Automatic VS manual hubs!

[rbh]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

OK, so it is a early 90's to late 90's ford thing???

Right??

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

I like my auto, I never think about it and I can shift to 4 High as long as I am under 55MPH..if I need Low range I have to slow to 2-3 MPH and let it coast in neutral while engaging

 

[roscoe]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

98 Explorer.

Don't know or care how it works, but I believe its supposed to kick in the 4wd automatically.
Selector switch has 3 positions, auto - 4x4 hi - 4x4 lo

Its irritating in tight turns.

It doesn't bind up as badly as it would if it was in 4x4, but you can feel it.



My Trailblazer has 4 lo 4 hi auto4 and 2wd.

I don't like the auto4, it feels weird when it kicks in, and has done so while accelerating out of a slippery turn.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

Smokeonthewater, Thanks for correcting me. I was not thinking about it when I wrote that earlier response but you are right. S-10s and the 3 Dodges I wrote about do not have auto hubs, but have cv shafts in the front that are engaged when 4WD is activated. The cv joint setup has been pretty standard for years until you get into the 3/4 or 1 ton trucks with solid axles. Didn't even think about that when I posted my first comment.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

The wifes ranger were always in with the automatic hubs, how could I tell???

Every time I cranked the wheels to the far right or far left you could feel the U-joints buck, I do not have that issue with the manual hubs!

What year Ranger are we talking? A late 90's example has vacuum actuated hubs of a truly poor design. There usual problem is that they don't engage, because the seals an such are highly susceptible to rust and dirt. If there is any of that around the inner workings of the hub, chances are high the hubs will dump the vacuum before they can engage. Your wifes ranger sounds like it has the opposite of this. Sounds like something is causing the hubs to stay engaged. They should be able to free wheel, and steer like a 2WD truck when disengaged. Sounds like you may want to have them serviced.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

In recent years GM has used two basic 4WD and one AWD system. AWD is just as it's name implies -- it drives all four wheels and the transfer case has a differential so that you can turn a sharp corner without breaking things. The Olds Bravada (S-10 Bazer variant) used this AWD system as did other. The two 4WD systems have CV joints and half shafts just like a front wheel drive car wold have. The exception however is that when 4WD is selected, the half shafts are engaged. In 2WD they are not. A standard transfer case is used in this version. A variation of this system is the AUTO feature which my Yukon has. In auto mode, the front drive system is engaged but no power is fed to it from the transfer case. When rotational difference is detected between the front and rear wheels the transfer case engages in a fraction of a second (almost seamlessly) and you now have four wheel drive. In reality, with any 4WD/AWD system, the best you have for traction is 2WD (one front wheel and one rear wheel) unless all wheels or at least three of them have reasonable traction or a limited slip or locking rear differential and you now have three wheel drive. A 4WD/AWD vehicle without a locking diff on glare ice will spin one front wheel and generally the rear wheel on the opposite side. I have seen this in a flat parking lock with an older Ford pickup. Couldn't move for this very reason.

 

[98Shabah]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

Had an 01 Jeep Cherokee and currently have an 04 Grand Cherokee.. Both have solid front axles, no auto or manual hubs, the front axles spin all the time whether you're in 2wd or 4wd as does the front driveshaft. Gas mileage is actually decent even with all that extra spinning.. The Grand gets about 20 on the highway, 18 mixed. The thing I like about both of them is the manual part time transfer case.. There is nothing like actually pulling a lever to engage 4wd, and being a part time t-case it totally locks the front and rear driveshafts together, these things will climb a damn tree.

 

[The_Kid]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

OK, so it is a early 90's to late 90's ford thing???

Right??

Not really. Ford still offers manual or automatic hubs on on the super duty models and probably some of the other models. I don't know if they operate the same as mine.

My 2002 F250 came with shift on the fly with automatic hubs. In 2 wheel mode the front axles and drive shaft do not spin. When 4 wheel is engaged a vacuum pulse is sent to the front hubs to engage them. At the same time a motor on the transfer case engages the front drive shaft. A second vacuum pulse is sent to the hubs to disengage them when switching back to 2 wheel. They engage or disengage whether I'm sitting still or driving down the road.

I just replaced the factory automatic hubs with some Mile Marker manual hubs because they wouldn't always engage and got hard to manually turn them to the locked position. Ford wanted $300 each for replacements so I ended up getting a pair of stainless steel Mile Marker hubs for $100. That made the choice of switching to manual hubs pretty easy.

