find that 3 feet in reverse will unwind it as I apply pressure to the TC lever and suddenly she just slips out when pressure is off. Back up too far and you wind it up in the opposite direction.
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New User
Joined: Feb 2013
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From: canada
Then you are fast wearing gear teeth (rings & pinion & transfer case) and bearings (u-joints & TC & wheel / axle) and tires and binding the driveshaft splines at both ends needlessly while they have to slip lengthwise for bumps .... and creating a lot of heat .... poor truck.[/quote] my mom who drove the truck had in 4wd when the road highways were icy but thats about it, so what can i do to fix this?