Automatic Hub Slipping: Repair or Replace?

[tcbaklash]

My truck is running the OG stock automatic hubs from way back (which I'm reading here and there is a damn long time for these things to survive). I'm still pretty new to this whole 4x4 thing, my last project was an '86 BMW and I have no idea what I'm doing, but my driver's-side hub is slipping SOMETIMES when I run 4x4. The noise is a periodic "BANG" and the truck lurches a little. But the 4x4 function does work properly besides that.

It feels like the hub is just going to explode every time it slips, and I know I have to do something about it. My two options are clear: investigate and repair, or replace the hubs with some new Warns. Now being a poor college student, I'd much rather go the former route and fix it for a price that's close to free instead of spending $100 on what should go to school supplies, groceries, rent, and beer. I'm just not really sure what to look for inside the hub. I read somewhere to blast all the grease out of it with brake cleaner, and my hub is pretty greasy last time I looked... Any guidance is welcomed, I'm happy to learn more about my little truck.

 

[Cars+PCs=Awesome]

I may be mistaken, but the automatic hubs are vacuum controlled, so the skip could be due to the vacuum not holding. There is a way to rig the hub's to be manual, or just see where the vacuum leak is at... But I could still be wrong about the hub's.

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[turbo91xlt]

Vacuum hubs are only on the '98+ (till whenever they just made the axle live all the time, 2001-3?) The older TTB hubs are mechanical and engage by using the actual spinning of the axle shafts.

Best thing in your situation would be to just grab some manual hubs from the junkyard, clean & re-grease them and be on your merry way.