Noise from driver side front axle (4x4 related?)

[Texas Ag]

My 02 F250 (159K) has been making a pop/clunk noise that's been coming from the front end of the driver's side whenever I turn left. I recently replaced the collar/grommets in the stablizer bars thinking that the worn parts were causing the noise, but unfortunately it didn't fix the problem. The noise sounds like it's coming from around the knuckle joint. At times the noise is so intense that it'll tighten your butt cheaks up.

I was at the lease this last weekend and due to the rain and steep hills, I decided to turn on my ESOF 4x4 to be proactive. The light came on and thought everything was okay. I headed to the blind before sunrise the next morning w/my 5 yr old son and got stuck at the bottom of the hill. I got out and manually locked the hubs and drove off like I was in 2wd on dry ground.

I definitely feel I have some issues with my ESOF, because I've got the ESOF/ac-defrost issue, but is the noise issue related???

[dieselcrawler]

The auto hubs work on vacuum. If there is a problem with the hub, it may make noise, it may lose vacuum and not lock in by it'self, thus you need to manuely lock them in. If you replace the hub with a quality Warn or other brand (not the stock Auto hub) you lose the auto, but gain reliablity. Only you have to get out and lock in the hubs like the rest of us...

The noise could be from the lock out hub, the unit berring (wheel berring) or the axle universal joint... There is also a needle berring inside the unit berring that the axle stub shaft (short section from the universal joint to the lock out hub) rides in, when the needle berrings go out it makes a lot of noise. Had this happen 2 or 3 times, unit berring is good, but the needle berring goes out. All part of the warrenteed part, so the whole unit has gotten replaced on both sides in the past year...