Well I went and had a look today at a 91 Ram 250 4x4. Its a regular cab with a long box and it is a nice truck except for one big problems and it scares the crap outta me. I took it out on a test drive and everything worked nice until I tried putting it in 4-hi and 4-lo. I put it in 4-lo and got out and locked the hubs. It seemed to me that the transfer case shifter was kind stiff to get into 4-lo and it sort of grinded unless I gave it a good firm throw on the shifter. After I put it in 4-lo I went to turn a corner (slowly due 4-lo) and I heard this awful grinding noise. This scares me a lot. Its obviously something in the front diff or hubs but my neighbor suggested that it might be the U-joints being worn out and grinding? It does the grinding noise in 4-Hi too. I also tried putting it in 4-hi and 4-lo without the hubs locked and it made a similar strange grinding noise.

Any guesses as to what this might be? I'm getting it inspected by a mechanic to diagnose whats possibly wrong and I'm going to try and hold it against the salesman to drop his price.

Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
NoSparkplugs

 

It sounds to me like the axle shaft u-joints are toast. mine did the same thing. you can check them yourself by looking at the front axle. there is a space between the brake caliper and the differintial where you can see the u-joint real well. just pry on it with something and see if there is any play. as for the shifter, mine does the same thing. I try to put mine in and out of gear only when I'm moving. this helps it go into gear real smooth. mine has shifted stiff since day one, so I dont think there is a problem.Hope this answers your questions.
Good luck, and stay safe.

Tim

 

Check the U-joints in the front axle and if they are OK then it could be the hubs them selves but if it only does it when its turning then i'm thinking spider gears or the pinion gear.

 

I figured mine was doing it more when I steered sharp was because I was puting the u-joint in more of a bind. but it sure made a lot of grinding noise.

 

Most likely u-joint, but when locked in, the spindle bearing carries a load. Check those too, especially if you don't find bad u-joints. They're probably the easiest to neglect because the spindel doesn't have to come off like the hub to do the breaks.

 

Ah thanks, this alleviates my worries a lot. Are U-joints hard to change out? I'm a little cautious around this particular truck, because the salesman is kind of a greaseball and his lot is in the rougher end of town. I just found a 94' Ram 2500 SLT diesel 4x4 for almost $1000 more and it looks like its in better shape and its kind of tempting.

 

I'd jump on the '94 in a heartbeat. More power and a smoother ride. Auto or 5 speed? Auto will have a lock-up converter which is nice. 5 speed: the NV4500 is way better than the Getrag in the 91. My 2 cents.

 

Well I called about the 94 and its sold . Oh well back to the first gen! I have a question about the auto tranny in the 91'. Is it a 3 speed with an overdrive gear or is it a 2 speed with the 3rd gear being the overdrive? Sounds like a stupid question I know, but I have no idea what auto is in there.

Anyways, I'm taking the 1st gen to get an estimate/diagnosis as to what the problem is. I still haven't bought the first gen but the salesman is willing to let it go for an inspection. I hope its only the u-joints and not something like the differential. How much should a set of u-joints sell for? Is this something I could do in my garage or is it fairly difficult?

thanks

 

If this was doing the popping and grinding on hard surface while driving, that is the problem. The front end is not designed to be engaged on hard surfaces. If it was dirt or grass, then the u joints are probably the problem. The transfer case will grind when going into 4 low if it is paused or engaged slowly. The tranny needs to be in neutral with the vehicle stopped, and the lever thrown quickly through neutral into 4 low. There should be no grinding between 2 hi and 4 hi. If the lever gets hung between low and high gears, shut the truck down and then engage the transfer case. This is the same for 1st and second generations.
Chris

 

Depends what you consider hard... To get to them off a truck 14 yrs old you may want to have a torch handy to break some rust. Although once you get the hub assembly off and to the knuckle, you'll see six inner studs if I remember right. Instead of beating on the knuckle itself, try knocking the studs out. Doing this seemed to break the rust for me EXCEPT there were two studs on the bottom that were a bit frustrating(Dont bend or scar the top of studs if you can). Just put the nut that came off the stud on until it's flush with the end of it(the top of the stud and the nut make a flat surface). Then put one ball pein hammer on the NOW FLUSH end of the stud and wack the top of that hammer with another... pops em right outta there. The hammer method helps for changing rotors as well. More or less, a 'little' taping with the good ole mallet will help a large amount. Once that comes off, your axle pops out and you do your standard procedure for changing a u-joint. Your first time in... if you're not familiar with your truck... will run you a days work.

If you have trouble with disassembling and reassembling your hub just let us know... It's just your typical WARN hub though... No sweat

Good luck,
Mike

 

The Tranny's a 3 speed with 4th being OD... Double check to make sure it's actually going into OD as well

The U-Joints, here in Canada, for the servicable types, are 50$ a piece which is about 35$ US a piece for a guess?