Ford Super Duty (1999-2016) :: Front Hubs Not Auto Locking
Jun 27, 2017
My hubs will not lock when put into 4x4. I disconnected all lines from the solenoid to both hubs and tested them for leaks... All good there. I put a gauge on the lines at both hubs one at a time while the other is still connected and get no reading when switched into 4x4. I checked for vacuum right out of the solenoid, and I get 2inHg when switched into 4x.
The vacuum pump kicks on every time I start the truck, even if I just shut it off and re-start right away. There is no delay when switching my ac/heater controls to different settings or vent locations. So I know there is vacuum. How much vacuum I should be getting out of the solenoid to the hubs?
2004 F350 6.0L....
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I took apart, cleaned and lubed my hubs. My question is: how does the vacuum make the gears work?
Does the vacuum force (suck) the nylon assembly to push the outer gear towards the center of the truck, sliding on the inner gear thus engaging the teeth so that the axle shaft turns the hub?
When the vacuum is gone, does spring pressure pushes the outer gear away from the center of the truck thus disengaging the teeth from the inner gear and allowing the hub to free wheel?
Is this vacuum source constant during 4wd and not present during 2wd or do I not understand how the system works? I have read about a “vacuum pulse” that locks the hubs and another pulse that unlocks the hubs and this confuses me.
BTW, I like the way the Auto lock works. I had a set of Warn Auto Lock hubs on my 78 CJ. They worked on the principle of a set of roller bearings that would lock (pinch) when there was torque coming from the drive shaft. There was no vacuum involved at all. The down side was that when you coasted, the front hubs would be in two wheel drive and so you would not get the engine braking on all 4 wheels. These ESOF seem to have solved this problem.
Oh, I should probably tell you that I just purchased my 04 F250 SuperDuty 4x4 with the 6.0 diesel, just had it a week. It has been 18 years since I owned a 4x4. Before this I owned an 87 F250 2wd with the 6.9 diesel.
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My F350 4x4 won't go into 4 wheel drive unless I get out and take them out of auto and put them in locked position and when I have it in lock mode it seams to work like it's in auto mode, when I put the switch on the dash in 2wd, it seams like it's only driving the back wheels....
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My 2010 F350 shudders when turning right. From what I read it could be the auto locking hubs not dis-engaging or sticking in the locked position. Tutorials show it's pretty easy to pull the auto locking Hub out taking out the three screws holding it in place. My questions is what type of grease do I need to apply to the auto locking hub once I have them out and determine that is what the issue is?
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I have a 2013 F250 which has both the Manual and auto locking hub feature. I tried to plow my driveway this morning and after making one pass I put the truck in reverse and could not back up my steep driveway. The truck is showing locked in 4x4 on the dash, the 4x4 control is in high lock but the front wheels will not turn. It has been very cold here lately (-30) and I'm wondering if the vacuum lines for the auto locking hubs have frozen. I have switched the control out of 4x4 and back in several times, and it does lock in again, but as soon as I put the truck into reverse, they unlock again. The hubs are covered with ice and snow right now so I have not yet tried to manually lock them.
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I am considering buying a 2001 Ford F250 Super Duty XLT 4x4 V10 engine tomorrow. I am hesitant because I cant get the 4x4 to engage. It goes into 4x4 low and high and the front driveshaft spins but it wont engage the wheels. One side locking hub locks but the other side the locking hub is cracked off and so I there is no way to turn to lock that side. I will of course replace the Locking Hub ASAP if I buy the rig but my question here is, if one side is locked should one side of the front axle spin, meaning if only one side Locking Hub is locked should that wheel turn and the other not? Both are not turning but as I said the driveshaft is spinning.
I don't know if both sides need to be locked in order for the front wheels to engage while in 4x4 high or low. Or if one side should engage if only one side is locked; the wheel that's locked of course..
2001 Ford F250 XLT Super Duty 4x4
V10 engine...
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I've noticed my front axles are rotating all the time even when the hubs are in auto and supposed to be unlocked when in 2wd. Is there a rebuild kit for these so they will unlock the axles or do I need to buy new locking hubs?
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So I noticed the past few days my 09 F250 was clunking in the front end when turning hard even with the hubs in auto so I knew there was an issue in there somewhere. This morning I took the jack and found the passenger side would not release no matter which way the lock was turned. Pulled the locking assembly out and found a couple of the pieces of plastic cage broken (truck has 250k miles) which is to be expected I guess but the locking ring that holds the inner piece that slides over the axle stub was off and hanging next to the c-clip on the axle.
So with the plastic of the cage already being broke and the mileage on the truck it's clear I need a new lock for that side.
Here's my dilemma, I have to deliver a conference room table 200 miles away tomorrow morning that they need for meeting tomorrow afternoon at 3:00pm. I cut the rest of the plastic pieces and took the gears out leaving just the cover with the diaphragm and put it back on the hub. I can't come up with any logical reason why I can't drive the truck this way but just want to bounce it off the experts here before I take off on a 400 mile trip in the morning. The only thing I can come up with is if I were to engage the 4wd the vacuum might suck the auto-lock diaphragm in and pop it but otherwise I can't find any reason to not run it this way, the hub is still sealed up and free-wheeling just like if it were in 2wd anyway.
