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I finally got around to having my hubs replaced (with oem),........ for the last six months they were becoming harder and harder to turn by hand. I pulled one of them off to investigate, and found that the interior of the hub and actuator were covered in a thin film of rust creating the **** to bind while rotating. Night and day difference now. And once I got home after the repair, I pulled them off again out of curiosity, and sure enough, the dealership never even cleaned or wiped out the residual rust inside the bore where the hub assembly mounts to. I cleaned it up myself, applied new grease and reassembled. I'm going to assume the rust began as a result of the truck being transported (to Wisconsin) on the car carrier truck and endured a lot of salt spray? IDK, but all is good....... for now.
I’m having a problem figuring out how the hubs got salt spray when the truck was on a carrier and not even touching the road. Am I missing or mis-reading something?
Are you positive it is rust? It's a well documented fact that brake dust collects in the hubs and eventually prevents their turning. There are a couple videos on how to remove, clean and reinstall hubs that suffer from this.
The OE hubs do not seal out moisture, there is a thread about water pouring out of them after going through a car wash. This isn't a new issue and goes back to 2005. Its best to pull them and grease them and reinstall and periodically engage them.
I’m having a problem figuring out how the hubs got salt spray when the truck was on a carrier and not even touching the road. Am I missing or mis-reading something?
Follow a rig in a snow storm at with temperatures between about 20-35F and you'll figure it out...
Are you positive it is rust? It's a well documented fact that brake dust collects in the hubs and eventually prevents their turning. There are a couple videos on how to remove, clean and reinstall hubs that suffer from this.
Well, its brown, pitted the metal on the machined inner hub surface...............looks like rust to me. Either way it was contaminating the hub operation.
Follow a rig in a snow storm at with temperatures between about 20-35F and you'll figure it out...
LOL. I was working a job site back in the day, and we received a couple of skids... air filtration tanks/valves/piping and some electrical controls, I think it was... and they shipped from OK to MA in February. On an open trailer. With no covering. Man we were pissed... took a day to clean the salt, dirt, and ice off them.
It's somewhat disconcerting to know these hubs are so fragile they can become compromised by water and salt during transit or in a carwash, let alone driving on a wet road or through standing water.
I have these hub locks and they are very nice. Smooth operation, fully cast zinc dial. These make use of all six retaining screws, and that may end up eliminating the leak issue of the three screw factory ****.
My truck doesn't have esof so it didn't matter, but you will lose the functionality.
It's somewhat disconcerting to know these hubs are so fragile they can become compromised by water and salt during transit or in a carwash, let alone driving on a wet road or through standing water.
I agree. Blown smokes hubs looked worse than what I would expect to find opening up a 70s axle at the junk yard. Much worse. I don't get it.
i wonder if rain water gets in em.
I discovered this a while ago, you guys gotta try it. Spray or wipe soapy water on the hub (real bubbly) and watch the center part that says "FORD", as you turn the **** you will see bubbles foaming out. I was told its from the tight o-rings inside pushing out the air through the soap and making bubbles. Unreal too.
I have these hub locks and they are very nice. Smooth operation, fully cast zinc dial. These make use of all six retaining screws, and that may end up eliminating the leak issue of the three screw factory ****.
My truck doesn't have esof so it didn't matter, but you will lose the functionality.
Another plus with aftermarket hubs is you can engage to "2 Lo" without the front axle engaged, real nice at boat ramps.
Another plus with aftermarket hubs is you can engage to "2 Lo" without the front axle engaged, real nice at boat ramps.
Yes, it's a very nice feature. I spent 30 minutes wiring up a relay, and now my ESOF has a 2-low option.
If something happens to the ESOF on my truck, I am replacing the hubs with the Warn units.
Much worse. I don't get it. 
