help needed,

[2ndSS]

ok so i have a 2002 fx4 ranger 4wd, I will admit Im not a 4x4 guru. Had rangers most of my life, but. Anyway when in 4wd high the truck pulls hard to the right, in 2wd drives normal. It feels almost like the brakes are stuck on the front. Any help is appreciated before I rip into this. please

 

[RonD]

Yes, that is odd
2002 4x4 has Live Axle so the front hubs/wheels are always engaged with the front differential and front drive shaft in 2WD or 4WD
4WD just engages the front drive shaft's chain drive in the transfer case

Front differential is an OPEN type, so only one hub/wheel gets power in 4WD
The easiest wheel to turn
Put it in 4WD and jack up both front wheels, see what spinning them feels like, if you can spin both
Then same test but change to 2WD

 

[pjtoledo]

tell us about your wheels and tires.
all the same brand & size?
equal pressure in all?
alignment OK?

 

[sgtsandman]

If what pjtoledo asked looks ok, check the information and date code and what not and compare them to the other tire. While not common, people have run into issues where the same brand of tire and same model were not the same size even though size and everything else on the sidewall matched up.

It turned out that there were two different lots of tires made for different vehicle manufacturers. It's been a number of years since the issue came up and the forum that discussed it and discovered it no longer exists. So, I can't dig up the details for you. I can only tell you it happened.

Once the person who had the problem bought new tires, the problem was fixed.

 

[2ndSS]

thanks for all the input guys, I've been looking into this, is it possible only one hub is locking in?

 

[pjtoledo]

no, unless something serious is broken.
in front, the half shafts coming out of the differential have large splines that go directly into the front hubs.

if in 4wd it pulls to the right, what happens when you reverse in 4wd?
what road surface are you trying this on?

Rangers only have a "part time" system. that means the front & rear are locked together and WILL rotate at the same speed.
thus, driving on a hi-traction surface (clean pavement) will cause the drivetrain to bind.

find a parking lot and chalk mark all 4 tires. roll forward 8-10 tire revolutions or about 75 feet. in 2wd.
look at the marks, all 4 should be in exactly the same position.