Hello all! First time posting, hope I can find what I'm looking for. I bought a 2000 Excursion XLT, 4x4 with the 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel back in the fall. Here in Indiana the winter is getting bad, not exactly the best time to find out your 4x4 doesn't work! My 4x4 light comes on, but I can tell I'm not in four wheel drive. I've read that on the diesels that the fix could be a simple vacuum line. Anybody else have this problem and have a fix for me?

 

Have you tried manually locking the hubs?

 

Tried a while back, but they wouldn't budge. Is there a trick to it? It's the first vehicle I've had with locking hubs.

 

Sounds to me like you might need to start with this http://www.frontiernet.net/~jmray/F250HubService.htm

 

or some of these.


https://www.warn.com/truck/hubs/premium_hubs.shtml

 

Or our own tech folder:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...ml#post3185334

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ml#post8110598

and a video
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post13757216

 

And then there's that lol

 

I tried the defroster/vent test, when I put it in 4x4 my vent doesn't go back to the default defrost setting, so it seems I don't have a problem with any vacuum related parts. From what I've researched I think I'll have to replace the hubs, which sucks because they don't sound cheap... 💩💩💩

 

W/S Fire : WELCOME to the world of XXXs
You will find a lot of us junk the factory Auto Locking hub & go with the warn or Mile Marker manual locking hubs. I personally use the M/M 449SS. You can find them on Ebay as cheap $75 pair if not in a hurry to $150 all day long.

 

What part of ind are you in I am in Chicago south sub if need be we can meet up have you checked the seals at the hubs. Very common leak good luck

 

If you remove the hubs put them on a bench vice with a rag around them so not to hurt them and clean the face of the hub their is a rubber o ring that get full of junk and will give you a hard time turning them I also cut two 1/4 square stock bars to put on the face with a vice grip to help give help moving it

 

Everyone has a different way of doing things but if it was me (and it has been), I would definitely do the hub service. If you end up replacing them you gotta take them out anyway-right?-so worse case you got a practice run. I could hardly move mine on one side--took it apart, cleaned and lubed and it works pretty well. They may still be tight after you clean them but usually free up more as you work with them. There are also those that have siezed up and then its new hub lock time. My 4x4 light was on but the hubs were not locking. Unlike you I could manually lock them so I did. Took it to the dealer who told me the back seals in the hubs were bad==a poultry $800 to fix which I did not do. Simply because I thought the heat/ac doors were a little slow, I went ahead and replaced the vacuum hub lock solenoid. It's about 50-60 bucks. Guess whose hubs now auto lock?

Also I keep a big pair of needle nose pliers with a 90 degree bend at the end. You can get them at Harbor Freight for a few bucks. They're quick to grab out of the console and if you are careful you won't scar up the plastic on the hub lock. As you probably know, just about everything is on Youtube. I'd never had locking hubs either until this past Nov when I bought mine. Now I am a Master Tech

 

Appreciate the tips fellas, I think it's a little late for this 4 wheel drive season but I'll give all these a shot when it warms up (the drawbacks of not having a garage) and let you know how it works out!

 

So you say replacing the solenoid fixed yours? I looked that up on YouTube and looks pretty easy, it may be worth $60 to give that a shot if so.

 

You don't need a garage. Take the cap off the wheel, squeeze and pull the metal ring out. Yank the hub off and go inside the warm house to service it. They both come off in about 10 minutes and install takes less. Don't even have to jack it up. I got good at servicing mine but they still failed me. Now I have mile markers but would have been happy to keep esof if it didn't die.