Big Bang Theory?

[bazzaboy]

No, my 3lt didn't explode, but it sounded like it was going to.

Yesterday morning I jumped in the Patrol to go pick a new regulator for my BBQ. Radio on, windows up, got about 500mtrs down the road and noticed the public all looking at me? Wound the windows down to hear a very loud metal grinding sound following by a very loud "bang". After the bang, no more noises, no issues, drives perfectly?

Trying to figure out what I had done recently that may have caused this issue. The previous afternoon I gave the patrol a thorough wash including under the vehicle, as I had my catch can valve leak recently and I wanted to remove the oil. Prior to this I also had to engage 4wd to back my camper trailer up my steep driveway.

Could the noise have caused by one of these actions? I have had problems with my auto hubs in the past trying to engage while driving in 2WD, but then after always locking them manually when needed, the noises never reoccurred. The other possibility I thought was that the handbrake may have stuck on from the washing, and that I hadn't driven it until the next day.

Could it be that my hubs are playing up again? That would explain the grinding noise, but the bang I heard, I would have expected them to be in bits.
Could it be a binding handbrake? That would possibly be the bang when it let loose, but maybe not the metallic grinding noise.

Any ideas?

[Cuppa]

I once failed to unlock my manual hubs on leaving a track in the woods. I only travelled 300 metres on the bitumen (including around a tight corner) before I remembered I needed to unlock them & pulled over onto a grass verge to do so. No noises up to that point, but on driving onto the grass verge there was a loud bang. Scared the crap out of me, I thought I'd driven over a log or something & that it had flicked up hitting the vehicle underneath, but there was nothing to see when I looked. Unlocked the hubs & no further problem. Clearly 'transmission wind up' doesn't take long to occur in the right circumstances & can 'let go' quite dramatically.

[the evil twin]

Agree with Cuppa, most likely culprit was a hub IMHO

[Chubba]

I once failed to unlock my manual hubs on leaving a track in the woods. I only travelled 300 metres on the bitumen (including around a tight corner) before I remembered I needed to unlock them & pulled over onto a grass verge to do so. No noises up to that point, but on driving onto the grass verge there was a loud bang. Scared the crap out of me, I thought I'd driven over a log or something & that it had flicked up hitting the vehicle underneath, but there was nothing to see when I looked. Unlocked the hubs & no further problem. Clearly 'transmission wind up' doesn't take long to occur in the right circumstances & can 'let go' quite dramatically.

Did you still have 4wd selected Cuppa?
You shouldn't get wind up if 4wd wasn't selected even if you did leave the hubs locked.

Because of the reversing the trailer up a steep driveway I would be looking at the crown and pinions in the diffs, especially the front. IMHO. I would look at the hubs as well but also drain the diffs to see what comes out of them.

[Cuppa]

Did you still have 4wd selected Cuppa?
.

Yep. Lesson learned that day.

[bazzaboy]

Further to this issue ............. today I converted my auto hubs to manual. That literally took me about 15 minutes per side. I found that the auto mechanisms virtually fell out. No joking, I removed both of them by hand, no screwdrivers or tools involved? They didn't look damaged in any way but both them & the hubs were "bone dry", not a smidge of grease anywhere, and you could rattle them. As I said, I could find no obvious damage anywhere but I suspect that they would not have lasted much longer in this condition.

I greased everything up, making sure not to go too mad with it, and refitted it to the Patrol. I will need to get the right size torque socket before I can torque them up right.
Hopefully that's one problem resolved.

[Plasnart]

Further to this issue ............. today I converted my auto hubs to manual. That literally took me about 15 minutes per side. I found that the auto mechanisms virtually fell out. No joking, I removed both of them by hand, no screwdrivers or tools involved? They didn't look damaged in any way but both them & the hubs were "bone dry", not a smidge of grease anywhere, and you could rattle them. As I said, I could find no obvious damage anywhere but I suspect that they would not have lasted much longer in this condition.

I greased everything up, making sure not to go too mad with it, and refitted it to the Patrol. I will need to get the right size torque socket before I can torque them up right.
Hopefully that's one problem resolved.

GQ or GU bazza?

GQ hub nut socket:

4H500.jpg

GU hub ring dooer upperer:

4H501.jpg

[bazzaboy]

Sorry, I mean Allen head torque socket, for my torque wrench to tighten the hub back on.

GQ or GU bazza?

GQ hub nut socket:

4H500.jpg

GU hub ring dooer upperer:

4H501.jpg