03 4x4 Front Hub STUCK - Maual

[Galaxie]

2003 4x4 manual hubs. To engage or disengage I need to use a pair of channel locks. Is this something I can fix by taking the hub apart?

Happen to anyone else?

[Zaairman]

It happens to most of them eventually... The fix is to install Warns.

[Galaxie]

So replacing is the best bet....dang, didnt want to do that.

[NoRalPh]

If you want, you Can take them apart, clean & grease everything first. Factory hubs Do actually work

I think there's no doubt that Warns are a better hub, but certainly not the Only option. Easy enough to find out.....

[ttyR2]

Yeah, maintenance just *might* be the key.

[ToMang07]

Will be doing mine soon.... and they are frozen as well.

Wish I had the money for Warn Premiums.

Welcome to guzzle's 4x4 Autolock Hub Lubrication Maintenance Web Page

[Galaxie]

Originally Posted by ttyR2

Yeah, maintenance just *might* be the key.

Eh.... 165,000 miles and it is lucky if it even gets an oil change. NOTHING has been touched.

[JEL]

You can try shooting some silicon spray in the hole on the hub and see if it breaks them free, my dad did that on his old Bronco with manual hubs when they froze up and ended up lasting another 100k.

[sluhbmet]

I had this same problem with the passenger side hub on my e99. I felt like I was gonna break my wrist every time I had to lock it in. I read where some people were taking all of the guts out of the hubs and then letting the housings soak in tranny fluid for a day or two to free/lube the dials up. The major complaint was that it was only a temporary fix as the dials would become stiff again in 6 months or less.

I ended up modifying this procedure just a bit by gutting the hubs and filling the inside bottom of the hub with PB Blaster and allowing it to soak for 24 hours. The next day I worked the dial back and forth with pliers several times and got it as loose as possible and I also sprayed PB on the outer outer circumference of the dial (there is hairline gap where an oring rides in), to aid in easier dial turns. Next, I emptied out the PB Blaster and then soaked the housing in tranny fluid for another day and worked the dial back and forth periodically while it was soaking.

After the tranny fluid soak, I emptied the fluid out of it and used a rag to wipe off the edges (DO NOT use any solvents like carb or brake cleaner to clean the tranny fluid out of the inside of the hub). Then I basically followed the procedure on Guzzle's website for lubing the internal components and assembling the hubs. I know it sounds like a giant pain in the butt and your truck will be setting for a couple of days, but it's been over a year now and the hub dial still turns smoothly. May be worth a try if your strapped for cash like I was.

Good Luck,

sluhbmet

[JEL]

I've heard about the ATF trick as well, seems like it would work well since ATF is thin, slippery stuff that can work its way into anything. My hubs are still working well becuause we don't get enough snow around here for me to lock and unlock them a lot, but I like to operate them every couple of months even in the summer to make sure they are still freely turning, still, I've considered going to Warn Premiums just as a preventative thing.