Ford F150 - auto lock hubs(a.k.a 4 x 4 woes revisited)

okay... im reedin all over these forums tryin to git input on my 4 wheel drive problems... i just saw a forum bout some confusion i was having... i have auto locking hubs which dont werk (as posted in the earlier forum this week)... if i decide to go with manual locking hubs it would seem to me i could leave them locked in at the wheel all the time... cause they aint gonna engage in 4wd until i shift the transfer case to 4 hi or lo... thus... i still have auto 4wd... isnt this basically the same thing as auto lock hubs... ???

No. Auto lock hubs engage / disengage via either electric, or vacum servo. When you yank the T-case shifter into 4wd hi, lo, or whatever, the servo is supposed to activate, and lock the hubs. When you shift to 2wd the servos should release and the hubs return to disengaged position.

Leaving manual hubs in locked position will keep the rotating assembly in the front axle moving, shifting to 2wd will only disconnect the power going to it. So your R&P, driveshaft, etc... will be spinning, and putting additional drag on the truck in 2wd, thus cutting your performance and fuel efficiency.

Long winded explaination summarized?

Get out and unlock the hubs.

I actually preffer manual hubs. Call me old fashioned, but they are much more possitive than the auto hubs. If you don't want to get your feet mudy, lock them in before the trail turns to soup. Too bad I don't have the option on this truck.

dbhost
This is a pre-'97. The auto hub locks aren't vacuum OR electric. They're mechanical.



camostang
Click my signature link & look through the Brakes & Hubs album.

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. . . '99 CV RIP

steve... very indepth info on your web page... i put it in my favorites...in your opinion... am i better off going manual hubs or replacing the auto lock hubs... when i put mine in 4wd all i get is the rachet noise... is this cause the spring or the whole inner body is just shot... ???

It's a matter of personal preference. If you REALLY don't want to have to get out & lock your hubs AND you understand that you can't "rock" the truck with them AND you have that kind of money to blow on new ones OR you want to try to find used ones, you might want to stick with autos.

I like KNOWING that, when I lock the hubs, they're locked. If they aren't, they can be fixed on the trail, & replaced free when I get home (LLT warranty).

Now, there are people who have repaired auto locks, so you CAN fix yours.

thanks dude... im starting to lean towards manuals... do you recommend and certain brand... from what ive seen here... warn, milemarker and one other one is the preferred brands... and all i have to do is replace the 'guts' in the hub... ???

buy a new set of manual hubs ie: warn, milemarker,(what i have) or superwinch. if your auto hubs have 3 screws holding them on then you need to buy the retro kit also. once its done your prblems are gone

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ford freak??? yup!

Get the cheapest ones with a LLT warranty. Many people tout the Warn Premiums, but they still have the same warranty as my MileMarkers, which were ~1/2 the price. Considering that I've towed another Bronco on a HEAVY trailer with my rear d-shaft removed (so all the load was on the MMs), they're plenty strong & reliable. Plus, the WPs come with gaudy gold dials, and I wanted black dials to match the black centers I put in my rear black plastic center caps. If they had offered black lock caps that were metal, I'd have gotten them - I hate chrome. Maybe I'll get these powdercoated...

Anyway - you'll be replacing the "hub locks", or as some people say: locking hubs (not really correct). There are a LOT more "guts" in the hub than just the locks, and you don't have to replace much else, if any. If your current caps have 3 screws, you'll need 2 sets of these; if you have 5 cap screws now, you don't need anything but the new locks.

I agree with Steve, I like my manual hubs because you know they are locked when you lock them in. For the amount that you actually use your 4 x 4 it probably doesn't pay to go with the highest end hubs unless you are offroading. Like Steve said...go with the cheap ones with the warranty.

It was a super easy install on my truck. I have the five screws on the cap and it was a quick 15 mins on the first side and 5 on the other since I knew what I was doing. I did it on the street with only the instructions that came with the hubs. I went with the warn premiums because I actually liked the gold dials and didn't like the look of the other warns they had. If they would have had the Milemarkers with the black I would have probably gotten those....but I needed them asap. Just my two cents.

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300 Inline 6, 4x4, 5 speed manual
Six in a Row Makes It Go!!

IITE... i am now the proud owner of manual warn standard Locking hubs... i had just replaced the spindle nut kits for the auto's so im out there bout 36 bucks... hubs and spindle kits for the warn i believe was about 120 total... my front yard is now tore all to hell... but i can buy seed in the spring... now... WHERE IS THE FREEKIN SNOW... !!!

Ilove it when a plan comes together!!!!

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ford freak??? yup!

So did that fix the problem? No more noise from the front end? Even when you have the hubs locked?

its all good... !!!!