1991 Explorer 4x4 issues

jsgold · #1 01-02-2005, 02:10 PM

My son has a 91 Explorer, with 134K. He bought it 2 years ago and has put around 20K on it, and used 4X4 only a few times since using it. A couple of weeks ago he shifted into 4H and the front end shook and he could not steer it. He was going straight and at a slow speed. (pushbutton 4x4). He switched back to 2 wheel and came home OK, howver we are concerned about it. While we have taken great care of this truck, we have ignored the front end (except for greasing etc) so I wonder if auto hubs are sticking. Would having them serviced help, or does this sound like a electric motor issue???

mfayant · #2 01-09-2005, 01:50 AM

Probably not a good idea to shift in 4 by 4 when in motion. I usually stop and do it. He should test it out when not in motion and then see how things work.

jsgold · #3 01-09-2005, 08:00 PM

Supossedly it was at full stop before he pushed to 4x4 button. Even though his manual says Ok to shift on the go, i have asked him NOT to do so, just in case. He was afraid to try it again at the time, so today I tried it and it worked fine. Perhaps they (hubs) are sticking a bit when cold? It was < 20 degress when he had the trouble, and 4x4 is rarely used on this truck. Hoping that is it. Just wondering how much of a chore it is to remove the hubs (automatic) so they can be cleaned / lubed.

pureform · #4 01-18-2005, 03:43 PM

I had the same problem a while ago. I was driving in some snowy conditions, put it in 4 wheel drive, forgot about it for 100 miles or so, get to a junction, try to turn sharply, and it started "shaking". It was so bad that I got out and looked under my car to see if i was dragging something. I noticed it was in 4x4, so I took it out, and the problem went away. After reading what you guys say here, I'll most definitely stop before i put it in 4 wheel drive.

molehole · #5 01-18-2005, 06:58 PM

You can remove the hub assembly when you take off the wheels. It comes right off. Just be really careful to put it back on correctly or you could mess them up and they are SUPER expensive. Good Luck

jsgold · #6 01-18-2005, 08:07 PM

Do you have to remove the front brakes to do this? I heard they can be a little tricky. Was wanting to check wheel bearings also (when we get a decent temperature again)

molehole · #7 01-19-2005, 10:26 AM

Nope-Just take off the wheels And pull off the 4x4 ASSEMBLY- it may pop off with the wheel. THe 91-94 Explorers have external hubs. Good Luck

jsgold · #8 03-16-2005, 04:42 PM

The problem was that the hubs were loaded with wheel bearing grease. When it got below 10-15 degrees the grease would be set up and hard to engage the hubs. Cleaned them out during a brake repair and used gear oil to lube. Greae is OK for bearings but NOT for these automatic hubs.

Officer Redneck · #9 03-18-2005, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsgold

Supossedly it was at full stop before he pushed to 4x4 button. Even though his manual says Ok to shift on the go, i have asked him NOT to do so, just in case. He was afraid to try it again at the time, so today I tried it and it worked fine. Perhaps they (hubs) are sticking a bit when cold? It was < 20 degress when he had the trouble, and 4x4 is rarely used on this truck. Hoping that is it. Just wondering how much of a chore it is to remove the hubs (automatic) so they can be cleaned / lubed.

The 91-94 Explorers have weak springs in the auto hubs. Gear lube ain't enough to keep them lubed, you should use grease. Just don't go overboard with it. I swapped Milemarker manual hubs into mine and they worked great. Worth the $135.00 usc I spent.

Xplorer01 · #10 03-18-2005, 01:04 PM

91' was the debut of the explorer, since then many many improvements have been made.

What else do you expect from a car in its first year of production?

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