autohubs?? | Ford Explorer Forums

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autohubs??

ryf

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City, State
Portsmouth, OH
Year, Model & Trim Level
94 Explorer XLT 4x4
ok, I searched the forums, but I didn't see this question posted anywhere.

is there a way to make the autohubs NOT click and ratchet and still be on the truck while I save the green to get the Warn hubs? mine sound like they are engaging when I turn, with the ratchet sound and clunk if I give it a the gas in mud.. any options folks?

maybe a pin or bushing or something I can take out?

no this isn't a per fix, just so I don't have to listen to them on a long trip coming up
 



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I should clarify, the clicking is all while in 2wd, the clunking is only in 4wd... so it gets a little old..
 






I would clean out the old hubs... When in 2wd my hubs used to rachet when turning (the sharper the turn the more it would click and rachet). When I engaged 4x4 for a few seconds it would lock the hubs and the noise was gone. Autohubs are a dry assembly. Any more than a thin film of grease can cause the mechanism to become hydrolocked and exhibit the problems your're experiencing.
 












I second the vote for gutting them out. If you take of the hub and look down inside it, you'll see a small snap-ring. Remove that snap-ring, pull out the guts and put the hub back on-- you should have no more ratcheting. If you don't have snap-ring pliers that are long and thin enough (as I don't), you can use a couple of small screwdrivers or picks to remove the snap-ring.

When you take the hub apart this way, if you see a ton of grease and dirt packed in there, that is the problem. You could clean it out and reassemble, then the hubs would probably work fine.
 






this sounds like a stellar plan.. gutting them for the week or two until the new manual ones arrive, then no more worries..

These hubs are my number one concern before lifting my truck, no sense putting alot of money into tires and lift without the stuff to make it work too. the autohubs have been useless since day one... so rebuilding them is out, I'd hate to have one fail when I need it... just doesn't seem worth prolonging their replacement...

do you think its bad for the rest of the truck to be running them with it clicking/ ratcheting? if its not a big deal I might just be lazy and turn the radio back up (what I do for my 20 minute commute) and just not deal with it till the new ones show up.
 






Gut them. Engaging and disengaging can't be good.

Do you have the Socket for the Nuts on the conversion kit to Manuals?

You will need it. It's a special tool. Just a heads-up.

I have Pics of the Auto hubs and there inner parts. give me your e-mail address if you want to know what your going to be looking at
 






ryf said:
do you think its bad for the rest of the truck to be running them with it clicking/ ratcheting? if its not a big deal I might just be lazy and turn the radio back up (what I do for my 20 minute commute) and just not deal with it till the new ones show up.

If the hubs are locking an unlocking as you drive down the road it could be hard on your front drivetrain. I think it would be best to gut them out for now b/c it's not much more work than it takes to change a tire.
 






good points both!! no I don't have the wrench you speak of.. might have to look into that..check your PM's tony, pics to make it easier are better than nothing!!! thanks guys...
 






Pics went out. Your work address...I think
 






tony, these writeups are darn near idiot proof, thanks a million!!
 






Glad you liked it. I felt like I was sending too much stuff and you would think I was an idiot.
Personally I like to know all the angles before jumping into something new. I hope it all works out
 






well, I made it to SC without popping or clickin, and the wheels didn't fall off, so it must've been the right way to do it.... the ole 4.0 blessed me with 21mpg all highway, probably won't be so good on the way back. its all uphill (going north, a little humor for you) seriously though, I'll have the last of my tools and personal effects and so forth in the ex.

only a fool wouldn't appreciate the time you took to put that together, granted it may not have been for me originally, but you took the time, and you gave me info on my current project, as well as my upcoming project. an example, I've done brakes before, I found the 1st gen brake job write-up by Glacier991 helpful since I didn't have to spend 20 mins figuring out what goes where details, I just busted it out in under 45 mins, I would've got it done without it, but the time savings and the knowledge its not wrong is invaluable.

I like going to battle knowing my enemy, thanks for the help!

on another note... I've found this website so friggin helpful I'm going to go elite, but it won't be until May because me and the misses are getting hitched, and theres alot less available funds right now, but I will be doing this soon!
 






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