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Back in March while still plowing, my auto locking hubs wouldn't stay engaged. After talking to the local Ford service shop they told me that it was moisture in the vaccum lines and that it had frozen. They told me to manually lock the hubs and bring it in to be repaired when I had time. I made a appointment in the middle of May and finally got it in last week. Now the hubs are seized in the locked position and they will not warranty the work or parts because they say it was caused by the salt from our roads. Does this sound right?
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I just ordered '00 F250 SC 4x4 SWB XLT with the factory standard manual hubs. The hubs show up on the vehicle order confirmation as code "21M MAN LOCKING HUB". I can't find this code in the ordering guides anywhere but kbb.com shows this code as "Manual hubs delete. Required with 213 shift-on-the-fly". I want the manual hubs. I think ##### is incorrect. For my piece of mind, could someone who has also ordered the factory standard manual hubs verify that the code is indeed 21M. And for those who ordered shift-on-the-fly, could you verify that 21M does NOT show up on your order confirmation...
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My 2009 F-350 4x4 has a front wheel option of Auto or Lock ; I think I understand the Auto option but under what circumstances would I lock the hubs and is it safe to leave them in the Lock mode when traveling on the highway?
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I drove my pickup on mostly dry pavement the other day with it in 4WD and the hubs locked. I got a bit of shimmy/vibration which quit after about a mile. When I got back on ice, the 4WD wasn't working. I assumed the transfer case or locking hubs had failed. Today I got it up on jack stands, put it in 4WD, and locked the hubs. Everything seems fine. What might have happened when I couldn't get 4WD to function.
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Today was the first time I have locked my wheel hubs in and used 4 wheel drive. However when I did all this i noticed that when I turn there is a growling sound but only when turning. It does not make the sound when unlocked and in 2 wheel drive.
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I was using 4x4 High the other day and it was working just fine. Now today, I was at my first parking lot to plow and used the ESOF to shift into 4x4 High and it did not engage with the hubs being in auto mode. The lights on the dash show up indicating that I am, but I am still in 2wd.
If I manually lock the hubs, it engages 4wd high. I tried the same thing using the ESOF to switch over to 4x4 low and it does NOT engage either.
I also noticed that heater blower was switching over to full defrost even though I had it set on the floor setting (manual heat climate *****).
Does this sound like a vacuum leak? I haven't had a chance to test the lines yet. Btw, this is my second work truck and not the one listed in my signature below. It's a 2006 f-350 6.0 xlt.
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I recently purchased a 2003 F350 FX4 Dually with the 7.3L Diesel. It has locking hubs and electric shift in the cab.
I have had locking hubs before that you had to engage to shift into 4 wheel drive and I have had trucks without locking hubs.
My truck didn't come with a manual, so I am looking for instructions for the proper use of this system.
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2001 F-250 7.3. The auto lock hubs are not working on the truck lock hubs in and all works fine. First thought is the vacuum system has a leak or something of the sort. Had truck at the shop they are telling me the GEM module controls the vacuum to engage the auto hubs and the signal is not coming from the GEM and it need to be replaced. It was the GEM causing the problem.
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After reading the book, I'm afraid I still don't understand. When the hubs are in AUTO, & the shift on the fly selector is turned to 4X4 high, or 4X4 low, is the truck in 4 wheel drive. What happened to free or lock.
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2008 F350 hubs wont stay locked in when in auto position. everything stays locked while in manual and 4x4 works fine, but in auto the hubs wont stay locked while spinning. I was trying to find the problem when i noticed that one hub stays locked all the time and the other locks and unlocks as it should but it wont stay locked while spinning. My question is do I have two bad hubs or is their a leak that wont let the hub stay locked? Also on the hub that wont unlock is this a leak problem as well or a internal problem?
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I have a 2000 f250 CCSB 4x4 with the ESOF auto hubs. The auto hubs won't engage automatically. They work fine manually. The transfer case is engaging and correct lights are coming on. There is a little bit of vacuum coming from the vacuum switch but it doesn't seem like much to me. All the dash HVAC controls work fine though. I Lubed and cleaned inside the hubs according to Guzzles directions.
While torn down, I blew through the vacuum port on the outside of the hub and there was little to no restriction. I don't think there is enough vacuum to pull the hubs, but is that possible if all the dash controls work fine? What pressure should it take to engage them? My next step is to pick up a vacuum pump and see if I can engage them with it.
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I'm trying to figure out why my auto locking hubs do not engage. To isolate the problem shouldn't the hub engage if a vacuum is applied to that hub only? A solid 18 inHg is maintained at that hub for over 10 minutes but the selector will not rotate, which suggests to me the seals are OK. What then might be the problem?
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I just replaced the ball joints on my 02 excursion and I can't get the locking hubs to seat far enough in so that the retaining ring keeps them in place. The ring seats but then works out as I'm driving. There is something keeping the hub from sliding in far enough so that the ring/clip can set deep enough in its groove. What's causing that? Its happening on both sides.
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