I was trying to pull a high centered bus back onto the flats, all four wheels digging in when my 4 wheel drive gave me a BIG POP and gave out. 2wd worked fine.

I drive an '86 F250 6.9L diesel 4x4 with manual locking hubs.

On first inspection I found in the drivers side hub inner clip that holds the dirvshaft up in the hub to the spindle had poped off and the gear the comes out with the spring was a little rounded... junkyard... good looking gear installed with a better looking clip. Now, I did some inital diagnostics turning the dirve shafts by hand in and out of 4x4 with and without the hubs locked and things seemed to be locking, turning and not turning as I suspected they should. I haven't tested it much yet while driving but once on a patch of ice, from dead stoped in 4x4 pedal to the floor I expected more, control or direction. Was ice not the a good test? Should I just get stuck in 2wd the switch to 4wd to find out?

Oh, a preveious existing noise occurs on when I drove for periods of over a half mile or so with a smaller but audable clunk or pop from the front on dirt roads from time to time. once i parked at a bit of an angle and after everyone got out and was walking away it gave that clunk and I saw the truck give a little shank/shimmy but didn't roll at all. As the 4th owner should I expect and accept this or am I looking at a missing tooth in the front diff.?

Thanks for the time and thought,

Dylan