You won't get an argument from ME!

My auto hubs had less than 20K miles on them, used regularly (every week or two at least), and started failing at 1.5 years after I bought it BRAND NEW.

The hub itself has a latching mechanism in it, and my hubs were starting to wear to the point where the latch would not latch anymore. One side would lock while the vacuum pulse was applied, and immediately unlock after the initial vacuum pulse goes away. What a nightmare. I ran with the hubs in LOCK for the rest of the winter (big snows here on LI that year - regularly had >1 foot in the yard for a few months).

As soon as possible, I tore it apart, found out what was wrong and installed Warn manual hubs. Problem solved. I would NOT buy brand-new Ford hubs for what they wanted, and to have the same thing happen again a few years later, who needs that. Granted, it seems the later systems are a little more reliable, but we regularly hear from people with problems on this site.

A few points for maintenance:

When you remove the hubs, go further, and remove the wheel bearing. There is a needle bearing on the inside of the unitized wheel bearing (National Part number B-2110) that spins when the hub is UNLOCKED. This needle bearing WILL dry out (Ford's "special" grease must be made from water). If it hasn't already failed, it WILL. You SHOULD lube this needle bearing at least once.

The hub itself, let the ATF it was soaked in remain inside, and put some grease on the splines and mating surfaces (and o-ring) so you can get it apart next time, and possibly decrease the likelyhood of a vacuum leak in the meantime.

The grease I use? Termalene, Marine/trailer wheel-bearing grease, that is resistant to salt-water. It's blue. This grease has repeatedly saved my butt from water intrusion. It does NOT mix with water. If water gets into a bearing where this grease has been used, the water stays seperate from the grease.

Anyway, I've probably written the above about 100 times in the past 5 years.

PHOOEY.

 

I don't understand the downside of the auto hub, but I'm probably missing something. You can get 10k miles - 20k miles - maybe even forever with just switching something on the dash; however, if it does fail, you're back to manual. Seems like you get convenience for a while if not forever and then you get what everyone else that doesn't have the option started out with. Isn't that right? Even if it fails the 10th time you use it, isn't it still better than having to get out of the truck those first 10 times?

The thing I don't like, although I don't hear about failures near as often, is not having a 4x4-lever to shift the t-case. That seems weird to me. The hubs are the same as everyone elses though, except I get some limited number of uses from the cab.

 

I dunno, my auto-hubs have been nice to me. (knock on wood)

I had an 88 Chevy that had an actuator go out once in 66k miles. I sold the truck for other reasons about then.

My 91 F150 had 132,000 miles on it and I never had any problems.

My 99 F250SD has 83k miles on it and I've never had a hiccup.

I use it a lot in the winters here, but not at every possible opportunity like when I was younger. I never had a truck without auto-hubs, so I don't know life before them. I like 'em.

 

One thing to keep in mind when comparing the Superduty auto-locking hubs to other systems is that MOST earlier "auto hubs" were ratchet hubs. As in, with the front wheel not moving, if you spin the axle, the hubs lock - like a socket wrench. Turn the other way, they ratchet.

This was USELESS when going down steep inclines, using 4x4 to control forward speed, as the front wheels would free-wheel.

Maybe I was unlucky, or just used my 4x4 TOO much, but I know for a fact that the latching mechanism in my hubs was worn WAY too much on one, and the other was getting there pretty fast.

 

Found a great how-to for lubing the Auto hubs!

Fantastic resource this site is! http://guzzle.rbmicro.com/allube.html

 

I can't believe that anyone ordering a new 4x4 would pay extra money for a wimpy little switch to shift your transfer case. I would have payed extra for a stick shift transfer case but this proven system is actually no extra money.
The reason Ford brings in mostly auto hubs is because the manual shifter can be slipped into neutral and your vehicle can roll away while in "park".
In every other way the manual system is far superior. I had auto hubs in my 04 and 2000 because I bought those two trucks off a lot. The auto hubs are crap and to really make sure I was locked in, I always turned them to lock, same as I do with my manual system. It is not a mystery to me when I am going to use my 4x4. There is snow on the ground this morning, my hubs are locked in as they have been for the last 3 weeks.
Other times of the year, when I pull off the pavement, the hubs get locked in.

When my 2000 F350 4x4 was only 2 weeks old, I got it stuck in a ski hill parking lot because the back end had dropped into an icy hole and the truck could not move an
inch forward or backward. I had to get out and lock the hubs to move the truck.
That was the last time I ever trusted auto hubs and I am so happy the manual hubs were still available in 05 Superduties. Hope they stay available.

