4WD problems

[MiniMe]

I went on a weekend trip in southern Missouri with my 89 B2. 4wd was working great until I got it stuck in a creek. the engine just died and lost my momentum. The engine started right back up but I had to get pulled out.There are no good tie points on the front of the B2 so I hooked it to the front sway bar and was pulled very gently (was barley stuck). After that incident when i put it in 4wd and go forward there is VERY loud popping noises from front hubs and I get no to very little front drive action. It seems when I go into reverse all works well. It almost seems like the front hub arent locking in or partially locking in. Someone chime in if you have any ideas.

Also I am wanting to switch from auto lock hubs to manual hubs. My question is Can I used a set of stock locking hubs off an older B2 at the junk yard. I saw a set of manual locking hubs at the junk yard last weekend and they were in very good condition.

 

[RonD]

Yes, the auto hubs are the problem.

Your '89 B2 should have come with a Dana 28 front axle, '90 and up were Dana 35 I believe, so used manual hubs must be from a ranger or B2 with Dana 28.

Have a look here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/HubDiagnosis.html

And for swapping read here:
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/Winter2002/hubs.htm

 

[MiniMe]

Upon further inspection of the hubs I noticed a little snap ring has come off and laying loose in the hub. the same side i kept hearing the loud pop noise. Could this have cause my loud popping noise?The snap ring getting caught in the splines?

Also with my B2 jacked up with all 4 wheels off the ground with both front hubs removed and in 4 hi or lo and in drive I noticed the passenger front axle spinning at the same rate as the rear wheels but the front drivers side barely spins. I can even grab hold of the splines with a rag and stop the rotation and even reverse rotation with my hand. Is this normal or do I have something messed up in my front differential?

 

[RonD]

yes that C-clip could have been the problem, but it is just a matter of time until something else comes up, and of course you will only notice it is not working because you NEED it, so carry a tow rope and 4-wheel with other vehicles with locking hubs

For both axles on the front to get power the differential needs to a Limited Slip model.
Dana 28 LS or LDS(limited slip) were very rare.

You have an open differential which means, whichever axle spins the easiest gets the power, yes counter productive but 95% of all vehicles ever built have these.
On 4x4s usually the front left and right rear will get the power, if all resistance is equal.

To test, if engine is off, trans in neutral and both wheels are off the ground turn one wheel, if the other wheel turns in the opposite direction then it's an open type, if the other wheel spins in the same direction then it is an LDS model.

Or look at the drivers door sticker, it should list the axles and type