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Axle Skipping in 4wd

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  StinkOx 
#1 ·
I have a 2002 Sport Trac. When 4wd is engaged it feels like the rear axle is hopping or banging as if only the rear of the truck is hitting pot holes. The interval is random as is the intensity. I had a blow out and I first noticed this after I installed the spare tire which is in like new condition as opposed to the other tires which are nearing the end of their life. I picked up a used tire with similar wear, no change. Could the mismatched tire be the problem or is it just coincidence and the cause is elsewhere?
 
#2 ·
A mismatched tire diameter can cause binding in conditions where both have traction if the tire diameters aren't very close. Although you wrote "similar wear", is it the same model of tire? Just because two say the same size, that doesn't necessarily mean they're close enough for 4WD on roads where there's not expected to be much tire slippage. Then again you're not supposed to engage 4WD at all in those conditions because just turning left or right is an issue.

I'd jack up the rear and inspect the suspension, including sway bar links.

I'd also wonder if the grease in your driveshaft slip joint has hardened and that's causing it to not slide freely, stick and then thump when enough pressure is applied.

Keep in mind that you could rotate that odd tire to the front to see if the problem follows the tire or just changes at all.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the input. Its looking like maintenance wasn't too high on the priorities list of the previous owner, I will take a look at the items you suggested. Given what you said about the tire and what I've found searching the web, its probably time to replace all 4 tires seeing as the problem didn't surface until the tire swap. The road conditions were unplowed roads with snow and freezing rain when I first encountered the problem, while driving on the spare which was new compared to the three old tires. When I get around to replacing tires I'll post the results.
 
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