 

I didn't have the opportunity to order a truck, and I wish even with ESOF you had the manual shifter on the floor. Vacuum systems have been around a long time, and have been argued against for probably as long. Convenience is a big selling point in these trucks nowadays (heated seats, cruise, tow command, etc.). It's all about making a super truck even better and more comfortable. I'm used to a manual t-case shifter, and it seems weird not to have it; although, I guess it gives me more useable space on the floor area.

I've had problems with the manual stuff too though, having to get the vehicle to move forward or rearward to get the manual t-case lever to engage or disengage for example. I'm pretty sure my Superduty hubs haven't worked flawlessly, but after getting the vehicle to move forward or backward a ways they "lock". I had two Jeeps that I had to do the same thing sometimes to get the t-case to lock, and the hubs on them were a fixed system that never unlocked.

Does the ESOF lock both hubs or is only one free-spinning when not locked? Is the vacuum line on both axle ends?

BTW Wrench, you're lucky, I didn't even know you could get a Lariat without ESOF.

 

ACE,
Yes, each hub has its own vac supply line. And as far as locking, they both get the signal at the same time, but depending on spline orientation, one could lock before the other.

 

And we all know how Big Orn's truck is doing with ESOF to this day ...

1999 Superduty, with ESOF auto hubs, and still locking, right? You're the odd-man-out!

 

Yes, my Leader, I do like them, and have been wanting them to fail for quite some time so I could install some sweet Warns, which I love...even got in a helluva bind last weekend that I thought would surely shatter them, but they grabbed and pulled like new...

How can a person break them? Please tell me....

 

Thanks bigorn. I'm more familiar with Jeeps, and there was a time when they had one side that always spun (always locked) and a vacuum that just locked up the other when put in 4wheel drive, so I wondered about the SD.

 

I like Warn stuff too, but it's hard to justify until they break...if it ain't broke, break it, then fix it with something better. I have a friend that has broken his on an older F250 and went with the Warns. He just put Warns on his new ('05) truck because he thought it was cheap insurance. His experience made me wary of the hubs, but I got the front end of my truck stuck a month ago and rocked it back and forth pretty hard in snow and no ill effects (ended up have to be pulled out). I was pretty sure I'd hear a "pop", but they stood up to some pretty hard abuse.

 

I have a 93 Eddie Bauer. 4wd not working now. The light on the dash comes on, the front axle turns but the hubs won't lock. Took them apart, cleaned them, no broken parts...they just won't lock in. Axle turns but the front wheels won't turn....this is getting annoying! I needed them to work during this last Denver snowstorm and was SOL!!! What do I check next? I have the manual, I have read and reread the part on hubs...it's making me nuts! any suggestions? Help!

 

ambereyes46: I am asuming you have the factory automatic locking hubs. If so, replace them with a good set of Warn manual hubs. If you can't engage the front axle you are just "spinning your wheels" so to speak.

 

I have said it many time before... I was a manual only guy until my first ESOF system...I like the electronic, vacuum method. I also fully understand how it works and why it is very necessary to keep it working properly by "exercising it frequently".

All of you may not have the same driving habits and routes I do, and many of you may be much younger and that is OK.

The roads, trails and cross country driving I do 4~5 times a year to and from my hunting, fishing, and camping sites all require 4x4 mode on parts of the trail and 2x4 the majority of the time.

One of my routes transitions from hard pan gravel to tar n chip and back every 5 to 7 miles and I use this route for 63 miles into a distant piece of dirt I own. During the rainy season there a a few low water places to ford and in the winter there can be sections with a lot of mud chewed up by other hunters. There is just enough good hard ball road to make running exclusively in 4x4 not practical since these sections are usually the hill climbing sections with a lot of 270 degree switch backs that some kind soul paved years ago. Being able to shift on the fly into and out of 4x4 is one of the best features of this extraordinary truck in my opinion.

I have had this ESOF system now on three different personal trucks and NEVER had a failure to engage or disengage.

The only thing I DO NOT like is the ability to put the transfer case in "Neutral" in case I need to flat tow it out of a distant area with a fellow hunter's truck. Being back in the "sticks" 60~80 miles from nearest "civilization" means paying for a tow truck to get to and from the vehicle is damned expensive. Twice in my past I have been very far off the "beaten path" and broke something and needed to be towed out... at leas in those days I have a manual trany and a transfer case with real "levers" so this was not an issue. My plan to flat tow this rig if needed is to disconnect the drive shaft at the diff and tie the shaft up and out of the way. A neutral selection on the transfer case would eliminate this step.

So far I have not been able to break the might SuperDuty with my timid off road usage... probably because I am 51 now and don't try to see how much "air" I can get with a 7800 pound 4 door long bed beast!

Bottom line, I have not gotten my wife's feet wet and muddy in the last 7 years. She likes the ESOF switch so I think I will stick with and defend the system!