1 wheel drive. whats wrong?

If the hubs are locking, and the front prop turning with the transfer box, but the wheels don't, then one of the CV joints has failed, usually from using 4wd on tarmac roads.

Select 4wd in neutral, leave handbrake on, jack up only one front wheel, and try turning it around by hand. It should only move a short distance each way with a nice healthy clunk from the differential. If it rotates, and the hubs are definitely locked, CV joint failed.


If you try this with both front wheels off the floor, they should rotate in opposite directions, due to the gears in the differential.

So if one cv has broken then that will stop both wheels from turning in 4wd?

Yes.

The gears in the differential transfer all the drive to the wheel with least resistance, so if one was on ice it spins when the other is on tarmac. A broken CV joint means no resistance at all on that side, and the broken shaft spins inside the joint. Might make a noise, might not.

The same thing happens if one hub isn't locking, the drive shaft inside the hub just spins easier than the other side that has to turn the wheel as well.

Ok thanks.
So i need to strip down the front to see which side has the broken cv. Is there an easy way of doing that?

Today i had time to look at the car. First i jacked up the front passenger side with hubs locked. Wheel was spinning freeley. Then same on other side. So from what you guys said i thought id look at cv joints. i strpied down passenger side and its fine. After refitting everything i had the car in 2wd and got under car. I was turning front prop by hand and its now getting so far then just stops dead. If you give it a little wiggle back and forth it slips and moves on. When i put it in 4wd and try drive it moves forward a foot then locks up. Same in reverse. It there something obvious going on here or do i strip other side down?
Also when i was sliding drive shaft back in i had trouble gettong it back in. I had to lift the shaft up a little. I wouldnt just slide in. Is that normal?
Thanks for any help.
Gav

Something is up so you have to start the process of elimination and I think it could be the other cv so I'd pull that apart. Did the cv move smoothly in all planes on the side you checked.

It can take a while of jiggling to get the shaft in the diff. Try putting a finger under the axle seal to support the shafts weight and act as a pivot point.

Kirkynut