95 Harsh clunk noise when turning in 4x4 mode

[Mcduuuugal808]

1995 ranger 4.0l AT
shifts in and out on 2hi, 4 hi and 4lo no problems, on slippery surfaces like mud all is good.
The problem is when engaged into 4x4 mode on dry hard traction under high stress situations like steep hills or more so when turning even lightly, truck makes a single loud obnoxious pop, at the same time you can feel the truck skips/jerks. has happened several times but doesnt seem to get any better or worse. Both front hubs have been replaced to try and correct this.
any advise??

 

[StephenLewis]

Sounds like everything is working perfectly. Kinda scared the crap outta me the first time I got my 4x4 working. The moral of the story, keep it in 2 while on dry roads.

 

[maroon ranger]

thats what happens. doesnt sound like anything is wrong at all. its all due to how the axle u-joints rotate wheel the wheels are turned. just try your best a wider turns to decrease wear on your u-joints.

 

[Mcduuuugal808]

But it never used to do this and somtime happens when going straight, I should clarify "dry hard surface" I meant hard pack dirt etc.

 

[4x4junkie]

A single loud pop is not normal at all.

I would check things like the radius arm bushings, pivot bolts, and that everything is tight such as the balljoint nuts, bolts attaching the suspension brackets to the frame, etc. (the bolts that attach the radius arms to the axle beam in particular can allow a pretty good bang to happen if they're not torqued sufficiently).

 

[Mcduuuugal808]

after feeling it more I can add a bit
when the noise happens i actually loose 4x4 for several feet and while moving there is a lighter grinding/ratcheting noise, im now thinking somthing in the front end.

 

[4x4junkie]

That sounds like the symptoms of a bad auto hub. I'd suggest a swap to manual hubs.