Ok, here it is, 89 Bronco II, stock 2.9L engine, auto hubs, push button 4 wheel drive, stock size tires, stock suspension (plans to upgrade everything with james duff lift components soon)
Problem - When in 4x4 hi or 4x4 low, everything seems ok, until I turn the wheels left or right. If I go past about 3/4 of the full turning radius (left or right), the wheels seem to skip on the rocks or grass or road, and the steering wheel jerks side to side, car seems to "stop and go" with same amount of throttle applied, if I release some of the steering (dont turn the wheel as much) the problem goes away. All my visual inspections have been ok as far as pulling the wheels and looking at the bearings, hub, etc..., the axle does not seem to be bent on either side of the joint as far as I can see (these are a pain as the only opening is in the center of the i-beam) (maybe time for a solid axle conversion anyway). It has been doing this ever since I have owned this vehicle, but I have never seen another 4 wheel drive Bronco II do this.

Any suggestions on where else to look, or maybe something to look for that I could have overlooked?

Also, my now fiance owned this truck before I gladly took it off her hands, and she overheated the BroncoII once, but had the brains to shut it off at the first sign of steam. The oil inside of the oil cap hole (passenger side where the oil cap is) seems to be rust colored, around the rim, but not inside the valve cover itself when i shine a flashlight in there... is this a mix of coolant and oil? possibly a cracked head as per the "head cracking problem of the B2"? or just a bad head gasket?
The BroncoII has over 140,000 original miles, the engine is a flat grey color, besides the passenger side head, which is rust covered, not flakey rust, just rust colored... which makes me think that head was a junk yard head the previous owner before my fiance might have put on there...

Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

Welcome to FTE!!!

It sounds like your binding up the drive train, when in 4wd you have to be on a slippery surface or you may damage it.

Look at the oil in the pan, is it normal? A pressure test of the cooling system would be a good check for a cracked head, other than removing and magnafluxing.

 

does your b2 have ground affects on it, if so the tires could be rubbing on it, i had that problem and found out my right front wheel was degrees out of alignment


Ralph DeMaranville

Bronco2man

88 Bronco 2 with 3" lift in rear and light bar

 

What you describe is normal for a part time 4WD system. There isn't any allowance for differentiation between the front and rear when turning, so the wheels have to hop when turning. Done on a surface with too much traction, and something else could give instead of the wheels hopping (say a u-joint or worse).

 

no ground affects on this bronco.... and stock size tires, 100% clearance everywhere.

 

so it could be the ujoint acting up? I just havent been in any other 4wheel drive that does this... BroncoII or other... So I guess I will just assume its wheel hop, unless something worse starts to happen... just didnt know how this is going to affect handling with long link radius arms, larger tires, and a lifted suspension.

 

I didn't mean that a u-joint could be acting up, but that, when there's enough traction to cause the wheels to hop, there's also enough traction to potentially break something, like a u-joint.

 

I have the same sitch,but mine does it even when in 2WD.

 

oh ok, mine doesnt do it in 2 wheel. Just 4wheel, but I do understand about the wheel hop, and no compensation for how much the rear and the front should spin.

I was getting ready to bolt on a steering stabilizer tomorrow, already got the holes drilled that needed to be drilled for part of the setup, but I wanted to check on this, before I break something.

Out of curiosity, has any one done an axle swap on the BroncoII... what would be my best "bolt in" choice, to simply get rid of the i-beam? and what truck or car can I salvage it from?

 

ok in regards to the herky-jerky 4x4, my bronco does this as well, and i have a friend who drives an s-10 that does the same, its just the normal thing that happens when you pop it in 4-wheel and everything locks up (hubs, drivetrain...) The only fix may be to get manual locking hubs so that you can have power to the front wheels but they are not necessarily locked until you actually get out and turn the switch.

87b2guy
87 BII 2.9 L v6 auto 30x9.5

 

In regards to the axle swap go for it, the independent front suspension isnt my favorite part about the BII and you can take on a lot rougher terrain with a solid 1 piece axle. You may sacrifice some comfort in regards to smoothness of ride, but a solid axle is way better.

 

comfort I really dont care about, its a daily driver, and a trail truck when I go hunting... the only thing "perfect" about the truck is the paint job... had that done right before the oil leaks started... but there are some ruts and puddles I cant get into right now, and end up walking to certain stands for quite a while as the property is 880 acres of pine and hardwood.. with a few old fire trails that we use (perfect for off season fun) ... just trying to straighten out a few minor things as I work my way up to the suspension upgrade

 

has anyone had any luck with the manual Warn hubs? I was looking at those, and they seem to be quite nice

 

can someone let me know if the pictures in my gallery are working? I can see my "avatar" but I can't see my pictures in my gallery anymore, there should be 6 or 7 pictures so far, but all I see is empty blue boxes

 

In the Ranger Station website they give a complete "How to" on switching to a straight axle for a ranger. Same thing for a BII