98 Ranger XLT Locking Hubs

[JoshT]

My opinion here, but if I needed to replace CV axles on my 99 (It's got AVM hubs as well), I'd upgrade. Instead of buying 99 CVs, I'd buy 01+ CVs. I'd buy a set of 01+ hubs. I'd install all of it and delete the hub locks all together.

It sounded like this isn;t the first time the hub locks have broken. How many how many times do they need to break before it pays for a set of newer hubs.

FWIW I've broken them two or three times, but not in the same way as yours. My truck is getting an upgrade to live axles (AKA hubs always locked in can't disconnect). Other upcoming alterations are making live axles a necessity, but it was going to happen even before those plans were made.

 

[Jbyrd]

Welcome to TRS

Yes, 1998-2000 Ranger 4x4s came with PVH(Pulse Vacuum Hubs) that would/should lock the front axles to the hubs when vacuum was present
But, didn't work that well after a few years and vacuum leaks, lol

There is only one maker of Manual hubs to replace the PVH hubs, AVM, a Brazilian company, that makes A LOT of the manual locking hubs for many car makers
They were sold in the US as Mile Marker and Rugged Ridge and then as AVM brand, but they were all made by AVM

Article here on converting PVH to manual hubs: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/1998-2000-ford-ranger-manual-locking-hubs/

Yours has been converted but pictures in the article should help you, as you will need to pull off the one that is making a noise to find out why its making the noise.

Automatic or manual hubs work the same way
The axle shaft has splines
The hub has splines
Picture of that here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/images/avm_hubs/wheelhub.JPG

To Lock a wheel a Gear slides in between the axle splines and hub splines so the two are locked together via that gear
To unLock the gear is pulled back out so hub and axle are no longer connected

The "clicking/ticking" noise may be the gear is not being pulled back far enough
You will need to have a look

Ok so from every thing im seeing do I need to get different wheel bearing/hub assemblies and cv axles or is all those parts the for the auto and manual hubs if so this goes from a 500 dollar job to maybe 100 dollar job