So today I went to the beach, and 50ft in I was rim deep in the sand. I was in 4x4 low and nothing. A guy in a ranger pulled me out and drove past me. I have a 2003 7.3L 4x4. Now my question is how do I know if my 4x4 is working correctly, and how do I know if I have manual or auto locking hubs? If mine are manual how do I break then loose? When I try to turn them by hand, on the drivers side I get nothing, and passenger side I get about 1/4 inch movement. Now if they are manual and I get them loose, how do I know when they are locked and unlocked? Sorry, but this is my first time needing my 4x4 and it sucked not having it. Thanks for your help.
If you have the knob on the dash, they are auto/manual hubs. If you have a floor shifter they are manual only.
Hubs turned clockwise to clock, counter clockwise to free/auto.
If you have auto hubs, and when you switch to 4x4 the defrost comes on, you have a vacuum leak and the hubs won't lock in.
As for it working correctly, did either of the front wheels spin? If yes, then your 4x4 was working.
I have a vacuum leak, cause the defrost was my next question. Yes I have it on the dash.. How do I find the leak? So let me get the correct I can have them locked all the time.. Manually, OR I can let it lock and unlock automatically?? And nope the fronts were not spinning
Yes, you can have it locked all the time, or in "auto" where they would lock in when you switched it to 4x4, provided you fix the vacuum leak.
If the fronts weren't spinning, they are in the auto positions and you have a vac leak as you said. Haven't dug into it myself, but I believe they say start by looking around the pass side fender/firewall area under the hood.
if you cant rotate the knob on the hub its self they are usaully blown and wont engage anyway. i would definitley try the vaccum leak first. it might be something simple, i would check it out yourself before taking it to a dealer
this happened with my truck, just got some warn premium hubs and i have to get out and lock them in whenever i use 4wd, but they havent let me down yet. and i have the dash switch also.
x100 this is the best fix.
i have the switch too and i pulled original hubs apart 20 times fixing and oiling and such, finally put on superwinch and they lasted a month, then put on warn and 3 years later still work great.
in order to check for leaks the most common place is inside each front wheel where the black rubber hose connects to the hub and connects to a nipple up on the top of the finder... its usually a metal holder with the nipple on it... if you can touch the rubber hose and it rubs black off on your fingers then more than likely its rotten.. just take it off both nipples and go to auto part store and get same size and replace both... thats the most common area for leaks.. hope this helps
No, the light has nothing to do with the hubs. When you manually locked them they could very well be engaged at the hub, but if your transfer case isn't engaged (not getting the electrical signal to engage, which is why you have no light) then even with the hubs manually locked you still will not spin your front tires because no power is getting to the front axle because your transfer case is still in neutral.
If you get your transfer case dealt with, and then they don't engage from turning the switch it is possibly a vacuum leak. If when the transfer case is working and you manually lock them and you still do not have 4wd, then it is that the hard parts of the hub are not working and engaging the wheel to the axle.
The light only comes on based on the transfer case, so if you have a light and no 4wd then it is a hub issue. If you have no light it is a transfer case issue. But once you get the transfer case figured out and you do get a light, that doesn't mean your 4wd will work. But if it doesn't then you have narrowed your problem down to the hubs. If you have a light and your hubs don't work in auto/free then it is probably a vacuum issue. If you have a light and hubs are in manual and you don't have 4wd then it is probably broken pieces of the hub itself.
well from day one ive thought its an electrical problem cause when i bought the truck wrecked i loaded it on trailer with 4x4 but after i swapped on new cab and painted it didnt work but everything is hooked up so dont know where to start i guess ill have to go through everything again and double check everything i just get frustrated with wiring issues! i have this and i have a broken wire in my trailer lights too when i hit a bump my trailer lights flicker lol i get a headache just thinkin about it!
Look if you can not turn the hubs manually as you have stated at the VERY least they need to be broken down and lube up. The reason this happens is from lack of use and lack of maintenance. In your case it sounds like both. Pull the hubs and break them down. GO to guzzles page for step by step pic and directions. Take the hub assmebley after breaking it down and leave it over night in some tranny fluid. You will need to break loose the knob after this. Try by hand if not you can notch a pvc pipe and put a t at the other end or you can try carefully with channel locks. Once you break them loose you need to use some silicon spray or lube and spray all around the edges of the knob and keep working it back and forth. If its not trashed it will get much easier.
No matter whether you get this broken loose and working or have to purchase a new or newused set you need to do regular maintenance. Everytime you stop for fuel turn them lock and back to auto once. Once a year or when ever you get the hubs completely submerged in water or are in saltwater at all. You shoudl pull them and clean and lube them. There is a seal you will see when you pull them. That should be replaced this time and then every year or two. Its only a few dollar from ford and you get two plus a new retaining ring not really needed. For the vaccum control you likely need to replace the air hose that goes from the pump to the hub. Very easy. Pull it and go get some cut to that length again one a few dollars. After that check the system.
BTW if your heat and air conditioning work and are not stuck on defrost only then you likely are holding a vacuum. That is good. If you have a large vacuum leak your air vents will default to defrost only.
There is nothing about this part of the system you woudl ever want o take in to the dealership as they will rape you for doing nothing. The real cost here is the hubs themselves. Go on ebay if you need new ones and buy used ones at less than half the cost or goto the salvage yard. you can check any hub with a vacuum pump or a mightymini vac type device. I posts some info in the other hub thread on how to check certian functions. Just do some research and you will see its fairly basic. TDS forum actually has a ton of info on there about it that woudl likely be helpful.
^ was that for me or the op? cause as far as maintenance goes i cant tell you how much ive spent yearly on maintenance costs i do everything as funds allow it, it just seems like everything i do as preventive maintence as soon as i get it done something else fails it a vicious cycle lol but someday i will get it all done! (ill be broke but someday lol)
okay i have an 03 f-350 05 excursion 06 f-350. all of them did the same thing they all 3 have the switch on the dash. pop the hood. on passenger side fender there is a little black box looking thing with 2 black vacum hoses hooked to it. that is the right way to fix it is buy a new one. or the free way but a pain in the butt it turn the switch on and get out and manually lock them in mine were all hard at first i took about an inch wrench and turn it clockwise the wrench is just to help get it farther out and makes it easier to turn. then the hubs are locked it. just be sure to unclock via turnng counterclockwise are your done needing it. or you can buy new hubs. but that cost money and it does the same thing and it would if you got out and turned the factory ones. maybe help spraying some wd 40 around it also. let me know how it works
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