Home Bronco TSB Summaries Recent Updates Gallery Submit A Link Unique Visitors: 367714	FORD BRONCO -> DRIVELINE; axles, bearings, differentials, gears, re-gearing, LOCKING HUBS, 8 lug swaps, U joints -> Locking Hubs WELCOME to MIESK5's BIG BRONCO LINKS - We now have over 26,000 LINKs! This is a Ford Bronco, Truck & Van Technical & Parts LINKS site developed by the MIESK5 Family & is not affiliated with the Ford Motor Co. in any manner. Although we initially developed this site for 78-96 Big Broncos, information in many Links also applies to F, E Series & Cars. UPDATE; all Links via web.archive may be down; Copy orig. URL & go to http://replay.waybackmachine.org/ to search for the new archived copy Select A Category: Automatic; including Swaps to Manual Hubs & Wheel Bearing Locknut Torque Settings Four Wheel Drive (4X4) General Information, Operation & Troubleshooting TSB 92-1-8 for 92 & Prior Year Bronco, F Series & Ranger; Includes Electric Shift On The Fly (ESOF) Troubleshooting after 92 & Hub Operation General Information Manual; including Wheel Bearing Locknut Torque Settings for 80-96 Vibration or Noise When Driving In 4X2 Mode W/ Hubs Locked (Replace the front Driveshaft) TSB 97-13-22 for 87-96 Bronco & 87-97 F Series Select A Link: "...Manual Hub - The t-case disconnects the front driveshaft from the transmission, and the hubs disconnect the axleshafts from the wheels. The driveshaft is ALWAYS connected to the diff & axleshafts. Depending on how tight your diff is, both axleshafts MAY turn when you turn the d'shaft while BOTH hubs are unlocked, but at least one of them has to no matter what. If the d-shaft won't turn with both front wheels off the ground (or the hub locks removed), then the t-case is still in 4. If either axleshaft won't turn with its hub UNlocked AND the t-case in 2 or N, then that hub is stuck locked. I suspect you'll find some carmelized grease, and some surface rust on the lock rings, and probably a spring or 2 heavily rusted, to the point that they're ruined. But that's just a guess. Take both hub locks OUT of the hubs, and then roll the truck a little. You don't need to remove the tires, or even jack the front end up since the locks don't bear ANY weight. If the d'shaft still turns, the problem is in your t-case....." Source: by Steve83 (Steve, That dirty old truck) at FSB "...Manual Hub OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS: ONLY use fingers to turn dials. DO NOT USE PLIERS. Set the hublock dials to “FREE” and transfer case to 2-high for all driving that does not require four wheel drive. To engage four wheel drive set the hublock dials to “LOCK” and set the transfer case to 4-high or 4-low. Return the transfer case to 2-high before disengaging hublocks. Do not drive on hard surface roads in 4-wheel rive because it can cause drive train damage. Do not move the vehicle if the hubs are anywhere between “FREE” and “LOCK” or it will damage the hublocks. Driving with only one hublock engaged can cause drive train damage. Driving with the hublocks in ”FREE’’ and transfer case in 4-low can cause drive train damage. To ensure lubrication of the front axle, engage hublocks for a minimum of one mile monthly..." Source: by Warn® Dana 44 Parts Break-Out Diagrams w/ Auto & Manual Locking Hubs & BoM; 6 MB PDF see page 121 Source: by www2.dana.com Dial is Hard to Turn Causes & Repair Tips Source: by miesk5 at Ford Bronco Zone Forums Four Wheel Drive (4X4) General Information, Operation & Troubleshooting TSB 92-1-8 for Bronco, F Series & Ranger (COMPLETE); Includes Electric Shift On The Fly (ESOF) Troubleshooting & Hub Operation; same for 87-96; exc for that in 87; power from Fuse 6 (15 amp) to "ELECT SHIFT CONTROL MOD" WHT-PPL and CB 12 (30amp) to "ELECT SHIFT CONTROL MOD" BLK-WHT; SEE A7 and A8 in the 4x4 diagram, it shows those two wires BLK-WHT as BK/W from SHIFT MODULE to P1 BATTY and and WHT-PPL as W/P to P2 Source: by Ford via Chilton Operational Test in a 96; "...Automatic Locking Hubs: Raise vehicle on a hoist so that all wheels are off the ground. Start engine (6007) with vehicle in neutral and transfer case in two-wheel drive. Front wheels should spin freely by hand. Put transfer case in 4WD and put vehicle in gear. Front and rear wheels should rotate together. Put vehicle in neutral and spin front wheels by hand in the forward direction. The front axle and front driveshaft should rotate with the wheels. The additional load of the drivetrain components should be felt once the hub has been engaged. To disengage the hubs, spin the wheels in the opposite direction until an audible click is heard. Spin wheels forward again and they should rotate freely without the axle and driveshaft rotating. Repeat the procedure, only shift into 4-wheel drive and put the vehicle in reverse. This time the hubs should release when the front wheels are spun in the forward direction. NOTE: While the vehicle is hoisted, shift into 4-wheel drive from a dead stop and not while rear wheels are rotating in order to avoid slamming the hub locks into the lock position. Road