 

[rbh]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

The wife ranger is a 91 that had the automatics and the little electric motor on the transfercase (push button to engage).
The issue we had was they would not engage every time (even after servcing them, clean and fresh grease), but since day 1 they would turn the axles and you could tell because of the u joint binding in tight corners, not as bad as when the transfercase was in but still binding.
Parasitic drag??

Anyways got some manual warn hubs, problem gone.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

1997 Tahoe with push-button transfer case, no hubs to operate manually. Would you call that automatic hubs?

It binds some on pavement, tight turns, low speed in 2WD, but not as much as it would if in 4WD, but more than a vehicle that is only 2WD.

So something more than freewheeling is going on up there.

I personally don't trust things that are automatic, or instant, or hands free, or operated by sensors. They fail with age, more than I do.

 

[2300max]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

Had both,perfer the manual hubs. On my SD F-250 and my SD F-350 never had any problems. When there was an issue with weather I just locked the hubs and engaged the transfer case when I needed it. I did have issues with my Chev Truck 1500 with auto hubs, but if I recall it activated the hubs by vac and had to clean and replace lines.

 

[Hghvoltage]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

The Auto hubs on Fords work off the engine vacuum, the thing that gets most gas 4x4's is when you apply the throttle you lose vacuum. The diesel engine doesn't have vacuum problems because it has a separate vacuum pump so no loss of vacuum when throttle is applied. That is the main reason Ford still has the manual option on its hubs.

 

[rbh]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

Well I am thinking we have this issue nailed down to early through late 1990's ford rangers and other mid sized ford 4x4s that have a binding issue with the auto hubs!!

Begining to think maybe I was immageing the binding feeling in the tight turns

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

any vehicle with locking hubs, either manual or automatic could have bad hubs if maintenance is neglected.

I've had all sorts of vehicles from several different manufacturers and they can all have issues.... my 99 ford f350 dually has auto/manual hubs that engage via vacuum or with the twist of a knob. One of them likes to stick in both settings. I've had chevy's with the same issue also.

The fact is that manual and auto hubs do exactly the same thing. Only difference is that one requires that you get out of the cab.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

I've personnaly have never had manual hubs fail to engage. I have had them stick when unlocking a few times but they released when I reversed a little.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

I've personnaly have never had manual hubs fail to engage. I have had them stick when unlocking a few times but they released when I reversed a little.

I've had em fail to engage and fail to disengage. I've even busted em all to pieces. Best thing about them is that they are much cheaper to replace than the autos.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

I had gotten a call while posting earlier, and apparently just left it hanging, but anyhow I drive a 2010 Ram 1500 4X4 with auto, and if I am in 2WD I never have any sort of binding issues, and has one of the best full sized truck turning radius I have had...when I am in 4WD though it doesn't turn for crap, had the misfortune of backing a trailer up a hill thru a gate because the yard was covered with slippery leaves and I couldn't get it go where I wanted...we ended up having to unhook and turn it then move the truck back in under it...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

jda, that is yet another vehicle that doesn't have locking hubs at all.... It had a center axle disconnect (cad)... the shafts and differential gears spin all the time.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

I had gotten a call while posting earlier, and apparently just left it hanging, but anyhow I drive a 2010 Ram 1500 4X4 with auto, and if I am in 2WD I never have any sort of binding issues, and has one of the best full sized truck turning radius I have had...when I am in 4WD though it doesn't turn for crap, had the misfortune of backing a trailer up a hill thru a gate because the yard was covered with slippery leaves and I couldn't get it go where I wanted...we ended up having to unhook and turn it then move the truck back in under it...

LOL my 08' F350 SD 6.4L Diesel is the same way. Ever see that episode of Myth Busters where the tested backing vs. driving forward in the snow. I already new what the 4wd results were gonna be. Heck, I'd already done it. As for hubs, I like my autos. I haven't had any problems at all. I had the Warn hubs on my old K5 Blazer and they worked great but they were a regular maintenance item and I just don't care to do that anymore.

 

[gimmieaclue]

Re: Automatic VS manual hubs!

jda, that is yet another vehicle that doesn't have locking hubs at all.... It had a center axle disconnect (cad)... the shafts and differential gears spin all the time.

I have a 98 ram with the cad, I thought they got rid of the cad in the gen 3's?

As far as wear and tear on the front end with the autos, I got 200,000 out of mine before I had to get new bearings and u-joints so I'm not sure that's a good argument (maybe I got lucky). Although I've had no problems with the cad, and not having to crawl through mud to engage the hubs is nice, I am curious as to the effect on mileage is with manual hubs. I've heard that one argued both ways also.