Auto Hubs 1997 Ford Ranger

[Bitwise]

I got a 1997 Ford Ranger from a friend a few months ago. 4wd hasn't worked in the time I've had it. Shifts to 4hi (not 4lo but that's another problem) and you can see the front driveshaft spinning if you look underneath while driving so I've narrowed it down to the hubs not working. I've spent days messing around with my automatic hubs and reading forum posts.

The hubs were packed with grease which apparently is a common reason why they don't work. I cleaned them up but still no luck. Letting the hubs sit overnight to soak to make sure I've got 100% of the the grease out just in case. I'm starting to think the hubs might just be broken. If I take the cam piece off and put it directly against the hub body as described at the bottom of https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/ford-ranger-4x4-locking-hub-troubleshooting/ it only locks up if I hold the hub upside down. From what I've read it's supposed to have some sort of spring mechanism, but now that I've got the grease out, it just moves back and forth with no resistance.

Haven't seen any 1997 or older rangers in the junk yards around here and doesn't look like you can get the automatic hubs anymore. What do you guys think? Are my auto hubs toast and I should just do a manual swap?

Thanks!

 

[RonD]

Yes, you should get manual hubs regardless

Pretty much all 4x4s have an OPEN front differential, this means if one hub fails to engage then no 4WD, so at all times a 50/50 chance of it not working at all, lol

But you may be able to get the auto hubs working again, new parts are not around
No spring except the one around the plastic Cam parts
the plastic cam part is what makes it work, should slide/move in and out easily

When the wheel is just rolling the Auto Hubs unLock
When the axle is powered/turning(4WD) then the cam is rotated and Locks the hub and wheel together

When you shift to 2WD the axle is still locked but without torque the cam "should" rotate and unLock
"Should" because it was often recommended to shift to 2WD and then back up 50ft to unlock the hubs, lol

So this is a torque operated system, and like you said, lots of grease prevents cam from tuning easily to lock or unlock

Manual hubs are just more reliable, and you can leave the hubs locked full time and just shift in and out of 4WD as needed with no issues
2001 and up Rangers got full time locked front hubs, called Live Axle

I like the idea of locked hubs full time, as the biggest wear occurs when you engage the 4WD and axles, u-joints and differential have been just sitting for 6 or 8 months and parts and seals are DRY no lube so DRY start

How long do rear u-joints and differentials last with full time use, a LONG time, lol

 

[Bitwise]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'd prefer manual hubs just want to avoid spending the money on the truck if I can. I got it really cheap but then I scraped away all the old undercoating to check the frame and the back half was in bad shape. Needed about 8 patches but the whole back is rusty so I think it's time is limited. Should be able to get a couple more years out of it then it might be scrap. But I guess $200 for the conversion kit right now might be worth a couple years with 4wd working. Not worth my time to spend 6 more hours with these old auto hubs.

I've attached a picture of the cam part. Looks like that inner piece (right) has a lot of wear on the teeth. They are mostly smooth and if you look up close have lots of dents and scrapes. Maybe that's why it's not working. Not sure why that would make it only work when the hub body is upside down though.

 

[Bitwise]

Before I go out and get a manual conversion kit, is there anybody here who sells them and would ship to canada? I found this on rock auto but I might need a new spindle nut too. Doesn't look like it comes with it. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=11193981&cc=1138159&pt=14103&jsn=10971&jsn=10971

 

[RonD]

Try car-part.com

"Hub, Lockout" is the part you want

search 1990-1997

 

[Bitwise]

Forgot to respond to this. I went out and bought the manual hub conversion kit. WARN 32720 Spindle Nut Kit, and Mile Marker 428 Supreme Locking Hub. Took no time at all and 4x4 been working good since.