I have a 94 f150 with manual hubs. I dont go off raod much but do use 4 wheel drive every month or so. I find it a real annoyance to get out and turn the hubs. Ive considered switching to auto.

I was just wondering how many people have actually had thier auto hubs fail on them. My last truck was 90 K5 blazer that had auto locking hubs and they never gave me any problems and the truck had 200,000 on it.

Ive heard rumors that auto hubs break.
So any feedback on thier reliability would be great.

 

My old 77 blazer had manual hubs that had been changed over from the auto hubs,a lot of owners didn't like the front turning all the time and said it inproved the gas mileage having manual hubs.Anytime I went out to the hills and the weather was bad I would lock the hubs in so I didn't have to get in the mud to do it.They have a come along way on the making them better to hold up,but like anything you buy it will break at some time.I read on the form here to kick it in 4 wheel around town on drive across town (no turns low,speed)to keep them working if you dodn't go out off roading much it helps too lube the front up and free up what kicks in too the have front turn when you need it.I've used mine a few times and it nice to turn a switch to get 4 wheel drive.But have 5 or 10 pickups and out of them there will be 1 or 2 that the 4 wheel drive will go out on it,being used wrong or not at all.Alot of people buy 4x4's and never go off road with them all the time they have the vel.After tradeing it in,the next owner it breaks on when they go out 4 wheelng.Well thats my 2 cents worth,Nice talking with you

 

Your Chevy didn't have hubs at all, it had a locking differential. That's why they didn't go bad. The CV axle stub was splined stright to your spindle with a spindle hub nut. ALL AUTO HUBS FAIL. Most Explorer's '94-'97 got 30-40k miles before failing. Bronco's and trucks with auto hubs faired a little better, but I had a pile of them under my bench from removing them to install manual hubs on those trucks. Chevy/Dodge and Ford all used the same design of the auto hubs and they were all junk. I believe they were made by Dana/Spicer like the axles. I believe only Dodge used a different stub axle in the live axle set-up and never offered auto hubs on that one.

Even the new Super Duty auto hub fails, and those are mucho expensive.

Go with manual locking and like the previous post said, lock them if you think you might need them. Then all you have to do is kick the t-case in 4x4 and your good to go.

 

Not to hijack your thread but what way is "LOCK" and "AUTO" on a 99 SuperDuty?? Mine are not marked. I think clockwise is "locked" but not positive. As for auto hubs go I would not waste money on them. As Colorado Osprey said they all fail at some point. You will get better fuel milage with manual hubs provided they are not locked in

 

Where is that BS flag when you need it? I got 250,000 miles out of a set of autohubs before I sold my 92 explorer, and it was still fine. I abused the chit out of the 4x4 to as a 16 year old. A buddy of mine had a K5 Blazer that in the 10 years he had it, went through 2 motors and 4 trannys, same set of autohubs. A blanket statement like that is a bad idea. Autohubs are good for people who don't want to get out in the mud when they get stuck in some crap they thought they could drive through and lock'em. Manual hubs can break just as easily. I have seen some jeeps chew manual hubs up and spit'em out.

 

My 91 f150 has a bad auto hub. I personally don't trust auto's especially when the front differential leaks and could be empty, and the thing is turning while going down the road without lube. When you get up to not even 20mph and the thing comes unlocked and grinds like crazy and makes the wheel extremely hot. But that's my situation. I'm changing to manuals on that thing when i get the cash, no more auto's for me. My ranger has manuals, i don't mind getting out and locking them in if it gives me better gas mileage, and it gives me the comfort in knowing that it is in 4 wheel drive once the tranny case is in 4x4.

 

All of the auto hubs that I have had experience with have failed. Never had any failure with manual hubs.

Just to clarify things, an auto hub is not locked in all of the time. It only locks in when you put it in 4x4 and the axle shaft begins to turn which locks the mechanism in the hub.

Full time is locked in all of the time.

 

Just from my experience.......Buddy had a jeep shop back in NC, and I saw them chew some manual hubs to pieces. Of course, an auto would have been chewed too but I just thought it sounded like that one was being portrayed as more durable than the other

 

Mine work great on my 1991 Explorer with 165,000 miles.

 

"Your Chevy didn't have hubs at all, it had a locking differential. That's why they didn't go bad. The CV axle stub was splined stright to your spindle with a spindle hub nut"

No it did have locking hubs. It was a 1990. The suburbans and k5 blazers didnt change over to independent suspension till 1992. The trucks did in 1987.

I had a gm 10 bolt solid axle. I know they were locking hubs cuz i had to tear them apart when i replaced the rotors. There was no locking differential. And no cv axles.

 

Yeah. Chevy had an all the time locked hub in the 70's. It never unlocked.

 

Thanks for all of you guys input.

 

Changing over to auto-hubs may be costly. Used like new auto-hubs for your truck went for $255 plus shipping on E-bay last week.

 

I bought a 91 f-150 one of the hubs is bad. It makes a grinding noise. My dad went and threw it into 4x4 the front wheels weren't even grabbing. So going to go to manuals. So if i need to lock them in i'll do it well before.

 

Ok, blanket statement...I am wrong for this statement.
I have a pile of broken auto hubs from explorer's/bronco II's from '91-'94. Like numbering over 100 pairs. They are supposed to be able to engage at up to 55mph, most ground or skipped before they were replaced with new Warn locking hubs. I have close to that number of F-150/Bronco auto hubs as well. Most all of these the customers asked to replace the hub, rather than being diagnosed.

I was wrong about the chevy...sorry...wrong year.

I will not state that ALL auto hubs fail....just a huge majority....hows that? I feel better.