Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have been told its OK to keep front hubs in the 4WD position so as to keep the seals from hardening. (Not total 4WD) Is this so?
When I have put the hubs in lock, there is a clicking noise after a while from the hubs. Goes away when I go back to normal 2WD.
PLEASE EXPLAIN!!

Steve

giffo wrote:I have been told its OK to keep front hubs in the 4WD position so as to keep the seals from hardening. (Not total 4WD) Is this so? Steve

Not a good idea in the long term....., but good trick on the odd occasion....

Its a bit like the aircon pump....run it through winter for 5 mins once a fortnight to keep everything "lubed up " and you have less troubles later on. Its the same with the front hubs but dont plan to drive from Sydney to Melbourne with em locked in...... they wont take that at all !

If ya not wheelin much then 2 or 3 miles with em locked in a week should do very nicely

As for ya "clicking noise"..... maybe a CV joint has gone or on its way out, if not it may be full of "grunge " and not engaging correctly.

Kingy

Thanks Kingy,

A man full of knowledge. Thanks again

Giffo,

P.S. You and Screwy should be Knighted or maybe an M.B.E.???

giffo wrote:A man full of knowledge. Thanks again

Giffo,

P.S. You and Screwy should be Knighted or maybe an M.B.E.???

Not really ......just years of learning the hard way !!!


Sir Kingy

I also had a 'ticking' noise which sounded like it was coming from the hubs but turned out to be the universal joint on the front shaft when in 4wd....something else to check out.

Thanks Cactus,

Will do

Steve

yea, or slop in the front shaft sliding joint, i can hear mine rattle over the simexs - its shafted! stuffed uni also.

Kingy what you said is my opinion also, now and then is good, but don't leave them in if they don't have to be. But with the earlier non freewheel hubs they stayed in all the time, would that reduce the life of front axle components?

If it is from the sliding shaft, how do I fix it? Replace shaft or a part?

Thanks
Steve

Patroler wrote:yea, or slop in the front shaft sliding joint, i can hear mine rattle over the simexs - its shafted! stuffed uni also.

Kingy what you said is my opinion also, now and then is good, but don't leave them in if they don't have to be. But with the earlier non freewheel hubs they stayed in all the time, would that reduce the life of front axle components?

If they are in all the time, ur front diff parts will wear more quickly yes..
But to use the hubs some times is a good idea also another benefit is that the top half of your diff centre won t get rust on it from not being in the oil.... If the centre is used, it will maintain an oil coat to prevent rusting...

at the very least it protects the most expensive part in the front diff....

screwy

Patroler wrote:Kingy what you said is my opinion also, now and then is good, but don't leave them in if they don't have to be. But with the earlier non freewheel hubs they stayed in all the time, would that reduce the life of front axle components?

Yep !

I have a mate that leaves his hubs locked in 24/7..... he wonders why he has to replace bearings/CV's/seals so more often than the rest of our crowd.... and yes I have told him to unlock em after use but he "knows better "...so he pays for it and I couldnt care less so long as he pays me!

Biggest problem is the bottom kingpin bearing, without an occasional "hubs locked in" run the grease around it tends to either dry or it allows water to pass through it and the water then sits on the actual bearing itself, it corrodes very quickly and a stuffed kingpin shortly follows...
What compounds the problem is that the grease then traps the water in the kingpin itself !
By giving the hubs a quick run the grease is "stired up" and it continues to protect the bearing much better.

I have seen king pin bearings in a 4x4 which has never had the hubs engaged in its life ......... needless to say the bearings in a WW2 plane that crashed into the ocean are in better nick !

One that springs to mind is an MQ that the original owner had "serviced from new " by himself...... he didnt know there was a grease nipple near the top kingpin !!!. Obviously the grease inside the hub was like cardboard in its consistency and lubricated just aswell. The actuall ball in the bearing was 1/2 the size it should have been and pitted to hell ! The owner had a few "steering issues"


Kingy