Front hub issues

rburro2 · Jan 7, 2016

Ok, It's been a year and I finally got to work on this thing.
What I found: Transfer case motor stuck in 4 Hi. Explains shitty gas mileage. Driver side hub doesn't engage. Passenger side doesn't disengage. Amazing my son drives this to school every day. So I replaced the transfer case motor. Did the quick and dirty to turn this into push button style manual hubs. Drivers side works great, but passenger side still sticking. I forced some grease into the splines and tried to work it a bit. It loosened up some but still sticks.

My questions:
Is this easy to take apart to clean up and grease the splines? Does it require a special tool to disassemble?

I plan on getting a real manual locking hub kit for it soon and going to clean up and grease the splines at that time.

RonD · Jan 7, 2016

2000 Ranger front hubs should be "Live axle", locked full time, or you have the PVH auto hubs, these should be removed.
All 2001 Rangers and up, had Live Axle, but they started getting them as early as 1999 on some models
PVH(pulse vacuum hubs) were introduced on the 1998 Rangers, and Ford started switching to Live Axle in 1999...................that pretty much tells you how well PVH worked, lol.

Look here for trouble shooting: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/troubleshoot-fix_pvh_hubs.shtml

Look here to lock them full time, same as Live Axle: http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/Apr04/offroad.htm

Look here for how to install AVM manual hubs: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AVM_hub_swap.shtml
Rangers that came with Live Axle setup, can't be retro-fitted with manual hubs, you have to swap out the front axle to do that.

This is for the '98-'00 hub bearing replacement, good pictures: http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/spring07/98_00_Ranger_hub_bearing.htm

FYI, MPG change in having front hubs locked full time with transfer case in 2WD is .3MPG less, so not nothing but less than most people would think.
Axles and drive shaft have little resistance and don't weigh much.
So 3 less miles for each 10 gallons of gas, or 5.5 miles less per tank, 18gallon

rburro2 · Jan 7, 2016

Thank you for all the info. Yes they were PVH auto hubs, Not anymore. The transfer case was in 4 Hi with apparently one hub engaged. At least that is how it was when I took it apart today. I am definitely going to manual locking hubs.

adsm08 · Jan 7, 2016

Ron, PVH was still around in 1999, and 2000. In fact it wasn't gone completely until 2001.5.

RonD · Jan 8, 2016

Yes, I thought that was the case, but have read a couple of reports of stock live axles on 4.0l Rangers in 1999 and 2000, maybe part of an off-road package not sure?
I know "if its on the internet it must be true", lol, but the people relaying the info seemed credible, not that any of this really matters.

But I would think Ford did install PVH until they were low on the parts, so 2001+, but only on the 3.0l models, I think the 4.0l SOHC were all live axle, 2001 and up

pjtoledo · Jan 8, 2016

my 2000 3.0 has the live axle. it's a June 2000 build date. Don't recall where it was built.

RonD · Jan 8, 2016

pjtoledo said:
my 2000 3.0 has the live axle. it's a June 2000 build date. Don't recall where it was built.

Good info, thanks, first pre-2001 3.0l I have read about

Front hub issues

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