I have a 96 with the 3 bolt auto hubs. I've read all the posts on here and several other forums about how the hubs suck. I'm about to replace with manual hubs.I've tested the 4 wheel drive system and i know I have one hub not locking in, therefore I have a big red two wheel drive. what do I look for inside the hub that will tell me that it's broken? The working hub and the broken look the same. Nothing looks broken or worn excessively. I have cleaned them as they had a ton of grease in them from previous owner.I want to make sure it's not something in the axle shaft or bearings or races. i don't want to change to manuals only to have them not work because of something else. The axle shaft spins and the grooves (splines ?) don't look too worn on the either side.Again, I'm changing to manuals soon just want to make sure I'm not missing anything that could cause my 4 wheel drive not to work. My transfer case locks in. Drive shaft spins, front axle spins, axle shaft on the side with the broken hub spins and won't pull. Any Ideas? __________________

 

pull the Hub off and manunally push the lock in.... with a screw driver or something of coruse with it jacked up... if you push it in then it should start spining

 

The auto hubs usually strip out on the i.d.

The autohubs are really the weak link in the system so its very unlikely the hubs are good and a shaft/carrier side gear is bad unless broken hubs were swapped out for new ones and he didn't tell you about the internal damage. Since you say the shafts turn along with the d-shaft and the slip in the long side is in good shape this is most probably not the case and you do infact have bad hubs.

Swap them out and never look back. I will almost guarantee you will break the slip joint in the long side or one of the 3 ujoints before a hub gives up. -considering reasonable tire size for the axle of course.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I'll be swapping them out for manuals soon.

 

thats a VERYY smart move.... those auto hubs dont even make good paper weights

 

I made the swap this past weekend. Pretty easy job with the right tools. I didn't have a pick set so I made some picks out of clothes hangers and small screw drivers with a grinding wheel. I finally have four wheel drive and can't wait until the next rain storm and hitting some muddy alabama dirt roads

 

Good job bud. I bought a little pick set (4 different picks) from HF this past weekend for .99. Its not something you use regularly but for $1 Ill throw it in the tool box and wont get mad if they bend or break.


Xtr3me HARDCOR3!

 

exactly!

Double truf!

 

If they are anything like Miler Marker you aren't supposed to put greese in the hubs. I don't know why, maybe someone here would ? But since they have a lifetime warrenty I could care less about doing any maintence on them. When one stops working it's MM's problem, not mine.