Hey i just have a quick question.... i have a 97 F-250 psd 4*4 w/ automatic locking hubs... it has the independant front, and i was wondering if there was a way to see if the hubs were locking... (obviousely going off roading would see if it works!!) but if there is another way to physically check it that would be great! i had a friend of mine drive it a little while i checked to see if the front axle was spinning and it seemed to be... although id did seem like one side caught before the second.... (prob just cause it only gives power to 1 wheel at a time) but i am not 100% sure... any input would be appreciated... thanks in advance....

 

anyone? any ideas would be great!!

 

With the truck off, transfer case in 2WD, parking brake on, etc...

Wriggle under the truck and spin the front driveshaft by hand, noting which way to spin it to make the front halfshafts try to spin the wheels forward. Depending on the state of things, one halfshaft might spin and the other not, but that's OK. Within a revolution or two, the hub(s) for the spinning halfshaft(s) should lock up and then not be able to spin (because the wheel is on the ground.) If it was only one spinning, this should now cause the other one to spin... and it should eventually lock, and now you won't be able to turn the driveshaft. (You'll need to back up the truck to unlock them again after doing this!)

If it's cold out and the gear oil is thick, this might be a little harder to do. In warmer weather it's a piece of cake.

My guess is that one hub will lock up, and the other will keep spinning and spinning, or maybe make some ratchety noises and keep spinning. (Once one fails, you can never get enough force on the other one to make it fail too.) That's what happened to my '97. I put on a set of Warn Premium hubs and never looked back...

Duncan

 

thanks i appreciate it!! i'm gonna run out and check it right now... be back in 5 min to tell u how things went!!

 

Well i just checked and everything seemed fine... both hubs locked up as you mentioned... and i should be all ready for this winter!!! thanks a bunch frobozz... appreciate your help!

 

Glad to hear they're still working! Mine lasted over 100K miles but finally succumbed. The weird noises from the front wheel were my first clue (the broken one wasn't fully disengaging, then later wouldn't engage at all.)

Duncan

 

Did your hubs make a nasty grinding noise before replacement? Did you do the replacement yourself? Thanks for the info!

 

Yes, and yes. On a '97 era truck you need the hubs, a nut conversion kit, and a hub nut tool for the new nuts. You really need a different hub nut tool for the old nuts, but since they're going away anyway the "whack the corner of the nut with the screwdriver and hammer" trick pops them loose enough to spin off by hand.

Duncan