Test; When checking front hubs for proper operation, road test the vehicle to make sure the hubs will remain engaged while under load. This is accomplished by engaging 4-wheel drive and taking the vehicle through several turns (both forward and backward) on dry pavement. This will put an additional load on the front wheel at the outside of the turn because it is traveling the greatest distance. Driving through several turns while traveling in different directions will make sure that both sides of the hub teeth have been tested under load. Hubs that are not sufficiently engaged will pop out when loaded. This is due to the driveline releasing windup and is an indication of hub malfunction. If slippage is suspected, mark the tire and axle shaft with chalk (after locking the hub) and apply a heavy torque load several times. Then inspect your original indexing marks. If they are no longer aligned, the hubs are not remaining locked when under load. They will have to be replaced. Should hublocks become submerged in water or mud for a long period of time, water may get past the seals and into the hubs and axle. In this case, all water must be expelled from the system. The axle must be drained by loosening the axle cover and 4x4 Gear Oil F1TZ-19580-A (WSL-M2C191-A) used to refill the axle (F1TZ-19580-A has no equivalent). Disassemble the hubs using procedures in this section and repack the wheel bearings using procedures in this section and dry off the hublocks. Reassemble hubs using procedures in this section. Refer to Section 05-03A or Section 05-03B for replacement of outer axle shaft seals or spindle inner seal and bearing. ..." from 1996 F-150, F-250, F-350, and Bronco Workshop Manual Source: by Ford via thedieselstop.com Operational Test in a 96; "...Manual locking hubs are simple to diagnose. Place the transfer case (7A195) in 2-wheel drive and raise the front wheels (1007) off the ground. When in the unlocked position, the wheels should be able to turn freely. Then lock each of the front hubs and rotate the front wheels. The additional load of the drivetrain components should be felt once the hub has been engaged. In addition, the axle and front driveshaft should be moving along with the wheel. Disengage the hubs and repeat the procedure to check that the hubs have smoothly disengaged..." from 1996 F-150, F-250, F-350, and Bronco Workshop Manual Source: by Ford via thedieselstop.com Operational Test; Remember to block the wheels. This would work for testing manual hubs too, just lock them 1st; "...Place transfercase in 2HI or Neutrall. 2. Lying under vehicle, turn front drive shaft (one direction only). 3. Automatic hubs should lock after 1 to 5 turns of driveshaft (one direction only). After step 3 the hubs should lock, youll know they are locked becouse you will hear a click from both hubs and you will no longer be able to turn the front drive shaft (in the same direction). If this is not the case then continue to step 4. If you can no longer turn the drive shaft (in the same direction) then skip to step 7. 4. If you can still turn the drive shaft (one direction only) then one or more of your Auto hubs is not working. 5. Continuing to turn the Drive shaft (one direction only). 6. Look at the u-joints for the front stub axles, if both are turning then both front hubs are malfunctioning, if only one is turning then the one that is not turning is locked and the one turning is malfuctioning. Replace as necosary (preferably with manual hubs, Auto hubs have Yams in them) 7. To unlock the hubs, turn drive shaft in opisat direction untill you hear a click from the hubs. To check for transfercase engagement. 1. Place pushbutton transfercase in either 4 HI or 4LO. 2. lie under vehicle. 3. You should not be able to turn front drive-shaft in either direction. 4. If you can turn the front drive shaft then your transfer case is not shifting properly..." Source: by Gacknar (The Mall-Crawler, Jeremy, "Big grey megga beast") at FSB Operational Test; "... (engine off, hubs disengaged), crawl under the truck with the transfer case in 2HI, you should be able to grab the front drive shaft and turn it by hand. Also with the hubs disengaged you should see the front axles turning freely. Now engage the hubs and you should not be able to turn the drive shaft by hand. Jack the front wheels off the ground with the hubs engaged, turn the drive shaft by hand, the wheels should turn. The 4x4 light should not be on in 2HI, when in 4LOW you may have a low range light on, (not all trucks have that light) at least mine doesn't..." Source: by Seabronc (Rosie, Fred W) at Ford Bronco Zone Forums Operational Test; "...Diagnosing an automatic hub problem may require test driving the vehicle, or raising a front wheel to see if the hub is engaging and disengaging properly. Put the transmission in park, set the parking brake and raise the chassis so one of the front wheels is off the ground while the other is still on the ground. When the transfer case is in two-wheel drive, the hubs should be released allowing the wheels to turn freely