Just kidding...

Here is a link that is a MUST SAVE for future reference. He even added the ability to save a MS-Word document of the article. VERY NICE!!!

http://guzzle.rbmicro.com/allube.html

This will give you a step-by-step with pics of the auto hubs and how to lube.

Hope this helps...

biz

 

Thanks for the link biz4two. This helps 110%



Thanks for everybody's help.

 

I have a couple questions in regards to the auto hubs and how they work. When I bought my 99 F250 a couple months ago, the auto hubs were seized are won't move. I soaked them and after driving for awhile I was able to turn them with plyers but barely. So, I pulled them and installed other auto hubs that I scored off of ebay.

The owner of the hubs I purchased off of ebay said he was having difficulty turning them and soaked the, etc. He was able to get them to turn like new and they do. I installed them on my truck the other day and went to test them out.. nothing much happened.

Im a liitle confused on how the 4x4 system works. I use to have a Dodge Dakota with 4x4 on the fly... just pulled the floor lever and had 4x4. The hubs on this truck have the lock and auto. I assume while in auto, they front differentials are constantly moving? Should I leave the hubs in auto all the time or is it possible to put the hub in between the lock and auto and be completely disengaged?

Anyways, in order for the ESOF 4x4 to work, do I need to be moving for the hubs to engage. I could hear the electronic transfer case engage but I dont think I had 4x4.. I was stopped when I first engaged. I drove up my driveway and out onto the road and the tires didn't grip like they were in 4x4. So, I turned the **** to release the hubs (if they were even engaged) and headed to a gravel parking lot.

I once again engaged my hubs from inside the cab and at first I still didn't think I had 4x4 but it was hard to tell. At one point I felt the front of the truck jumping up and down like the 4x4 was working. I disengaged and engaged several times to see if I noticed a difference.. it was hard to tell.

Anyone have any good advise on what I should do. I really dont like the idea of having to get outside the truck to manually lock the hubs when weather gets bad. Its suppost to snow here tomorrow and Tuesday, Id like to make sure its working properly. Also, I saw the above link and now worried. The other owner of these hubs soaked them but Im not sure if he repacked them with grease.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

To see if your hubs are unlocked, get out and grab the U joint behind each front wheel. If you can turn the U joint the hubs aren't locking.

 

Should I turn them when I have the 4x4 switch on in the cab or when the hubs are just in auto?

 

To see if they are unlocked, you need to have the switch in 2WD...

 

No when in AUTO the hiubs should be UNLOCKED or completely disengaged.

Yes. That's the idea. Keep them in AUTO, exercise them often but shift to 4WD each month at a minimum, if you get in a situation where you can get NO forward movement at all and need 4WD to get you out then manually LOCK them. The AUTO hubs need at least one revolution to completely lock in.

If you distrust your AUTO hubs then leave them in LOCK for the duration of winter or whatever. The fuel consumption difference is very minimal. I did 500 miles with my 00 Excursion's hubs locked and couldn't really register a difference in MPG. I did this a few years ago as a test to this "myth". There are greater variables out there that will affect your MPG.

However, going around tight corners with the hubs locked may give you a serious case of binding. It sounds like hell and could pop a half shaft's U-joint in a poorly maintained truck.

BTW, there is no in-between position.

 

Some manufacturers, Jeep for example has hubs that cannot unlock, so the front diff is always turning. The disconnect is at the transfer case for these. If mileage was impacted significantly I doubt they would keep the solid front axle without axle disconnects.

 

Thanks guys!! I my truck out today first starting off in the 4x4 lock. I was surprised how smooth it drives but it was definely in 4x4. On tight turns, it grips hard. The auto also works perfect.. it always had worked just alot smoother than my Dakota thats why I questioned it.

Man am I glad it works.. and good!

One other questions, does the hubs get oil fed through them from the diffs. or are you suppost to squrit oil inside the hubs? Also, the previous owner of these hubs (since I bought them used) said he soaked the hubs before he sent them. Im not sure if he greased the bearing inside. Is it a pretty easy job for those who have taken the hub apart? The link above looks fairly easy but everything is always looks easier on paper.

