4x4 auto hub

[MrHendren]

Hello, I know there are a few (and some are even sticky) forms about auto hubs for a 4x4. I have a simple question... Are the gears in the auto hub suppose to rotate freely? I cant get my explorer in 4x4 (got it stuck and it wouldnt budge the front tires when I put it in 4x4). I had a friend get in the truck and drive it 4x2 and the front drive shaft did not move. I had him put it in 4x4 high and the front drive shaft was moving with the truck. I had him to put it in 4x4 low and the drive shaft again moved. (On that note, the Drive axle in the front moved as well with high 4x4 and low 4x4m so I know the problem lies in the auto hub) So i take my hubs off and of course, they are loaded with grease. I take some ATF out and pour it in the hubs and clean one of them out. While cleaning it out I notice that the hub gears rotate freely. So I still end up cleaning them out and put it back on. I put it on 4x4 low, drive say 20ish feet, and jack the front tire up, and rotate it (showing that the hub is not engaging). So are the hubs gears suppose to rotate or stay locked in?

 

[arco777]

Don't know for sure (converted to manual already), but I do recall that a common failure of the auto hubs is the way they engage. There are teeth in there, three triangular ones I think, that make it engage, and they wear down over time. If you do a search, there is a member that reported success by "shimming" the hubs to make them work again. Might be worth a look.

Ultimately you may want to do a manual hub conversion. I installed a new Mile Marker set with the conversion kit for under $200, but there are other options out there including used factory manual hubs (made for Ford by Warn and very tough). You do have to switch the hardware but it's a pretty easy job and is a lot more reliable. They can be hard to find in junkyards due to high demand, but check the for sale section on this board and on The Ranger Station classifieds section.

 

[Blue91Ex]

also people do often switch to manual hubs so you can usually get working autohubs used (both sides don't usually break at the same time) for pretty cheap and its basically just pull old off put new on.

 

[MrHendren]

after doing some research I believe ill go with the manual lock out hubs. I believe I saw some people saying they last longer. To convert them to manual i will need to buy the hubs, and the conversion kit? I called advance to see if they had anything, the guy didnt know anything about hubs or anything... said he could order the kit for 40 bucks. Also said thats all I needed, which I know aint true. Well anyways this is the video of my auto hub,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko-XF8mTlBU
I think Ill just go ahead and buy manual lock out and the conversion kit and do that away... May be a while, have other stuff I want to do to the truck, and I really dont need the 4x4 atm.. Probably get around to it closer to winter. So how hard is it to convert it to manual?

 

[Maniak]

The conversion "kit" is really just the 2 nuts and the washer used on a Dana 44 (very common) manual hub truck. The Dana 44 from Ford and Chevy with manual hubs use the same stock style (read, not from Stage 8 or some other fancy nuts) system as the Dana 35 TTB.

IIRC, Tbars4 has a post on here somewhere with part #'s to get them cheaper than buying the conversion 'kit'. IIRC he got them from 4wp (4 wheel parts).

~Mark

Edit: I found his post with the p/n. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1867081&postcount=457 $10 per side instead of the $87 for the "kit".

Now you just need the hubs.. You can get either hub (29071) or the stronger one designed for the rear of the Jeep (37780) of manual hubs (warn) from Amazon or many other places..

 

[MrHendren]

The conversion "kit" is really just the 2 nuts and the washer used on a Dana 44 (very common) manual hub truck. The Dana 44 from Ford and Chevy with manual hubs use the same stock style (read, not from Stage 8 or some other fancy nuts) system as the Dana 35 TTB.

IIRC, Tbars4 has a post on here somewhere with part #'s to get them cheaper than buying the conversion 'kit'. IIRC he got them from 4wp (4 wheel parts).

~Mark

Edit: I found his post with the p/n. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1867081&postcount=457 $10 per side instead of the $87 for the "kit".

Now you just need the hubs.. You can get either hub (29071) or the stronger one designed for the rear of the Jeep (37780) of manual hubs (warn) from Amazon or many other places..

Thanks Mark, so I need to get 28068X, (better than what Advance auto priced me) and then the hub. Probably go with the jeep one, little more, but stronger. Shouldnt be to bad to switch out.

 

[Roadrunner777]

Manual, I think is the way to go if you are going to depend on 4x4. I'm in northern Minnesota, and I have a job that calls me out before the plows. I grab my cup of coffee, set my hubs, press the 4x4 button and ENJOY my drive to work. I never had auto hubs, maybe they are great. But, when I can do something and know it is going to work, that makes me smile.