Freeing your ESOF hub dials.......just an idea
 

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<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start --><!-- END TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start -->Since the waterproof seals in the dial section of the locking hubs are undoubtedly made of a material which is impervious to oil such as Nitrile (Buna N) which is what your auto tranny has in it, try this; Remove the hub(s), drill a small hole in the recessed part of the dial, fill a container slightly larger than the hub with ATF to a level a little above the hole, and let it sit overnight. Being the daring person I am I would squirt a shot of penetrating oil in the ATF also. In the morning, clean them up, work them with pliers, and put a sheetmetal screw back in the hole along with a dab of sealer. Let us know the outcome.
For those who are skeptical you could use something else such as silicone penetrant.
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I suppose that could work if they were stuck that bad.

Best advice though is always pm. turn them things every month and drive some with them locked, and service every 30K.

i just had my 05 apart the right locking assembly stuck in the hub due to mud contamination seizing things up. when i used a screwdriver to pry out the part all that came out was the shift knob. it just snaps on and off the actual locking hub. right behind the dial face there is a whole circle of locking fingers if you clamped the hub in a vise you could work you way around prying the fingers back then you have access to grease it any way you want. i can take the old hub and get pics later if you want further splaining

A lot of of them are stuck that badly.

Let me know if anyonr tries it............anyone??????

Please send a picture, I;m sure a lot of people would like to see it including Guzzler because he said you can't get in there.

i did this to my 04 and it worked and still does like a charm. Drilled about an 1/8" hole and shot some lithium grease first them some silicone. I squirt a tab of silicone in it about once a month and so far so good.

I have 2 hubs that are "stuck that bad".

The ESOF still works, but i bought the warns because i would rather have the assurance of manually locking them than the convenience of them *maybe* locking when i need them.

I guess i have nothing to loose, so I will try this out this weekend (with pics) and post the results.

I second the silicon but I did not drill a hole. Mine is an 04. That "strip" across the center will allow the silicon to get through. I also made a "tool" that allows me to get a better grip on the dial and I leave it in my glove box.

Getting the dial back together may be more problem than getting it apart, thats why I have not tried to get mine apart. Parts are not available (as far as I know) and I would be concerned about getting everything back together. I was amazed at how well the silicone worked so I am gong to leave well enough alone. BTW, when I serviced my hubs I used CV joint grease, sparingly. It seemed lighter than wheel bearing grease but not as runny as tranny fluid. So far no problems.

hmmmm... i soaked the hubs in silicone for about a week. No go.

I was planning on just drilling a hole in the dial to squirt in some lube, i was not planning on taking the dial apart...

Please post if any of these ideas work. I have one locking hub that if you turn it to lock then back to auto it stays locked. Then I have to pull the locking hub, pop off the big c clip, dump out the gears, bottom out the black diaphram with my fingers and then put it all back together. It works fine in auto, just don't lock it in. Something between the black diaphram and the button is binding up but it is all one sealed piece.

well i can say fairly surely that lube of any kind won't do much good as far as the manual knob is concerned. i disassembled mine, there is no metallic parts in the outer part, and no lube. its just a plastic cam that pushes the inner splines into engagement. now if it has somehow gotten full of dirt then disassembling the outer part and cleaning will help. the only reason i can see for the hub being stiff is if the inner part where the sliding spline coupler is is dirty or rusted. mine was so rusted it didn't even come out n 1 piece, so there was no saving it anyways. about all you can do is pull the hub assembly, dunk the spline end in a tub of ATF or something and work the knob back and forth, you then pull that little snap ring off the lock assembly and work some very light grease into that little needle bearing on the inside. too much or too heavy grease and the lightweight disengagement spring isn't strong enough to kick it out, and vaccuum may or may not be powerful enough to engage it. the stiff dial is only a symptom of rust or lack of lube on the inner part. I now have the hub pic in my album, i'm new at putting them into the conversation so if someone can tell me how or do it..... or you're welcome to go look at it. only tools i used were a little flat screwdriver and a couple round toothpicks

Did you do it like I said?

I know this thread is a bit old but it is just what I am looking for. Nitrogen, I also took apart my hub and only the locking mechanism (silver part) came out. How did you remove the actual hub. The for dealer here told me that the hub and locking mechanism is supposed to be one piece and not come apart like that. I noticed the gasket around that silver cover is shot and has since let in moisture and road salt causing a lot of corrosion. And of course Ford with all it ingenious ideas doesn't just sell a gasket. Only the complete hub for $233. So basically wondering what you did to get everything out and if you replaced it with a new one. Thanks!

if you have to replace I would be looking aftermarket maybe some warns.

So these can be put in place of the current ford hubs? I am assuming you need to block off a vacuum line then? Having the shift on the fly capability is nice though. Oh well something to debate about for this spring.