when spun by hand. If the axle shaft turns when you spin the wheel, it means the hub has not disengaged. To check engagement, rotate the axle shaft backwards. This should lock the hub. Try turning the wheel by hand again. The axle shaft should now turn with the wheel if the hub is locked. If the hub fails to lock, the hub will have to be disassembled and inspected or replaced. To check release, hold the axle shaft steady and rotate the wheel backwards. You should hear a click as the locking mechanism slides back out and disengages the hub. Rotate the wheel forward again and it should turn freely. Another way to check the hubs is to raise the vehicle on a frame contact lift so all four wheels are off the ground. Then start the engine and place the transfer case in four-wheel drive and the transmission in drive. If the front wheels don’t turn, look at the front axle shafts. If both shafts are turning, but one wheel is not, the problem is a bad hub on the wheel that isn’t turning. If the front driveshafts are not turning when the transfer case is in four-wheel drive, the problem is inside the differential (broken side gears) or the transfer case (broken chain, shift linkage, etc.). If the driveshaft between the transfer case and differential is turning, the problem is in the differential. If the driveshaft is not turning, the vehicle is going to need repairs to the transfer case..." Source: by brakeandfrontend.com Operational Test; "...To CHECK FOR PROPER ENGAGEMENT, dial both hubs to LOCK and raise the front left corner of the vehicle off the ground. Spin the lifted tire. The drive line will turn if the Hub is engaging properly. TO CHECK FOR PROPER DISENGAGEMENT, dial the lifted wheel hub into FREE and spin the lifted wheel. If the drive line does not turn AND you hear NO ratcheting sounds, the hub is disengaging properly. Repeat step 5- 6 with the right wheel & hub. NOTE: The hubs are not required to seat against the wheel housing when installed, they may move in and out quite easily. This “float” is normal and will not affect performance..." Source: by Warn® Operational Test; "...To CHECK FOR PROPER ENGAGEMENT, dial both hubs to LOCK and raise the front left corner of the vehicle off the ground. Spin the lifted tire. The drive line will turn if the Hub is engaging properly. TO CHECK FOR PROPER DISENGAGEMENT, dial the lifted wheel hub into FREE and spin the lifted wheel. If the drive line does not turn AND you hear NO ratcheting sounds, the hub is disengaging properly. Repeat step 5- 6 with the right wheel & hub. NOTE: The hubs are not required to seat against the wheel housing when installed, they may move in and out quite easily. This “float” is normal and will not affect performance..." ; miesk5 NOTE; these instructions are similar to original Warn's, but diagrams are clearer Source: by Warn® via streetsideauto.com Tire Diameter/Circumference & Air Pressure Differences; "...You will recall that at the beginning of this section, we mentioned that we had made sure that all four tires on our truck were the same size, were worn the same amount, were inflated to the specified pressure and were subjected to reasonable loading. Avoiding driveline windup was the reason for this. Figure 18A shows that tires of even slightly different size roll different distances every revolution. Figure 18B shows that the same effect is true for tires that are the same size but inflated or loaded differently. Operating a 4 x 4 in 4WD with tires of different size or inflation will produce driveline windup, even when driving straight ahead! If the vehicle is being driven in 4WD on dry, hard pavement, the driver will notice drag and may experience the hop, skip, bounce effect as the front or rear wheels release the windup..." in Four Wheel Drive (4X4) General Information, Operation & Troubleshooting TSB 92-1-8 for Bronco, F Series & Ranger (COMPLETE); Includes Electric Shift On The Fly (ESOF) Troubleshooting & Hub Operation; see page 4-6 & Figures Source: by Ford via Chilton Warn® Hub Service Parts & Fastener Kits Part Numbers; Premium Manual Hub #20990; Premium Spindle Nut Kit #32720; Premium Hub Service Kit #20825 for 66-96 Bronco 19 Splines (Will Not Fit '87-Early '88 Models Vehicles, Flange Mount); 59-96 F 150, 59-75 F 250...Vehicles With Full Time 4WD Requires Transfer Case Conversion Kit; When Replacing Automatic 3 Hole Cap Screw Hubs, You Must Purchase Corresponding Spindle Nut Conversion Kit; Miesk5 Note, CONVERSION KIT P/N 32720 is for both Premium Manual Hub & Standard Manual Hub Source: by Warn® Warn® Milestones; some highlights: 1948 Arthur Warn invents the Locking Hub in Seattle, Washington; 1954 WARN locking hubs are offered as optional factory equipment by major domestic automotive manufacturers; 1956 WARN invents locking hub with both free and lock selections; 1961 The M4 locking hub is sold to Ford; 1978 WARN begins major relationship with Ford on F150 and Bronco; 1981 Ford announces that its Ranger truck series 4x4 models will be equipped with WARN M250 manual locking hubs; Read More Source: by Warn®