Manual hub troub....(Warn)

[Aquamander]

A couple of weeks back I had some trouble with one of my Warn manual hubs.
Just after I had locked the hubs, I started down the trail. I hadn't gone but perhaps 100' or so when I heard a terrible ratcheting sound coming from the front right wheel. Naturally, I stopped and started checking everything. I locked the hub, checked that it had engaged by locking it and trying to turn the CV and vice-versa, yada-yada.

Hell, everything seemed to be working okay so I locked it up and wheeled all afternoon. Again, when I unlocked the hubs, I physically turned the CV to make sure it was unlocked. I also frequently checked to see if the hubs were hot and they weren't. I made a mental note that it was time to repack the bearings and service the hubs...

When I pulled the hub off, my fears were confirmed. Somehow, the locking gear had managed to chew up the internal base of the aluminum body itself. The culprit? I believe that condensation had built up water on the inside of the hub body. When I took off the dial plate, just a few drips of clear water dripped out. The grease and bearings had no water intrusion at all. As a matter of fact, considering the shape of the bushing on the hub, and the shit I was driving through the day before, I was convinced that it wasn't water that had entered through the o-ring or the gasket. Besides, the water was clear! That water was enough to corrode the gears so they wouldn't mesh correctly. Apparently, they had just enough crap on them to bind them up somehow.

Has this happened to anyone else? I guess I need to repaint the inside surfaces with grease about every three months now to be sure that won't happen again.

I think that it's a good idea to paint the inside surfaces generously with a THIN grease. Not too much as to cause the locking gear to stick, but enough to stave off corrosion from condensation. I use a moly lube I borrowed from work. When I say paint, I take a small paint brush and coat everything. (once again not too much but enough to put a film on all the parts.)
It makes sense too. the hub body is aluminum. When the hub is sealed, the inside is a perfect environment for condensation to occur. If the hub is warmed up during the day, then cools rapidly after nightfall, then warmed up again, there you go.

One thing I'm sure about though, the water didn't come from a leak in a seal.

Not trying to play chicken little here, but if you have Warn manual hubs you may want to pop off the dial plate and inspect it for moisture.