Hi guys, great site and a real wealth of information.
I've recently acquired a stock UBS69 Bighorn with a 4JG2. I really like the truck due to its comfort, space but without being too big. Tday when having a little lightweight play around, I got it into a hole I needed to reverse out of. As soon as I loaded it up in reverse the R/F auto lock hub (I assume) semi unlocked and mad a god awful ratcheting noise and no front wheel drive. It would clunk a bit and when loading gently would engage but then as soon as the load ramped up, same thing. I got towed out no worries and then driving home going around a corner I got a big "clunk" from the right front and a horrible grinding whine like a bearing had collapsed.
After a bit of a poke around at the roadside I guessed the hub was locked back in (despite 2wd being selected) but it took a couple of really hard launches in reverse before it came unstuck and disengaged.
Is this a common fault or is it likely something is broken in the hub mechanism.
My plan is (if it makes sense) to lift the suspension a couple of inches. fit some slightly larger tyres and use it as a family truck but I'm wondering how much of the driveline I'll need to replace to get it reliable now. Or is the answer just fit a set of manual hubs?
Any advice gratefully received.