Took the truck muddin' today and.........

[big_rooster]

Yeah it sounds like you dont have vacuum hubs. Half the time i shift into 4 wheel drive it dumps my vents and flips to the windshield vents. So i definetley know my auto hubs work purty good. However even with auto hubs i still have to get out and lock my hubs in good mud otherwise the hubs dont hold as well with the vacuum. Way manual hubs work when you get out and turn the switch it presses the splines in i believe allowing the front to turn. Next time just engage yer hubs before ya drive off the road to avoid havin to get out in the mud, and if this is yer first diesel yer front end is as heavy as a mack truck and will bury it self in a heartbeat. So just lock yer hubs and you can throw rooster tails till the cows come home.

 

[J_F250]

Ok I think I follow now. So If I locked my auto/manual hubs and the 4 wheel drive did not work I just need to fix the hubs and forget about the vacuum lines altogether. If I switch to the Warns they do not have anything to do with the vacuum pump?
Is there something in the 4 wheel drive switch that tells the tranny "Hey, turn the front wheels now"?
I am sorry I am such an idiot when it comes to 4 wheel drive.

 

[big_rooster]

Yes the 4 wheel drive switch engages the transfer case. Transfer case is on the tail of the transmission and it splits the power between the front and rear.

 

[paulkeith]

so i'm assuming you have the dial-a-4wheeldrive switch on your dash?

the stock ford hubs are vacuum actuated in the "auto" position when you turn the dial to either of the 4wds, but can be manually locked if turned to the "lock" position in the case that you've got a vacuum leak or whatever. The vacuum hubs 99.9% of the time suck crap and don't work. I've also heard mixed rumors that they tend to suck grease out of the front unit hub bearings and cause premature failure with bigger tires.

anyway, a lot of people replace the vacuum stock hubs with just plain old manual on off warn hubs. then you just have to get out and lock them every time you want 4wd....which is pretty much what you have to do with the broken stockers anyway. this way you avoid having a vacuum leak and its associated effects on the hvac

follow?

hth
Paul

 

[J_F250]

So if I install the Warns I would still have to turn the switch, but I would also have to get out and lock the hubs as well. When you switch to manuals do you just delete the vacuum lines? Or can you? It would be there for nothing correct?

Thanks

 

[Mobeydick]

OK maybe I am just an idiot, but I have hubs that can be turned to lock. Does this mean that the original non-manual hubs were replaced? Or did F250s come with manual hubs that do not have to be locked but can be if needed?

type in lay terms because I am an dumb--- when it comes to 4 wheel drive.

how do manual hubs physically work?

Your hubs came that way from the Factory. They can be locked manually or if everything is working right the ESOF is supposed to lock them for you. If you lock them every few weeks you should never have a problem with them. I didn't lock mine in for a year or so, when I tried a few weeks ago they didn't do it automatically. I locked them manually a few time over the last few weeks and now they are working properly.

 

[J_F250]

Your hubs came that way from the Factory. They can be locked manually or if everything is working right the ESOF is supposed to lock them for you.

What does ESOF stand for?

 

[pete37922]

ESOF=Electronic Shift On Fly

 

[J_F250]

So do you have to put it in neutral to put it in 4 wheel drive?

 

[Mobeydick]

Not 4 HI! But you do for 4 Low