is my diff buggered

[skonna]

hi.i recently bought an SJ 413 samurai.i noticed a few days ago the steering going a bit mental on the left side.i thought it was brakes.then all hell broke loose..severe pulling to the left under braking and a god awful grinding..then to my horror i noticed the freewheel hub on the left wheel was on lock.i don't know how long it has been on lock...i suspect someone had been meddling with it and put it on.i know i had'nt.but then after taking for a spin just now the hub was turing itself round to lock again..so...have i buggered the diff..?will it be the front or rear diff.?is it a huge job?is it totally buggered.im not a total idiot when it comes to working on vehicles..but i am also not a mechanic..is it a hugely expensive job?ive only had the bloody thing 2 weeks..can anybody help me please?
john

[Edweird]

Sounds like the hub is knackered, though I'm unsure as to whether it'll have killed your diff. Was is alright for a short period after you freed the hub?

[Darrell]

to the forum. Having the hubs in the lock position won't cause any problems assuming the transfer box was still in 2wd. These hubs are normally quite tight to rotate though. Never use 4wd on the tarmac though. Is it ok other than braking and what sort of condition are the pads in. If the pads have run down to the metal it will sound terrible and brake much more on the side with friction material left causing it to pull to one side. Jack it up and see if there's any play in the bearings etc, then have the wheels off and check the brakes. SJ's are normally quite easy to fix so don't panic yet
Cheers - Darrell.

[ScottieJ]

to :S:cuk

Where in the country are you there might be someone on here local to you that can take a look.

I'm a bit confused as to how the freewheeling hub is locking itself if its a manual one as that shouldn't really be able to happen?

If its not the brake pads it could be the wheel bearing collapsing or even the CV joint, I doubt it will be the diff.

Jack the wheel up and wobble it from the top and bottom, there shouldn't be any play if the wheel bearing is ok, have a look at the brake pads to make sure its not down to the metal.

[skonna]

hi guys and thanks very much for all responses.ive just been working on it most of the day and this has turned a few other things up but no real improvement.i have posted a new post with more details and would be most chuffed if you could all have a read and see if you can come with something??thanks again i really appreciate the help..I live in Warminster Wilts..
john

[skonna]

Sounds like the hub is knackered, though I'm unsure as to whether it'll have killed your diff. Was is alright for a short period after you freed the hub?

hi and thanks for your quote..yes it seemed ok for a while after i d free d it but then reverted back to the grinding and pulling to the right..the general consensus seems to be its the wheel bearings and perhaps kingpin that need replacing

thanks
john