hub problems and 4x4 problems

[fordrocker]

One day i got stuck and i got pulled out just fine...it is after i got out that messed stuff up...after i got unstuck i had my explorer in park and turned off and the chain was still hooked up to my bumper...some kid was being stupid and was drunk and told the guy that pulled me out that the chain was off my bumper so the guy took off really fast and completely messed up my front bumper so i don;t have one now...and whene i left that night i heard a grining noise coming from the front passanger side tire i thought it was the bumper scrapeing up against the tire but after i took the bumper off it kept makeing the noise...well to make a long story short i took off my front tire and the automatic hub is broken into many peices...how much do you think it would cost to fix i am going to do the work myself but i need to knwo what to look for at the parts store...and my switch on the inside that lets me change it from low 4x4 to high and back to two wheel drive doesn;t work how would i come about to fix that
...any help is greatly appreciated and i thank you much for reading and helping

 

[JStrider]

well most people here after their automatic hubs have broken they have gotten manual hubs... the manuals are supposed to be more durable and they are way cheaper... the brand i've heard about mostly is warn here is their website http://www.warn.com/truck/index.shtml

I havn't done the switch... i'm still running the orignal automatic hubs... its just what i've picked up from surfin around here

as for the switch not working... the common problem with the first gen 4x4 not working is the shift motor assembly having trouble... theres a great thread about rebuilding it here http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123542
I have done this repair, and it wasn't that hard... just had to buy the special security torx drivers.


and welcome to the boards... havnt been here that long myself but its is a good place :exporange

 

[fordrocker]

yea i just got done reading that thread...and got completely lost....i have been working on cars for a while and went to school for it but i only learned the basics at the school but yea anyways i read it and i understand most of it but it is still a little hard to understand...but yea thanks for the info...i will have to look into switching to manual hubs...

 

[insane3082]

wow these threads are useful i have found alot before i have introduced myself but since i found this thread to be one of those useful ones i just have to ask because it is really bothering me anyway i clicked that warn link about manual hubs so im guessing thats what i have "manual". so my question is on the hub the arrow is pointing to "free" is that correct or should it be pointing to "locked" the reason for me asking is beacause i am getting a grinding noise whenever i press the 4x4 switch on my 92 xlt in both 4x4/low range. its my first X so please bare with me thx to all in advance.

 

[hatched91]

the auto hubs suck! no joke, both mine and my friends on his 88 ranger don't lock and hold like they should. If you're on a budget, hit the local junkyard and pick up another auto hub for dirt cheap. Otherwise, spend the $220 on warn manual locking hubs and the conversion kit and be worry-free of your hubs not locking.

 

[fordrocker]

wow these threads are useful i have found alot before i have introduced myself but since i found this thread to be one of those useful ones i just have to ask because it is really bothering me anyway i clicked that warn link about manual hubs so im guessing thats what i have "manual". so my question is on the hub the arrow is pointing to "free" is that correct or should it be pointing to "locked" the reason for me asking is beacause i am getting a grinding noise whenever i press the 4x4 switch on my 92 xlt in both 4x4/low range. its my first X so please bare with me thx to all in advance.

is the grinding noise whene you press the brakes? becouse whene your car is in 4x4 sometimes whene you press the brakes you will fill it on the break pedal it will be what is the word i am looking for i geuss the best way to describe it is it will be grinding that just means it is in four wheel drive and since my button doesn't work that is the only way i know it is in four wheel drive but i am no expert on four wheel drive so maybe i am wrong

 

[DeRocha]

wow these threads are useful i have found alot before i have introduced myself but since i found this thread to be one of those useful ones i just have to ask because it is really bothering me anyway i clicked that warn link about manual hubs so im guessing thats what i have "manual". so my question is on the hub the arrow is pointing to "free" is that correct or should it be pointing to "locked" the reason for me asking is beacause i am getting a grinding noise whenever i press the 4x4 switch on my 92 xlt in both 4x4/low range. its my first X so please bare with me thx to all in advance.

How manual hubs work...
When you press the 4x4 button the shift motor (upon receiving a signal from the 4x4 computer) will rotate the T-case selector shaft from 2H to 4H. At this point the front driveshaft will get power and rotate the front diff and both driver and passenger axles... So in the pic below the splined end of the axle shaft will be rotating... The job of a hub is to lock this splined axle shaft to the wheel and allow the wheel to rotate as well. So if your manual hub is set to FREE then the axle shaft will just rotate freeling within the hub and the wheel will not receive any power... When locked it wheel will obvsioulsy receive power. That being said if you set your HUBs to FREE and turn on 4x4 and you hear grinding from the front end it is most likely the U-joints on the stub axle shafts. U-joints last about 100K of on road driving and much less if your vehicle is driven off road.. See the U-joint link in my sig on how to replace them.