Banging when turning in 4wd

The car runs fine in 2wd, well once in a while a tight turn will make a small thumping noise, but I put it into 4wd yesterday, since last march I put it on maybe 2 times, anyway, When I went to turn into a parking spot, the tires cavitated, and I had to give it gas to get it to go. So then I went to back out, and the same thing happened when turning. Driving straight, it drives fine, only when tight turning that worries me. Any ideas?






2001 V6 LS
46K Miles

This is normal, it's called driveline wind-up. What happens is the front and rear axles are trying to rotate at the same speed. In 2 wheel drive this isn't a problem because the differential inside the rear axle housing allows both back wheels to rotate at different speeds around a corner(The tire closest to the inside of the turn turns slower than the outside tire, because it takes a shorter path). In 4 wheel drive, however, this differential action no longer applies because all four tires must rotate at different speeds. Without some sort of differential in between the front and rear axles, both axles must turn at the same speed. In a vehicle with full-time 4 wheel drive, there is a differential in between both axles, allowing for smooth turns. Also, it's not a good idea to run around on pavement in 4 wheel drive, because the front and rear axle have different gear ratio's, causing the front axle to want to pull faster than the back one. The reasoning behind this is to allow the front end to drag the backend around for better steering and manuverabilty in the mud. Hope this clears things up....

This is normal, it's called driveline wind-up. What happens is the front and rear axles are trying to rotate at the same speed. In 2 wheel drive this isn't a problem because the differential inside the rear axle housing allows both back wheels to rotate at different speeds around a corner(The tire closest to the inside of the turn turns slower than the outside tire, because it takes a shorter path). In 4 wheel drive, however, this differential action no longer applies because all four tires must rotate at different speeds. Without some sort of differential in between the front and rear axles, both axles must turn at the same speed. In a vehicle with full-time 4 wheel drive, there is a differential in between both axles, allowing for smooth turns. Also, it's not a good idea to run around on pavement in 4 wheel drive, because the front and rear axle have different gear ratio's, causing the front axle to want to pull faster than the back one. The reasoning behind this is to allow the front end to drag the backend around for better steering and manuverabilty in the mud. Hope this clears things up....


Thank you very much. It is reassuring that nothing serious is wrong with the car. I drove up to NH and got hit with snow, so I though I would check to make sure it worked, and this happened, so I wasn't sure if it had gotten damaged or something was wrong. I appreciate your response.

Your very welcome...Always glad to help.

If it only does it when you're turning it's probably your cv joint