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Yes, I have seen guzzle's webpage many times but I still haven't pulled apart my auto hub. I thought it was working after I changed the unit bearing but in reality I didn't try to manually lock it and then test the auto function, I left it in auto and tested it like that and everything worked. I jacked up the front end Monday night to check the u joints and manually locked them a d then passengers side wouldn't unlock after multiple attempts via the dash switch. So I pulled it and discovered the problem. Even if I can't repair it I probably won't by a new one until next winter, if I leave it in auto it works fine.
It takes some time but I would recommend starting with the least expensive (possible) fix. Ford considers these units non-serviceable although guzzle's procedure works well. There are fragile parts in there so don't rush through it or you'll need a new auto-locking hub for sure. All it costs is time and up to about $30 (some spray cleaner, some spray lubricant, a new o-ring if yours is too stretched, and a beer). After that the price goes up: about $100 if you want to buy a used OEM auto-locking hub (no o-ring or snap ring), about $150 for a Dorman one, or over $300 for a new OEM one.
Originally Posted by DidieX
The driver's side is a Spicer and the passenger side seems to be some no name off brand. I'm guessing the drivers side is probably still original.
I used a non-Spicer u-joint once...and only once. I was in a pinch and had to have a u-joint (front passenger side axle) that afternoon. Bought a 'premium' house brand u-joint from a local auto parts store. For only $5 cheaper than a Spicer I would have thought that it would have some decent quality...nope. The Spicer parts fit perfectly (stands to reason since they make the axle) and the Chinese knock-off I had was a bear to install and didn't last long (surprised? I didn't think so).
Just ordered all the parts I listed above. I went with a lubelocker gasket and I'm going to reuse the existing cover, no good reason to swap it out. Has really good reviews and for 20 bucks I think it's worth it to save a little time. Total for everything was almost $300. I'm also going to do new rotors, I thought I could get away with just doing pads but I'm getting pulsing above 35 mph when I brake. So figure another $120 for rotors (going to get them locally to save the approximately $35 it would have cost to ship). And plus about $300 that I'm already into this axle from the passenger side unit bearing and seals.
I love those magnets also. Good tool box fodder. If my memory serves me, you have to be mindful which direction you point the grease fitting so that you can actually use it when installed.
I love those magnets also. Good tool box fodder. If my memory serves me, you have to be mindful which direction you point the grease fitting so that you can actually use it when installed.
You are correct! I just did both bearing units, stub shafts, u-joints, pads, rotors, and calipers. You definitely want the grease zerks pointed inward so you can grease them. If you face them out, then the steering knuckle will prevent you from getting a grease gun on the fitting.
Here's the recap of the work, it wasn't easy but with a little help from a mechanic friend I got it done in one day.
I starting pulling off the drivers side unit bearing first. The hub seal was starting to crack and came apart when I tried removing the axle. The unit bearing was fine, the needle bearing were all intact and smoothly spinning. It looks like it was replaced by the PO and it seemed to be a timken unit (I think).
I got a surprise though, the upper ball joint was totally shot. I wasn't expecting that but luckily my mechanic friend was able to get me a grease-able set (moog) locally. He also pressed them in for me.
Then I got to the passenger side. I only had one hub seal. My thoughts were that the passenger side seal was new so it would pop right out. Well I was wrong and after struggling with it for a while I got a tip from NicMike that worked like a charm. A crowbar to the u joint area with a block of wood behind it popped it right out. My mechanic friend then swapped in both of the u joints for me. Both of the old u joints only moved in one axis, they were seized pretty good where the inner axle connects.
The rest of the job I did alone.
I pulled the diff apart, getting the carrier out was not easy. What finally got it was using leverage in 2 spots at the same time, behind the bolts for the ring gear, and against the carrier next to the spider gear, being careful not to push on the gears themselves. The gears looked to be in excellent shape with no chips or cracks or anything of the sort, they looked great for a 15 year old vehicle but this is the first time I've pulled a diff apart so what do I know.
Next came removing the old oil seals. I used the handle from my floor jack to pop them out inward. At first they wouldn't budge. You have to first remove the white plastic guides by pushing them out from the inside (away from the diff) and only then can you bang on the oil seal by pushing them inward towards the diff. Then I used the tool from NicMike to press in the new seals, I went until the tool bottomed out against the diff.
