When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1986 F-150, 4x4, 4.9 six, manual trans and transfer case.
So, I did the breaks on this truck back 5 years ago ... worked great ... no problems with the hubs (first time I had done them).
Had to get the safety inspection done today. They said it needed breaks. Fine ... I got lazy (and I am in the middle of building a new workshop) ... told them just to do them.
I just went to check and make sure they left the the hubs in "free".
When I rotate the selector on the but, the enter moved a bit (in the picture I found it is called the "retainer ****-hub ring").
It goes from lock to free with no problem but I can grab the housing and move it a bit.
I know it was a lot tighter when I did it.
Is it suppose to have some movement?
Could it be the retainer o-ring is worn out (but why did it not move when I did it ... and I used it just last week)?
Maybe I used too think of grease and they didn't (I remember it being "sticky" for a while after I put it together .... I used synthetic mobile one grease when I did it).
The place has never done me wrong ... and they are a "brake and muffler" shop .... just worried because if was not like this when I took it in ... maybe is should have been?
They will get loose if that o-ring is lost or worn out. But it won't affect their operation.
Grease is a bad idea for hubs if you live where it gets really cold. It gets too thick and can interfere with the hub operation. If you notice, all the hub does is push that toothed ring up inside to engage the OD and ID and drive the axle. But the lockout hub does not release the toothed ring. It just gets out of the way when you unlock the hubs. There is a spring behind the toothed ring that pushes it back out to release the hubs, and if the grease is too thick it doesn't have enough power to push the ring out.
After 35 years, I am sure the o-ring is dead (think that is why I used grease around the hub) ... or as you said, they may have not even bothered putting it back on ... or it may have broken.
I assume the o-ring just keeps out dirt?
Do you (or anyone) have a part number for the o-ring? I should put new ones in this summer .. before I start plowing and get sh#& in the hubs.
Thanks for the tip on the grease! I live in Vermont ... I have had mornings of -30 ... and yes the hub locks didn't want to move.
Not a pretty truck ... lots of body filler and fliberglass .. even the plow has rust holes ... but it passed inspection again !!!!!!!!!!
That old 300 still pushes snow and will haul one heck of a load of stone!
I am just starting to build a 3500 sq ft workshop ... it will get a workout.
Don't know where you would get the o-rings. I got tired of mine rattling when I went over bumps, so I wrapped electrical tape around it a couple of times. Surprisingly that worked well and stayed on there. I took it off once to service something, and it had sealed out the crud pretty good. But I was mainly looking to make the rattle go away, which it did that too.
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Slideshow: The VelociRaptor Expedition gains a lift, upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and trail-ready equipment while retaining the stock 440-horsepower EcoBoost V6.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
