gsmaclean
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- February 11, 2007
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- City, State
- Strongsville, OH
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- 03 Limited
I went through this recently, and didn't find any information here on doing this, so after working it out on my own, I thought I would post this.
First off: How to check that your locking hubs are working correctly.
If everything happens as described above, your hubs are operating correctly. If not, chances are your hubs are dirty and/or full of grease.
Cleaning your hubs
First off: How to check that your locking hubs are working correctly.
- Put your truck in park. Make sure it is in 2WD high. Set the parking brake.
- Jack left front wheel off the ground.
- Find the front driveshaft - it's the round bar (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) going from the transfer case (behind the transmission) to the front differential (the big round thing in the middle of the front wheels).
- Turn the front driveshaft. It should turn freely. You should see the half shaft (the shaft connecting the front differential to the wheel) of the raised wheel turn as you turn the driveshaft.
- Within one or two turns, the hub in the wheel should lock up, and the wheel should start turning, either forwards or backwards (depending on which way you are turning the shaft).
- Hold onto the driveshaft to try to prevent it from turning. Try to rotate the wheel in the same direction it was just turning. It should turn the driveshaft you are hanging onto as you turn the wheel.
- Hold onto the driveshaft to prevent it from turning. Rotate the wheel in the opposite direction. You should feel the hub unlock, and the wheel should spin freely without turning the driveshaft.
- Turn the front driveshaft in the opposite direction you did before. You should see the half shaft (the shaft connecting the front differential to the wheel) of the raised wheel turn as you turn the driveshaft.
- Within one or two turns, the hub in the wheel should lock up, and the wheel should start turning, the opposite way than it did before.
- Hold onto the driveshaft to try to prevent it from turning. Try to rotate the wheel in the same direction it was just turning. It should turn the driveshaft you are hanging onto as you turn the wheel.
- Hold onto the driveshaft to prevent it from turning. Rotate the wheel in the opposite direction. You should feel the hub unlock, and the wheel should spin freely without turning the driveshaft.
- Lower the wheel, jack up the opposite wheel, and repeat the tests.
If everything happens as described above, your hubs are operating correctly. If not, chances are your hubs are dirty and/or full of grease.
Cleaning your hubs
- Jack up the front wheel.
- Remove the lug nuts and the wheel.
- If the clips on the studs holding the hub in place are still there, remove them.
- Put a small mark (a sharpie marker works well) on the hub and on one of the studs, so you know which position it goes on.
- Pull the hub off the spindle. Clean any visible grease out of the hub.
- Fill the hub up with brake cleaner, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Move the spring mechanism in the hub up and down with a screwdriver several times to move the brake cleaner in and around any grease that may be in it. Dump the brake cleaner out. Repeat several times.
- Heat up some ATF (automatic transmission fluid) by immersing the plastic bottle in some hot water for a few minutes. Dry off the bottle and fill the hub with ATF. Let the hub sit overnight.
- Turn the hub over and drain the ATF out. Let it drain for a good 15-20 minutes.
- Clean all visible grease off the spindle. Put a very thin layer of fresh grease over the spindle.
- Reinstall the hub (make sure the marks you made on the hub match up with the marks you made on the stud)
- Reinstall the clips (if any) and wheel.