I have a 2004 Ford Ranger and when I am driving in 4WD there is a randomly timed clunk that feels like I am hitting a small bump on the road. It feels like it could be on the driver's side but I am unsure. I thought it could have been the front differential or a CV axle but I rotated the wheels while it was jacked up and nothing was skipping and the CV's felt solid as well. The U-joint on the front driveshaft is in good shape as well. I am thinking it could be the transfer case but it seems to engage fine every time. Just shooting out this to see what people think it might be thank you!!

 

Welcome to the forum

2001-2011 Ranger 4x4s have Live axle, so the front axles, differential, driveshaft and transfer case chain drive are always spinning when vehicle is moving, even in 2WD
In 2WD the torque on the front system is coming from the tires rotating
In 4WD the torque is coming from the transfer case

Front differential is an OPEN type, so in 4WD there is only ONE drive wheel, the easiest to spin wheel, so it changes when turning or on slippery surfaces

That's the "known" stuff

While the drive system would be the logical choice for a "clunk" in 4WD the driveshaft wouldn't be random as it has the same torque all the time in 4WD, the CVs and differential might be, try turning in an open gravel/dirt area for a full circle, not tight turn, then do it in the other direction to see if left or right turn causes steady "clunk"
Also accelerate and decelerate a bit while turning

The random "clunk" may be front suspension shifting when that sides wheel becomes the drive wheel, or loses drive wheel status to the other front wheel, either can cause shifting of suspension
Upper and lower ball joints, A-frame bushings, torsion bar bushings, stabilizer bar bushings

In 4WD on a surface that is dry and hard then random "clunk" would be expected because of the mismatch in front are rear driveshafts RPMs, check tire pressure in all 4 tires, and of course all 4 tires need to be the same size, and same model if possible
4WD is not the same as AWD, 4WD is direct drive no viscous coupling between front and rear driveshafts

 

Okay awesome, good to know! I will check the suspension mounts and all the torque specs on the hardware on the front end. But it still happens when I'm driving straight on the highway would that make a difference to what it could be? From what you're saying it sounds like it would mainly be when I'm hitting a bump or turning so that's why I mentioned the thing about the highway. thank you.

 

Is the highway snow covered?

 

No it's not it's a dry road