Yep that's what you do. Get out, lock 'em in, get back in and push the button. The good thing once the hubs are locked you can shift the t-case in and out going down the road where as if you did that with auto hubs bad things would happen!

 

Yep, that's exactly what you do. The hubs and the transfer case are completely independent of each other. It doesn't matter whether which one is manual or automatic, they all work together.

Then I wouldn't hesitate one bit to change those things out ASAP. Honestly I'm surprised they haven't failed on you already.

 

This truck has done some really tough stuff and never failed me in the past. Its' best accomplishment was pulling a loaded one ton Chevy out of a snowy ditch bank.

P.S. I have shifted in/out of 4WD on the fly hundreds of times with no grief. Is my truck just an exception to the norm? What is a recommended manual hub to install? Expected cost range? Can I leave the manual hubs locked while NOT in 4WD all the time without bad results? Certainly a maintenance item to think about...

 

I haven't compiled any statistics, but if you search this forum for "failed auto hubs" you will find many, many hits. Given that having your 4wd system fail on you is a recipe for getting stuck in the middle of nowhere and you would have to replace them anyway after they failed, it's just worth it (IMO of course) to replace them up front and save the aggravation and headache.

Milemarker and Warn are good brands for manual hubs. Either one will cost you about $100.

You can leave them locked in but there is a gas mileage penalty. It's probably in the 1-2 MPG range. However, it causes no damage to leave them locked in year-round if you want. There are people who will claim you will wear out your front end, but I've never heard of anyone wearing out a front axle beyond normal wear and tear (ball joints, u-joints, etc.)

 

Usually with auto hubs, if you shift into 4WD while going over, say, 20mph the t-case grinds like crazy till it finally catches because the front shaft is at 0mph, doesn't affect the auto hubs any. If your truck doesn't grind it IS an exception, but that still doesn't make it OK to continue doing it. You can leave the manual hubs locked in forever if you want. It may hurt the mileage a bit, wear the tires a wee bit faster, feel funky while making tight turns on dry pavement, and vibrate a little over 80, but other than that nothing bad will happen. However I know you won't do that.
I have a 94 I'm parting out and I robbed the hubs and rotors off of and it had autolocks on it so I thought I would try them on my 89. When I go into 4WD I just stop, shift t-case, then go. I like not having to get out and lock the hubs. But I also know there limits. I WILL KILL THEM SOMEDAY, not on purpose of course. One thing I don't like about autolocks is if you want the low side of the t-case without 4WD (like when starting a really heavy load) you always get the front end too. Then you have to back up 10 feet or so to get them dis-engaged when you are done. I will be going back to manual hubs when I get around to it.
As far as hub brands, I like OEM Ford hubs. You can usually get some from the JY for a song and sing it yourself, but make sure and get ALL the parts associated with the hub. Nuts, springs, keepers, etc.

 

Thanks guys. Is this cost per set or each? Think I'll do this before winter.

 

I did buy a set of MileMakers for my 90 3 years ago and they were only 50 something a set but they were the cheap ones. Go with something premium if you are going to use your truck heavy. $100 a set ain't bad for something you can depend on.

 

What's supposed to happen is that when you're moving and hit the button to request (yes it's a request, and it can be denied!) the controller to shift to 4H, it first engages a magnetic clutch to spin the front driveline up to speed. The auto hubs mechanically engage as the front axles begin turning, and when the speed sensor in the transfer case reports the front output shaft has reached the same speed as the rear, the controller actuates the shift motor to make the actual gear change into 4H. When the position encoder on the back of the motor reports that the shift mechanism is in the 4H position, the magnetic clutch is disengaged, the controller energizes the "4x4" light and the sequence is complete.

What usually happens in my experience is the auto hubs fail to engage, but the controller has no way of knowing this so it completes the shift anyway and all that racket comes from the hubs tearing themselves up.

You can make any combination of auto/manual t-case and auto/manual hubs that you'd like. I prefer manual everything, if for no other reason than the simplicity of it all. No sensors, no controller, no wiring... just a lever and some dials. Don't get me wrong... I ain't against electronics or anything and I work in process automation as a PLC programmer. It's just that electronics have their place and a 4x4 system AIN'T one of them!

I have these:
http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-...rsion-kit.html
and they have yet to fail on me.

 

My 90 F150 and my 94 F250 both came from the factory with auto hubs and manual t-cases. And I have never heard of the "magnetic clutch" thing in a pickup. But hey, sounds like it would be cool!

 

Alright... I've updated my post above yours.

As for the clutch... look at <a href=http://www.southwestgear.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypag e.tpl&product_id=950&category_id=20&option=com_vir tuemart&Itemid=2>this</a href> exploded diagram, part 154. That's the clutch coil which is similar to the ones used with the electromagnetic clutch on an a/c compressor. Parts 147, 152, 154, and some of the stuff between them, make up the clutch assembly.

 

So I know nothing about changing hubs. I had the rotors replaced by a reputable (?) shop last year which included removing/reinstalling the hubs. I stopped by his shop yesterday to inquire what he would charged to change the hubs from auto to manual. He looked at me and in all honesty said, "Are you crazy? If you do that you will burn up the differential in no time and probably the transfer case as well. I won't do the work because then I would be liable." I politely thanked him for his "sage" advice and went my way.

How difficult is this procedure for someone who has never cracked a hub open?

 

Well I'll be dipity-doo! I have 7 books that show BW t-cases and not a one of them showed that. I printed that out and put it in every one of them. I have learned something worthwhile today. Thank you.

 

It's easy! You'll need:

-The appropriate spindle nut sockets. A 4-prong for the new nuts, and the old nuts used with your auto hubs should be just a regular hex nut.

-New spindle nuts and lock ring for each hub.

-GOOD snap ring pliers

-A set of picks

-A set of allen wrenches for the cap screws

All you do jack the front axle up (because you'll be removing the spindle nuts) and take apart the auto hubs until you get down to the outer hub bearing. On my truck, converting to manual hubs consisted of replacing the original spindle nuts with new ones, 2 per hub. The inner one is a preload nut, then the lock ring goes in next, and last is the lock nut. These nuts do have torque specs. Next in is the hub body, 2 snap rings, and then the cap to seal it all up.

You're welcome! When I replaced my failed electric t-case with a manual one that I rebuilt, I saved the clutch coil from the electric case. I thought it would be really powerful, but I powered it up one day and was quite disappointed. Oh well... still love my manual t-case and manual hubs!

 

Than makes sense that it wasn't very powerful. If it was it would be like reaching down and jerking the manual lever in. Not pretty!

 

Well, actually since you put it that way it does make sense. It only has to spin the front driveline enough to engage the auto hubs, then once they're locked the front drivetrain would be up to speed. The fact that it's actually powerful enough to do that even when the auto hubs won't lock shows it has power to spare for it's intended application!

Good point.