4x4 Clarification required

[Kags101]

Im a little confused with my 4x4 system. My 1989 Bronco II has Warn locking hubs. when I got my truck from my grandfather, he told me to ignore the 4x4 light on the dash because of the manual hub conversion, logically made sense to me, so I didn't think twice. The other day just for gags I decided to press the button and see if the light would go out, to my surprise, it did. ok no big. Massive snow storm last night, get in the garage, flip my manual hubs, chug to work, and get stuck spinning and driftiung up the slightest hill. recheck my hubs, confused and worried, i remember the light. press the 4x4 light and boom, i've got my 4wd back.
I always understood that BII's have auto hubs, and thats why manual hub conversions are popular. clearly i have an electronic shifting transfer case. did all bii's have both auto hubs and an e shift transfer case? or my truck not have auto hubs and only a transfer case shift? moving forward, can i now leave my hubs locked all winter and just use my transfer case shift when i need my 4x4?

I tried skimming around but couldn't identify any posts similar enough or with answers. thanks

 

[Shran]

Ha...he probably ran it around in 4wd all the time. Hubs unlocked, no big deal, just a little more wear & tear on the front axle because everything is always turning.

If you see the light on the dash, the transfer case is in 4wd. Unlocking the hubs simply disconnects the wheels from the front axle and allows them to free spin. The proper procedure is to drive around in 2wd, and when you need 4wd, you can push the button and then get out and lock the hubs.

It is also totally OK to drive around with the hubs locked in and the transfer case in 2wd. It is NOT OK to drive around on pavement with the hubs locked and the t-case in 4wd, high or low... you will break something eventually.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

With 4wd its also a good idea (espicially with electric shift) to engage the 4wd button once in a while as well as shift it to 4low sometimes (when stopped) to keep the motor from gumming up.

Same thing with the hubs. Lock them in (with t case in 2wd) and drive a few miles to keep everything in fighting shape for when you really need it.

 

[4x4prepper]

> did all bii's have both auto hubs and an e shift transfer case?

No, though you would likely find both in Eddie Bauer and XLT trim lines.

Your grand father probably put it in 4x4 manually when it did not work, so, he said ignore it. That way just lock the hubs and you have 4x4 without worrying if the electronic control is going to work or not.

 

[2011Supercab]

moving forward, can i now leave my hubs locked all winter and just use my transfer case shift when i need my 4x4?

Yes, back when I had a truck with manual hubs that's what I did.

That way I didn't have to get out of the truck to engage 4x4,

If we were going to go running some trails, even in the summer time, I'd lock the hubs at home before leaving.

 

[superj]

Funny, you guys talking about those warn hubs. A set showed up on craigslist suddenly

 

[gaz]

I don't know when or why the switched to the electric shift but my 87 BII had both manual hubs and transfer case from the factory. Both systems manual very common when I bought my 87 Ranger in 88.

 

[00t444e]

For 4x4 to work 2 things have to happen, your hubs have to be locked and the transfer case has to shift into 4x4. The light is still important with manual hubs because it tells you if the transfer case is in 4x4 or not. Also yes you can lock the hubs and drive around in 2wd then shift into 4x4 when you need it.