4X4 Hub, Ford...Never Again.

[Airhead315]

Alright,

So I was on my way into work today, in quite bad snow conditions. I tried engaging the 4X4 and it would not engage(the light would not come on indicating it was on) So I let it go for a bit, and I kept trying. Finnaly the light came on, for about 2 seconds, then went out...I then heard this cracking sound and what sounded like a bearing had gone bad...it was coming from my front left tire, the car started pulling to the left and tried hitting the dash button for 4X4. The car stopped pulling. The noise continued signaling something was very broken but the car wasnt effected by it. Now I know its the 4X4 Hub on the drivers side, the question is, Can I remove the Hub and drive the car? The way this car is set up, I cant see how it can hurt, Id have to rig something up to protect all the components usually covered, but I cant see a reason why I cant remove it if I dont use the 4X4 until I fix it.

Crappy thing is, my other car is getting out of the shop today and this car is in the paper to be sold. Im not going to pay $300 for a new hub, and no ebay auctions are ending in the next day that have reasonable prices. Any suggestions? Im selling the car for $1000...maybe I should just sell it the way it is...

Main question is, can I remove the automatic locking hub and still drive the car?


Thanks,
Aaron

 

[Brock94]

Short answer is no.

The locking hub is also the "cap" over your wheel bearings, keeping the grease in them.

If the 4WD light is not coming on, then it sounds like a problem with the transfer case shift motor, not the hubs. Even if the hubs aren't working, the 4WD light should come on when you push the button if your transfer case is engaging. When the transfer case engages, it will send torque to the front axles and if all is working correctly, the autohubs will then mechanically engage. There is no electronic sensor on the autohubs, and the 4WD light does not indicate when they are locked.

Maybe the transfer case tried to engage and that caused one of your hubs to lock. Try backing up about 10 or 15 feet to see if it unlocks and goes back to normal. Failing that, the hub could be stuck in a locked or partial lock position in which case you'd need to remove it and clean it and put it back on.

 

[DeRocha]

What happens if you reverse direction to try and unlock the hub? If that doesn't work then you can remove the hub to see what is busted. You can then remove the inner plastic engagement cam that mates with the outer hub. Once removed you can re-install the outer hub and be good to go..

You really need the outer hub installed to keep crap from getting into the wheel bearings.

 

[Airhead315]

Would a locked hub really make all that noise?...I was writing this post...and I already got a call on the car...luckily he knows fords and he knows thier hubs go bad..so he may buy it with a broken hub...Ill try the reverse thing sometime today.

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

huh? all hubs do go bad eventually

 

[jgilbs]

a member on this board rebuilds hubs. Kris Guilbeaux (sp?) he is a mod, so just look on the forum list for the real spelling and PM him. i beleive he also buys busted hubs.