Having problems with my 93 Exploder. The 4WD seems to works OK at low speeds, but if I step on it a little I hear a high pitched grinding noise coming from the front. U-joint or hubs? I jacked up the front to take the tires off and pull off the hubs. The drivers side hub had alot more grease inside than the other side. Any ideas?

 

With the experience I had with mine, I'd say it's almost certainly the u-joints at the hub (axle u-joints). To be sure, isolate by taking the front driveline off and move those joints by hand and see how they feel. You'll be able to tell if the driveline u-joints are bad. (Make sure you use alignment marks) Also, do you have manual or auto hubs? You get weird stuff happening if one of the hubs stick and stay engaged.

 

Thanks SJ, I will try that this weekend. I have those WONDERFUL auto hubs and am thinking seriously about switching to manual.