Thanks again!

 

The main bearings are sealed unit bearings so you cannot really lube them. The hubs and the associated needle bearings don't call for any lube as they are probably lubed at the factory with special Ford grease ( ) You can pull the hubs and grease 'em up though. It's fairly easy if you have the right tools.

 

Okay, so even though the hubs were soaked, they really dont need regreased? If I were to regrease the hubs, where at? Just on the splines? Like I said, Im not use to this hub setup so Im trying to learn and at the same time make sure the hubs last a long time. I just dont want to be driving down the road and have the main bearings lock up on me.

I know Ill be pulling the hubs out and cleaning out the salt, dirt, etc every month or so.

Thanks again.

 

At the risk of drawing ire from the forum members here I will go out on a limb and make the following statement. " Auto locking hubs are JUNK". I don't care if they are from Ford or the old Warn lock-o-matics so familiar to you old Jeepers. They perform properly for a short time and then become a maintenance nightmare. Locking hubs have one function and that is too couple or uncouple the wheel hubs to the driven axle. When you try to adultrate this simple design by making it automatic or semi-automatic requiring little or no effort from the operator the problems begin. Lets look at the competitions systems from the past and present that have been used to eliminate the necessity of locking hubs. Dodge used a sliding coupling in the front axle shaft to acheive engagement, and GM used the classic system of a heated canister on the front axle that may shift if you give it enough time to build air pressure. All this effot to make it "easier" for the operator to utilize the 4 wheel drive feature. All this engineering comes at the cost of dependability. The simplest, strongest, most reliable design is still a good pair of manual locking hubs like Warn, Spicer. or Milemarker with a floor mounted manual engagement lever for the transfer case that eliminates the electronic mystery shifting of the ESOF and similar systems. This dependability comes at the cost of having to manually engage the hubs,(i.e. getting out of the truck) and pulling a lever instead of turning a switch. I am so pleased that one manufacturer, Ford, still offered this classic dependable system on their trucks, at least on the 2001 models, while the competition did not.

 

My '05 is manual all the way and I love it. If I know I will be in need of 4X4, I will rotate the hubs into LOck before I go there, leaving the stick in 2wh, then when the rear end goes, I stop, clutch, pull back the manual stick to 4wh or 4wL, shift to 1st, then release clutch and go. Once I am back to normal traction, I just stop, clutch, push the stick back to 2wH, release and go again. When I finally stop at destination and get out, I will rotate the hubs back to unlock position. Ford's manual system is simple, trouble free, accurate, and in my mind the only way to go, and the best thing it is no extra charge.

 

Yep^ I like that 4x4 setup. Thats what I had on my last truck. Although, I was able to shift on the fly 4x4 with the 4x4 lever on the floor. Never had a problem with it over a 100,000 miles later. Had 4x4 anytime I needed it and disengaged when I didn't. But with the 4x4 setup on my Dakota, my gas mileage was insanely low for a V6.. maybe getting 9-10 mpg.. and I had all the fuel saver parts on it.

I had my truck out again tonight and turned the 4x4 switch inside the cab once again while I was driving.. it engaged without any trouble. Hope it stays that way.

 

I don't know a thing about Dodge's 4X4 system, but I do know on my F-350 if I leave my hubs in LOck and drive around burning up a tank of gas, I will get about 1/2 mpg less than I normally get with my hubs in UNlock.. There must be a little drag spinning those dead shafts up front. But, if you are in winter driving conditions where you hit intermittent bad traction conditions due to snow or ice for a period of a week or two, I don't worry about the 1/2 mpg, and just leave the hubs in Lock and forget about the mileage. Then all I have to do when the rear end breaks loose is stop, pull the stick to 4wh or 4wL, and i'm truckin.

I do like Ford's standard equipment manual 4X4 system, and hope they don't discontinue it. I would like to see and would pay for a factory locker option with with a manual stainless steel cable activation. Something about being in positive direct control of these traction and power devices is important to me.