Busted 4WD question

[blksprk]

OK, so bought a 1994 Ford Explorer Limited with push button 4WD, I love it. But it was the first 4WD vehicle I have owned and have made the grevious mistake of not disengaging when on dry ground... I had no idea I had to, i thought when i hit the button it disengaged. So this winter when I engaged it, it seemed to work under light loads... flat ice, but when i went to go up a hill, the back tires broke loose and there was a loud thunking noise coming from under the car. It's broke, so I backed off, gave up on the hill and went around. I turned off the 4WD, put the car in reverse to disengage the hubs, then when I started moving forward, I got a very annoying hum coming from what I THINK is the hubs. it finally goes away, but if I ever engage, then disengage, i get the noise again for a while.

So my questions are:

What part brakes first? the hubs or the transfer case?

And what do all of you think I need to replace to fix this, I refuse to take it to a shop if I can avoid it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[schmidlkofer]

take your hubs off and see if there is broken plastic in them....but i would get some manuals...

 

[Rustang©]

That humming you heard was most likely the hubs. You have more than likely killed them....

My suggestion to you is to take off your front tires and then remove the hub, look inside to see if you see any broken or loose plastic, if so then they are shot, if not then they are still probably shot.

To fix this and re-gain 4 wheel drive you must Install new Manual or Auto locking hubs. Auto Locking hubs are anywhere from 170 - 250 per side from a dealer or online, manuals are roughly 150 for both.

You can get the manuals here;
http://www.gowarn.com/detail.asp?product_id=18388&GID=

And you can get the required conversion kit here;
http://www.gowarn.com/detail.asp?product_id=19025&GID=

They are relatively simple to install and work great.

That being said you also noted a sound from under the car, I'd suggest taking a look at the front driveshaft and differential as you can cause damage from driving on dry roads with 4 wheel engaged(U-Joints and Bearings).

You may have also damaged the transfer case, but as long as you hear a "clunk" when the 4X4 button is pushed you should be fine.

 

[blksprk]

That humming you heard was most likely the hubs. You have more than likely killed them....

My suggestion to you is to take off your front tires and then remove the hub, look inside to see if you see any broken or loose plastic, if so then they are shot, if not then they are still probably shot.

To fix this and re-gain 4 wheel drive you must Install new Manual or Auto locking hubs. Auto Locking hubs are anywhere from 170 - 250 per side from a dealer or online, manuals are roughly 150 for both.

You can get the manuals here;
http://www.gowarn.com/detail.asp?product_id=18388&GID=

And you can get the required conversion kit here;
http://www.gowarn.com/detail.asp?product_id=19025&GID=

They are relatively simple to install and work great.

That being said you also noted a sound from under the car, I'd suggest taking a look at the front driveshaft and differential as you can cause damage from driving on dry roads with 4 wheel engaged(U-Joints and Bearings).

You may have also damaged the transfer case, but as long as you hear a "clunk" when the 4X4 button is pushed you should be fine.

What am I looking for on the front differential and drive shaft(I assume you mean the part that runs from mid car to the front differential)? Is it more costly to buy a new differential or buy a rebuild and how hard is it to remove the damn thing?

I do still get a clunk when it engages... at least I think I do... I will check, and I know I get a clunk when i switch into Low. So that means that its possible that its just the hubs?

 

[Rustang©]

I think your hubs are most likely the culprits, as for front axle removal, lol, thats not an easy task.

One question(No meaning to sound like an asss), do you know how to properly engage/disengage 4x4 mode?

 

[blksprk]

I think your hubs are most likely the culprits, as for front axle removal, lol, thats not an easy task.

One question(No meaning to sound like an asss), do you know how to properly engage/disengage 4x4 mode?

OK, for one, I do not get a thump when engaging, but as was explained, I will replace the hubs first since those are most definitely shot, and I want manuals anyway, then trouble shoot from there.

As for the engaging, I have read the manual that came with the explorer, but only after I had already done the damage. Engage either stopped or below 55, disengage at any speed, but stop and go opposite direction for 10 feet to disengage hubs... anything I missed? Oh and not an ass question, like I said, first 4x4 I have owned and thats why I came here, to learn what I did wrong and how to fix it.

 

[Rustang©]

Sounds like your on the right track, the auto hubs are the weakest link in a Explorer's 4 Wheel Drive, followed by the Transmission.

You got the basic idea of how to engage/disengage the 4WD...
From experience, engage high around 15 mph and low at a dead stop.

Once you get your manuals in place, you can leave them locked or unlocked when on dry pavement, its your call given you have an open D-35.

Replacing the Auto Hubs with Manual Hubs is a fairly straight forward process, the only trouble that seems to be consistent is the retaining key that needed to be removed from the bearing retainer nut(?). I had to Dremel mine out of place, it was installed backwards!

Good Luck man, and if you need help with the install either search the site, or ask me and you find the answers your looking for.