4x4 problems

now i changed the motor to make button on dash work and it all lights up says 4x4 is on but i tried it on a hill and the front is not engaged how do i go about fixing the auto hubs if that is the next step ..help i been crankin on this exploder long enough ..in a snow bank..cold tired ..pissed ....thks

now i changed the motor to make button on dash work and it all lights up says 4x4 is on but i tried it on a hill and the front is not engaged how do i go about fixing the auto hubs if that is the next step ..help i been crankin on this exploder long enough ..in a snow bank..cold tired ..pissed ....thks

I've never fixed my own auto hubs. When they went on me 3 years ago I took the vehicle to my local garage. I think it cost me $700 total for the work.
Now, only 3 years later it appears the hubs are going again.
I'm thinking I might want to get manual hubs instead. But thinking of having to get out of the vehicle to engage is not appealing.
Especially here in NJ traffic is a nightmare, and people get killed working on their vehicles on the shoulder of major highways.

My mechanic told me that the only way to use the automatic hubs is to come to complete stop before engaging for the first time. Then roll into locking position. Once done, you can get in and out of 4X4 by pressing button, engaging and disengaging only the XFR case but leaving hubs engaged.
But it is not good to drive a long way with the hubs engaged. I think Ford says 50 miles max. Then you need to pull into a parking area and back out of the hubs.
My mechanic also told me that when backing out of the hubs you should accelerate in reverse quickly for a second, rather than rolling slowly backwards.

All of this is contrary to what I read in my owner's manual. They say you can engage hubs up to 50 MPH. And that you should roll slowly out of them.
But from my experience, I have to agree with my mechanic. You need to come to a complete stop before engaging the hubs.

So I cannot help you in repairing the hubs yourself. It's a job I would never take on. But I am also pissed that after only 3 years I need new ones again. Maybe it's time for a new vehicle!

According to the principles of the automatic hubs, they don't engage until tha axle shaft if turning at a different speed from the hubs, because they need to have the slight difference in order for the cam to engage the hub itself, so unless you are going around a turn, you could engage the 4x4 at 70 mph, though it wouldn't be good for the transfer case. Now to the manual locking hubs, you can just turn them in before you leave the house if it's snowing, then just hit the button for the 4x4 when you need to. granted it will make the front driveshaft spin, but the transfer case will allow the front and rear to spin at different speeds until it is engaged

Speedindevil;
Thanks for the reply. You know, I haven't really done much 4X4 at all, but it's nice when you have it. What you suggest about locking the hubs before leaving home sounds like the best bet. That way I still have the convenience of pushing the button when I need it, and don't have to get out of the truck. I think I can live with that.
I'm taking the truck in tomorrow (1/2) for an inspection of the hubs. There is definitely something not right in there. There shouldn't be any noises from the hubs, especially while they're disengaged. But what it sounds like to me is that the mechanism that controls engaging / disengaging the hubs is shot, allowing the hub or hubs to partially engage. That is self destructive and it's only time until they fail completely.

At this point I do believe I will go with the manual locking hubs. The truck is 9-1/2 years old, but I still plan to keep it a while.

Thanks

frank

Interesting reading about all these Exploder 4x4 auto hub problems! Now I know I'm not alone.

I inherited my '91 Exploder and use it as a bang around town vehicle - and in the snow. Since I've just moved to between Oswego and Syracuse NY - I'll be needing it in the winter as my other car is a 2K2 Maxima with low profile, high performance, super wham-o-dyne tires and rims - that aren't worth a sh@t in the snow. At $600-$700 for 4 good snows for the Max, I decided to keep the Exploder running.

Of course, the tranny on the Exploder - exploded - on the move here. Just got done replacing it with a rebuild ($1100) and did the removal & installation from vehicle myself (well my retired father-in-law did most of it). Snow tires woulda been cheaper, but I'm a little leery driving the maxima with all the snow we get up here.

I've been dealing with the 4x4 auto hub issue for a while and am quite interested in the manual hub option. Doesn't sound like there's much success in rebuilding these things, although I might give some thought to doing it, as my father-in-law has a Ford Ranger (same engine, tranny and 4x4), and he's just starting to get some of these issues with the 4x4.

I would agree with the auto mechanic that recommends shifting into 4x4 while stopped. I've had a lot of issues with grinding and whatnot and I've managed to improve performance by using 4x4 (esp. low range) once in a while to keep the parts engaging better. Curious though that the grinding can start/stop while turning. There was another thread that spoke to this and recommended that the upper and lower ball joints be greased religiously...