Symptoms of Bad Autolocking Hubs?

[dsfii93sport]

What are some symptoms of having a bad autolocking hub?

 

[TSTONE]

buzzing from front when driving / clunking fromt front axle / not engaging

what are you experiencing?

 

[dsfii93sport]

Prob something I dont want to experience! haha... When I put in 4WD it works fine so It seems. But if I switch to Low - I heard some griding like gears grinding in the front somewhere?

 

[TSTONE]

a certain amount of gear engagement noise is normal - if your 4wd is working it's working, if you've never done a tcase flush it may be time or atleast check and top off

 

[dsfii93sport]

Im not familiar w/ all this 4x4 stuff so could some name the parts for me... Obviously theres the engine, and then the manual transmissions connect directly to the engine. From there the tranny goes into a "? transfer case ?" which sends power through a drive shaft to the rear transaxle and another to the front transaxle?? Is this right? Which ones if all get fluid changes?

 

[FordLover]

Im not familiar w/ all this 4x4 stuff so could some name the parts for me... Obviously theres the engine, and then the manual transmissions connect directly to the engine. From there the tranny goes into a "? transfer case ?" which sends power through a drive shaft to the rear transaxle and another to the front transaxle?? Is this right? Which ones if all get fluid changes?

youve got it right, the transfer case connects directly to the back of the transmission. A driveshaft to the front and rear come out of the Transfer case. ALL componets need the fluid checked/changed, with the exception of the driveshafts. Engine, tranny, transfer case, and front/rear differentials

 

[glfredrick]

You are going to hear different noises when fully engaged into 4x4 - expecially low range. Your front axle is now pulling, and if you are on hard surfaces, it may bind or drag somewhat because of a slight difference in wheel speeds between the front and rear axles. This is pretty normal.

I would check to make sure that your front wheel bearings are all packed and in good shape - I would check the fluid level in your front differential (just pull the plug and dip your little finger in the hole - if you can touch oil it is good - if not, fill it till it runs out of the plug hole, then replace the plug).

It is also possible that the small bearings that reside behind the spindles have gone south. They are intended to guide the axle shaft as it passes through the spindle to the hubs, and they can go bad after few romps in the mud. They are not difficult to replace, and are not all that expensive (probably around $10 each side). You have to pull the front brake caliper, the rotor, bearings (perfect time to re-pack them!), and then the spindle to get at that bearing (it rests inside the rear of the spindle and it also has a small seal - which faces outwards of the bearing).

 

[DeRocha]

U-Joints...The Wheel U-joints commonly get frozen / rusted over time and will put a strain on the front end (specifically the needle bearings within the Spindle).