I started putting everything back together, getting the carrier back in was a major PITA. I finally got it in enough to catch a few threads on all four of the bolts and then I slowly tightened them a few threads at a time, alternating from one side to the other to get it all the way in. But then I had trouble getting the axles in. They were in enough for the splines to engage the spider gears but they were still not fully seated in the hub. The hub seal was all the way back on the stub shaft but it was still blocking the vacuum port. Even using the hub seal driver (thanks NicMike), they were still out about a half inch too much. So I ended up slipping the unit bearings back on and I used the strength of the impact driver driving the nuts on in back of the spindle to pull the axles all the way in. I wonder if this was caused by the inner oil seals being driven in too far. Although, the axles are way tighter then they ever were (ZERO play in the stub shaft) after everything was put back together
I installed new rotors. After installing just new brake pads (when I did the passenger side unit bearing a month ago) I was still getting a little bit of vibration under braking above 35 mph and upon checking yesterday the old rotors were just a little warped. So new ones went on.
So here I was, after a loooong day of working on the Ex on only jack stands (it was already dark out and I was using a flashlight). All I had left to do was put the brake pads back on and bolt up the calipers and I could wrap it up for the night. But I just had to try and make that last caliper bolt as tight as humanly possible and whatdya know, I snapped it! What a way to end the day. At least it was the only real snafu I had all day and it was only 6 bucks for a new caliper pin and bolt which I popped in today after work.
So in the last year I've replaced in in the front axle:
About a year ago: both passenger side ball joints, passenger side shock, passenger side tie rod.
About a month or so ago: passenger side unit bearing, hub seal, dust seal, brake pads.
And yesterday: both u joints, inner oil seals, drivers side hub seal and dust seal, both thrust washers and rotors, new gear oil.
I still need to take apart the passenger side auto hub as it doesn't return to the auto position when you turn the handle from auto to lock and back to auto. Only way to do it is to remove the auto hub and push the plastic outward from the inside. But that'll be for another day.
Big reps to NicMike for lending me the axle seal tools and for the tip on removing the axle without damaging the hub seal, and to my mechanic friend for pressing in the new ball joint and installing the new u joints.
Includes a handy parts and vendor chart in the beginning and pics as it goes
Nice threads, lots of good info and pics.
I pulled apart, cleaned and re-greased, both esof hubs yesterday and they were both in perfect working order. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention when I thought one wasn't working right. Problem is, they still won't u lock when in auto. I threaded wire through the vacuum lines and into the port on the spindle and everything is clear. They lock up almost instantly but they won't unlock.
I find it odd that it would fail now, when I changed out the passenger side hub in the previous repair job, I tested everything when it was still on the jackstands and everything worked perfectly, they locked and unlocked almost instantly. I suspect the solenoid (pvh?) May have gone bad. I'm going to do some more testing when I get the chance, i checked with the vacuum gauge thingamajig but I don't think k I waited long enough after switching the dash switch to 4 high before turning it back to 2 wd.
You are correct, Didi. The solenoid is your most likely culprit. I have been in the boonies the last week @ the farm....just got home. Tools arrived safe. I have a spare solenoid...should have sent it with the tools...
You are correct, Didi. The solenoid is your most likely culprit. I have been in the boonies the last week @ the farm....just got home. Tools arrived safe. I have a spare solenoid...should have sent it with the tools...
If I'd have known the solenoid was bad before then maybe, but it was working perfectly until now. I ordered a new one (Dorman, which I'm not crazy about) for $31 shipped from rockauto. Hopefully this will be the last part I need for a while for the front end, I want to have this thread solved once and for all.
I believe timken may be the OEM supplier, when I took apart the differential, the inner seals were timken so it was either replaced already once by the po or they are the OEM.
So......I'm still having trouble with the hubs not unlocking, new solenoid doesn't change anything. I used the ESOF troubleshooting guide someone linked here on the forums. If I ground out the pin for lock or unlock the solenoid activates. If I use Forscan with my laptop and trigger lock or unlock the solenoid activates. But I only see anything vacuum pressure in the lock mode, it holds steady when the solenoid is activated and drops right off when the solenoid opens. Unlock shows nothing, via grounding the pin, using my laptop to trigger it or using the dash switch, I hear it click but nothing else. There is constant vacuum being supplied to the solenoid.
I'm totally lost here. Either the unlock pressure is so weak that a tiny leak somewhere and it won't hold or there's something else going on. According to the troubleshooting guide, unlock is weaker then lock but not by so much that I won't see anything at all.
