A place for more technical discussions. Please make sure you post in the correct section on the site, this way it keeps the site tidy AND ensures you get a more relevant answer.
Please don't keep driving if the wheel bearing has failed.
A common cause for a hub to engage itself unprompted is a leaking vacuum solenoid. There are 2 solenoids under the cars battery, one for lock and one for unlock. They can be stripped and cleaned. Swapping the 2 solenoids around is a good way to diagnose this issue.
I got my Jimny from the carage. The damaged wheel bearing on the left front wheel was replaced. The 2WD/4WD started working normally after the bearing was replaced.
As I mentioned earlier, when troubleshooting the problem, I replaced the original vacuum hoses with new ones. That made the 2WD/4WD engagement much smoother. Apparently, there was a leak in the rusted metal pipes as well.
But the real problem at this point was a failed wheel bearing.
