NO 4 wheel drive, not-case or auto hubs!

[mitch]

My 94 x doesn't have 4 wheel drive, and i have researched all the threads. It is not the t-case or the auto hubs b/c when the dash push button is turned on you hear the clicks for the hubs and both drive shafts turn when its in drive and reverse. However the shaft that is between the front and rear traction beams that connects the differential to the other tire I dont know whats it is called doesnt turn which must mean that the gears in differential aren't turning or are chiped or something. If anyone knows if this is why my 4wd is not working or if something else is wrong with could tell me it would much appreciated. and also what will it cost to fix the problem
thanks mitch

 

[merc2dogs]

jack up the front of the truck then reaching under with the truck in nuetral and in 2 wheel drive (engine off) and spin the front driveshaft, if the hubs are working they will lock in, and the wheels will turn.
if one shaft turns, try reaching in with a screwdriver an lock the ujoint against something, then try turning the driveshaft again, if the other shaft starts turning the diff is good, and your problem lies in the autohub on that side.
The clicking is not normally the hubs locking, it's the 4x motor and relays that you hear.
if you turn the key on, then hit the 4x switch, and you can reach under and turn the shaft it may be the shift motor not actualy shifting to 4x mode.


ken.

 

[mitch]

thanks for the help ken

 

[jimbo74]

sounds liek a common autohub failure

 

[mitch]

thats what i thought but the guys at the shop said it was either the spider gears or the pinion gear

 

[Tony H]

Pushing the Button on the dash ONLY sets your transfer case in gear (Nothing to do with the Hubs). it's the turning of the Front driveshaft that goes through the Differential and turns the front axles that go out to the Hubs.

If the driveshaft is turning (the shaft that runs Front to Back) but the shafts to the wheels are not, Then you have a real problem in your differential.
If your driveshaft is turning and both axles are turning but they are not forcing the front wheels to move then it 's your Hubs not Locking .
From your description, of the one Axles not moving, I'd say the guy at the shop is probably correct. Spider gears

 

[mitch]

thanks for the input tony, do you know if a junkyard set would be fine or should i just go ahead and buy new gears. I dont want to have this problem down the road again.

 

[MrShorty]

If one axleshaft is turning (without the wheel), but the other isn't, it could be that just that one side auto hub is shot. The front differential is an open differential. It is possible for one axle to turn, but not the other.

 

[merc2dogs]

If one axleshaft is turning (without the wheel), but the other isn't, it could be that just that one side auto hub is shot. The front differential is an open differential. It is possible for one axle to turn, but not the other.

Yes, and as you say the one that turns will be the one with least resistance, the one with the non-functional hub.
That's why I said he should stop the shaft that was turning.
With an open diff there has to be drag on both axle spiders for either axle to move, otherwise the spiders on the carrier would just spin on thier axles and neither axle would move.

Not ruling out the diff 100%, but you would hear noise if that were the case, you'd have to have stripped all the teeth from one axles spider, and lodged a chunk between the spiders on the 'good' axle for it to happen the way you describe

If you do find busted spiders in the carrier, I'd replace the whole carrier, as there were some serious forces at work in order to bust them, so you'd be better off replacing the entire unit.
A friend busted spiders in his, and replaced just the spiders, he always had a low whine, and went through spiders about every 6 to 10 months, replaced carrier and hasn't had any trouble with them since.


the most likely cause IS the autohub, they are notoriously weak, so any troubleshooting on the front drive system should start with them. Also, being weakest link, they tend to act as a 'fuse' for the rest of the system

ken.

 

[Tony H]

Mitch. Before playing with the spiders, you still have to verify that it isn't the Hubs.
from your original description I cannot figure out weather the driveshaft is turning and the axles aren't or what.
If the car is up off the grond and it's in 4WD, does any of the front tires turn? If only one tire is turning you must stop that side to see if the other side will start turning. Because it isn't a posi Ham, the side with least resistance will turn while the other just sits there. you need to stop the moving tire to see if the other will start moving.
If the axle spins on one side but the tire for that side isn't, then it's the Hub.

I've blown spiders in my Jeep ( big motor) went home pulled them out of an old axle I had and swapped them. 2 years ago, no problems.
Spiders are not like Ring and Pinion gears, they are not shimed and spaced as critical.

 

[gijoecam]

However the shaft that is between the front and rear traction beams that connects the differential to the other tire I dont know whats it is called doesnt turn which must mean that the gears in differential aren't turning or are chiped or something.

I don't see how an auto-hub failure could cause this problem? If both of the driveshafts were turning, but one WHEEL wasn't, then yes, it could be a hub. By my read, he's saying that if it was in the air on stands and you engaged the 4wd, the front driveshaft will turn with the rear. Then, the driver's side axle shaft will turn, the passenger side will not. The only way this can happen is if the spider gear(s) went ka-flooey. It's quite possible. The only way to know for sure is to tear into it and see.

(Memory's fuzzy.... is there a cover on the front you can pull on the TTB?)

-Joe

 

[Tony H]

I'm still a bit confused what Mitch is calling the Driveshaft and the axles.
Mitch is there any hard Banging at all while you are driving in 4WD? especially if you turn the steering wheel. (That would force the Spider gears to come into play)

 

[mitch]

im calling the thing that comes out of the front diff. houseing and connects to the transfer case the front driveshaft and the thing that comes out of the back of the transfer case and connects to the rear diff houseing the rear driveshaft
no there is no loud banging at all when im in four wheel drive
it looks like thats what im going to have to do jigoecam

 

[Foggman]

I think I have a similar problem...I have a 94 explorer sport with a manaul 5spd, lifted 4 inches but with all stock gears and hubs, etc. I noticed tonight that I am getting a slight clicking noise coming from my front end. I can only hear it when I am going around 5 mph and coasting in neutral. and it is worse when it is turned hard to the right. My first instinct is that it is a auto locking hub problem, so I put it in 4 wheel and drove real slow so I could get the same noise but no noise. I then shifted out of 4 wheel and tried to get the noise again to pin point it and I got no noise. Does that sound like a hub issue? I dont think it could possibly be a U joint issue because I only hear it in 2 wheel and then didn't hear it at all after stifting from 2 to 4 wheel and back again. Only other thing wrong I see is that pretty much the entire left axle shat from the differential to the outer u joint is wet with fluid....I'm guessing that I have a bad seal in my differential. Any thoughts?

 

[BabyTJX96]

Just throwing in my two-bits worth here, but based on a past experience with my 1994 Supercab F-150 4x4 with the indash control autohubs, there are a couple of relay switches on the transfer case which can either burn out, be damaged in use or simply loose contact due to mud, moisture, etc. I don't know if the Explorers share the same setup, but it's worth checking. I disconnected/reconnected and WD-40'd those on the F-150, and the next time I pushed the dash control, the problem disappeared completely. Be aware though, that those relays are extremely expensive to replace, so expect wallet shock if you have to go that route.