I know that to activate 4x4, you need to lock your hubs and engage the transfer case. Can you drive around with the wheels locked but the truck in 2wd?

 

Yes you can, assuming your u-joints are in good condition and try to minimize turns to the steering stop. I rarely have my hubs unlocked in the winter.

 

mine on my f250 are never unlocked...cept maybe a few times in the summer.

 

You can, but keep in mind it will cause a decrease in MPG and an increase in wear on the front end parts and drivetrain. It also can cause the vehicle to handle differently than with the hubs unlocked when you get close to full lock on the steering wheel. The best thing to do is leave the hubs unlocked until times you THINK you might need to engage 4wd. Snow on the ground and on your way out, going out four wheeling, etc. Then just engage 4wd as needed with the transfer case lever. As soon as you don't need 4wd, shift back to 2wd, and as soon as you are back out of the woods, or the roads are clear and dry again, then unlock the hubs.

 

try to minimize turns to the steering stop.
What do you mean by that?

 

While I'm thinking about it, you should be locking your hubs once a month or so anyways, if you don't use them often, to keep everything lubricated and moving freely.

 

By that I mean, minimize turning the wheel all the way to the left or the right to minimize the stress you're putting on the u-joints.

 

thanks bud

 

Yes, if you think you'll need 4wd, you can lock in and drive in 2wd

 

Dang, I started to reply but walked away for a minute

 

I'm sorry, but some of this is untrue and I want to explain why to try to clear up some of the myths involved with the front hubs. By the way, if you've never noticed, watch a Dodge's front axles when it is set in motion in 2wd. Other manufacturers don't use hubs that can be unlocked; they are always engaged.

I have seen no difference in gas mileage between having my hubs locked and unlocked, and I always check my gas mileage every fill up. Since the front end does not have a locker in it, it creates no woes when turning. I object to the accusation that it wears front end components prematurely; rather, I believe that it promotes even wear and long life. In cases where 4wd is rarely used, the front end components sit in one position all the time, which means there is no fluid or lubrication being pushed around and parts can seize. It is good for it to be locked at least monthly, regardless of whether or not you use 4wd. I generally lock the hubs for a week and drive around like that (mind you I don't drive the truck all that often) and then I'll go for a drive with the hubs unlocked, but the transfer case engaged for a few miles.

 

This is BAD!!! If hubs not locked transfer case should never be put in 4wd... Mfr clearly states this and warns damage can occur....


The rest is more preference and experiences.... The trucks are designed to have hubs locked and driven in 2wd or 4wd mode... Driving with hubs locked allow you to switch from 2wd to 4wd without stopping to lock hubs.

 

Don't the auto hubs automatically lock going forward down the road like you had the manual hubs locked in?

 

i beleave so

 

Let me clarify why what you think may be myths are actually not myths but realities...

Starting with the Dodge axle, the drivers side front wheel is permanently connected to an axle shaft which runs to the differential. The passengers side has a two piece axle, one half permanently connected to the wheel, one half connected to the differential. The two halves are connected together for 4WD by a vacuum assembly. In 2WD, the axle disconnect keeps the two passenger side axle halves independent. The driver side axle happily spins the side gear in the differential, but because the differential is open and there is no solid connection on the passenger side, the side gear simply spins the diff's spider gears, which then spin the passenger side inner axle shaft backwards.

With the exception of the old NNP203 fulltime setup or the later explorers and such that used AWD, 4WD's today have some sort of unlocking system, whether its vacuum, electro servo, torque loading hubs, or manual hubs. Now I will be one of the first to admit that at times I wonder WTF the manufacturers were thinking when they designed something, I also know that for the most part they don't just go and spend money for the heck of it. Lock-out hubs are in that category. If there was no wear issues, handling issues, etc. the manufacturers would not waste the money, time, and manpower to try and come up with unlocking hubs. In the case of automatic systems, those are designed with soccer moms in mind that just want to be able to push a button and have 4wd without having to get out and lock the hubs in, but if full time hubs were the way to go, they would just put the button on the dash and lock up the hubs and forget wasting money on vacuum modules, servos, etc.

With the hubs locked, you are spinning both the axle shafts, the front driveshaft, and the internals inside the transfer case. Each of those items takes a little bit of energy to spin, that is energy that could be spent moving the truck down the road. While it may seem minimal, over time it does add up. Now on the old full time system, the T-case actually used a differential assembly inside it, with hubs locked all the time. On those, going to a lockout kit would raise your fuel mileage by 2-3mpg, as I found out on my 78 Bronco. On the newer systems, there is not as much drag, but even at 3/4 mpg difference, if you drive only 5000 miles per year, at $3.00 per gallon thats an extra $100 bucks in your pocket. Plus, there's an old saying in racing that free horsepower is the best horsepower. This falls in the same category. To get that extra hundred in your pocket, all you have to do is unlock the hubs that are already there (unless you are one of the people who happen to have auto hubs that are sticking)

While a locker in a front end can be a unique experience, especially if you are off roading and overpower the throttle (at that point, you are not steering, you are aiming and hoping it goes in that direction, LOL) the steering issues come in from the U-joint spinning while the hubs are locked and being at the extreme end of its pivot capability. Each the u-joint goes to roll over, it has to actually reduce the angle between the shafts so it can do so, when it forces the angle reduction, the wheels will momentarily try and turn back in the opposite direction just a hair and it will also try and turn the wheel back in your hands a bit.

Anytime you have moving parts, you are going to get wear. If oil and lube was perfect, we would never have to rebuild a motor or have cranks turned for .010 bearings, etc. In the case of the front end, not only are you spinning the ring and pinion against each other and the bearings inside the front end. But in the case of the u-joints you are also putting alot of stress and wear on them, especially when turning. Each time you turn, the u-joint body places a side load against the needle bearings inside the caps, and in the hard lock turns, the needle bearings are literally being hammered by the body. If wear wasn't an issue, consider this, if you needed a replacement part from the JY would you buy one with 100,000 miles or the one with only 10,000 miles on it?

VERY GOOD POINT!! Locking the hubs in and then driving around in 2wd will allow the gear oil to climb and cover the ring and pinion and bearings, and will rotate the needle bearings inside the u-joint and move the grease around, giving good coating on the needle bearings and u-joint shafts.

A week is a bit excessive, even for one that sits. All you really need is to get the fluids moving and coated on everything. A couple trips around the block, or driving to work one morning with them engaged once a month is really all you need.

This is not good to do and does nothing to lube any parts. The T-case is fully lubed when driven in 2WD, and the rest is lubed from the hubs spinning the front diff and driveshaft. When in 4WD your torque load is placed against the face of the gear tooth, which is the tooth's strongest point. The problem with locking the case and not the hubs is each time you let off the throttle you take all the rotational force coming from the spinning parts and shock load it against the ring and pinion in its weakest area, the backside of the teeth.

One last thing, I see you are in Afghanistan right now, so watch your A$$!! and get back home safe! If you make it down to SC, the beers on me


The automatic hubs depend on torque from the axle to overcome a spring and lock in, once engaged, they will (in theory) stay engaged until the torque is released, the spring assembly will then unlock them again.