Manual Hub Problem?

[hoobnoob]

Hi folks!

Have done quite a lot of reading about this one and can't work it out.

I have a 1989 Y60 GQ Patrol with manual freewheeling hubs on the front – one original front left, one aftermarket front right (changed by previous owner)

When I get into a low traction environment:
I lock the front two hubs
Put transfer box in 4H or 4L
Trundle car back and forwards to ensure hubs locked in at front
Then at some point (the more slippy the terrain the sooner it happens) there's a god-almighty CLUNK which sounds like it's coming from the front axle (only hear it once) and the front left hub has slipped from LOCK 2cm back towards FREE setting. The car then behaves as a RWD until I re-engage front left hub, which then slips again.

I took the front left apart a few weeks ago and the only thing I could find was that there wasn't much grease in there and the snap ring was a bit misshapen and bent. See pics below. The mechanism of the hub seemed to be working nicely (retracted and extended the cog on the hub when I turned the dial). Spring ok I think.

I regreased around the spacer/bush with not too much grease, and re-assembled. No difference.
I need to get hold of a new snap ring in case that's causing problems.

Just wondered what you guys thought? Anything I should be doing/could be doing to get this hub working again? Or is it a buy-a-replacement job to match the other side?! I just can't work out what's wrong.

Thanks in advance for the help

RichIMG_20190329_121608.jpg

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[mudski]

Swap the hubs over and see if the noise changes sides.
I bought aftermarket chinese copies of the OEM manual hubs and I have awful clunking issues when the hubs were locked. In the end it was the cheap hubs not locking in properly and the centre hub was jumping on the outer section of the hub. As soon as I bought OEM hubs, all issues were gone.