hey guys,long time!got a big problem.coming home on 84 christmas eve,heardslight squeel on left side . almost home,feel quick binding ,almost snapping sound coming from lugnut cover. question? wheel bearing, or possible axle bearing? and how hard to repair?is it somethingi can do in my driveway?cuz i have no garage. not happy camper,matt h

 

hey matt long time no talk i am sorry to hear about your truck iwish i could and tell you what the noise might be from but i don't have a clue hope you can fix ti and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg

chris

 

i bet its a wheel bearing

 

starting to narrow it down.think maybe the lock on my hub may be bad.i can auto lock my hubs ,or get out and manually lock them.went to turn one lock and it was harder than hell to turn.think the locks no good,and the hub itself is ok.anyone know about locking hubs?I wish i had a garage to pull it into,i'm not layin in the driveway to do it now!too damn cold! any ideas would be appreciated. matt h

 

didnt think of that. I got a squealing type problem with my ranger too. been going for a while. Not sure what it is either. Mines the vacuum hubs so I bet thats going. If i had the $$$ I would just go replace the whole hub assembly

 

hey matt i seen you out in the truck did you get it fixed

 

Matt:


I happened across your thread. I know a fair amount of the wheel bearings, ESOF auto locking hubs, hub assembly, seals and axle stubs on these trucks. Let me know if you are still having problems.

 

hey bluespd,saw you too,your in watertown alot,did you move? thought it was ok,found out different last night in snow.havent been hearing any noise lately,thought maybe it was just some dirt or somethin.went to auto lock my 4x4 last night in meriden,and all hell broke loose.hubs didnt lock and i heard the lock binding up really bad.unlocked them,and the noise just went on and on.think i **** the hub last night.i also lost the selector for my defroster,floor vent,heat etc.think its a vacum problem. gonna take it to jannettys on tues.see what he thinks.if anyone can do it he can meischa, if you have any imput on this i appreciate it matt h

2001 F350 xlt le dually

7.3 ltre chipped w/5"stacks

 

You can test for vac problems fairly easily first - just to narrow it down and maybe save on some labor charges. If you are losing a/c and heat controls you have a vac problem somewhere (as you noted). To check if it is at the hubs, reach around behind the tire and pull the vac line off the hub assembly (its the only black hose going to the hub assembly). You can also remove the tire to make it easier, but probably don't need to do so.

With the vac line off and the truck running, flip the ESOF switch to 4hi. The vac pump should operate for about 5-10 seconds and you should feel vac pressure in the hose line. If one of the hub assemblies is losing a lot of pressure, you may need to block the opposite side from the one you are testing. To block it off, just stick a bolt, or the like in the tube (not so big it will stretch and tear, just enough to block the vac line). You can also just use a small piece of duct tape for the moment - doesn't need to be that tight.

If you DO NOT have vac pressure, it may be as simple as a new vac pump. Easy to do by yourself.

If you DO have vac pressure, try to determine which side is loosing pressure when connected. Disconnect and plug both vac lines with a bolt, duct tape or the like. Switch your vent controls to the floor, then operate the 4lo / 4hi switch to activate the vac pump. The heat/ac should remain on the floor even while the vac pump is operating (b/c both lines are plugged, so no vac pressure loss). This assumes you have completed the first step and verified there is vac pressure.

Next, leave one side plugged and re-connect the other side to the hub assembly. Repeat the above by switching the vent controls to the floor and then operating the ESOF switch from 4lo to 4hi. If the airflow remains on the floor, that side probably doesn't have a significant leak. Repeat by plugging the first side and re-connecting the other side and then testing.

I'm guessing one side or the other is leaking as you described the loss of vent control (defrost / windshield only) when switching to 4x4 - this is the classic sign of vac pressure loss in the hub assembly.

Once you know what side is faulty (could be both) you'll have to start looking at the seals. You may get lucky and only have the small yellow hub assembly seal or the outer black hub seal be bad (both are only a couple dollars and fairly easy to get at). However, if the leak is significant, it is likely the large knuckle seal. About $30 from the dealer and you have to pull the axle out to replace it. Plus you'll need a seal driver (or you'll need to fabricate one).

Hope this makes sense and helps some.

Good luck, and happy new year!

 

Hey Matt when your done working on your hubs you can rebuild my Rangers hubs LOL

 

sorry dude,Iwont even lay down for myself,not gonna go down for you!!!!! besides i only play with the big dogs!(only jokin) lol.if you got the garage,we can work somethin out.hows the sho go in the snow?lol

 

hey matt naa i don't live in watertown i live about 30secs away. i live on bunkerhill and when i get bored i jsut drive around. so did u see jannety yet i wonder how much he is gonna hit ya for the hub

 

found out problem!! whole left side assembly toast!! when they lifted it up @the shop,and took the tire off,the whole thing fell apart!the tire was holding everything together.whole left side needs to be replaced, uuuugghh!!not good lookin at around $800 to fix.vacum pump actuator gone,left side door lock actuator gone,what else?(probably shouldnt ask)not a happy camper. matt h

 

that sucks

 

Hi Matt,
Re: Door lock actuator repair. Heres a tip so you don't make the same mistake I did. They are easily, somewhat easily, replaced. Just be sure you don't drill out the rivet on the door jam. It can be removed without that drastic step. There is a tech article here somewhere that will take you through each step. Perhaps someone can research it and forward you the link.