Auto locking hubs dont work on Excursion

Nissan11

Nissan11

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Location
Marston, NC
My parents have a v10 excursion as a tow rig on the horse farm. My mom was going to drive it to work today since the half mile dirt driveway was slick but she could not get the 4wd to work. I messed with it this afternoon and the problem is the auto locking hubs. The hubs have an "auto" position and a "lock" position. I cant turn the hubs by hand, but using a pair of channel locks I was able to get them to go into the "lock" position in which case the 4wd works fine and the front wheels turn. When in the "auto" position, though, the hubs will not engage. It has probably been a couple of years since it has been in 4wd, I think they have been driving it in the snow thinking it was in 4wd when the front hubs were not engaged. Should I be able to turn the hubs by hand or are they supposed to be hard to turn? Can I just pull the hub assembly for each wheel and grease it up?
 
those auto hubs last about 50,000 miles and go out.that's why they went to the auto with the manuel also.before they were just auto and when they took a crap you had no 4wd.
 
What is the reasoning behind that idea? I read the manual over twice and it doesnt say anything about temperature having any affect on the hubs. If you couldnt get the hubs to work when it snows, what good are they? It was 40 degrees when I tried it today.
 
i just went through this with my 02. the acutator and the vaccum system is/needs to be looked at. now, of course you can just keep turning the lockouts to have 4 wheel or bring it to ford and have them fix it. only thing is to keep turning the lockouts once a month or so just to turn them.

hope it works out for ya'll...
 
When I had the same problem on my 2000 F250, I just pulled them off and ordered a set of Warn Premiums. The pair was nearly 1/2 the price of the factory Ford auto hub crap. Those are notorious for going bad. Switch it now and you'll be happy.
 
the hubs do not go bad............... most people are to lazy or not...."uhm motivated" enough to fix them. Me and like every construction guy, horse guy on the planet likes auto hubs. push button 4wheel drive works, getting out in the mud to lock hubs suck.

the hubs are hard to turn b/c they have never been turned in the last 10 years, take them off and clean them, then soak in oil. they will work good again manually.

auto hubs first thing to do is pull the vaccum hose off of the back of the hub. apply vaccuum and see if it holds vacuum. if you don't have a vaccum pump appply pressure not alot and listen for a leak.

If the hub is not leaking which it probably is then its between the vaccum pump resevoir and the hub, seperate at the T in the engine compartment and block both lines at the hub. apply vaccum individually to each side to see if they are leaking. no hold vacuum there is a splice in the line. passenger side near manifold is common place for a hole, the heat eventualy cracks the line.

if the hubs are leaking there is a seal on the backside of the unit bearing that holds the vaccum i believe a ford part only.
unti bearing has to come off to replace I believe it is actaully installed on the shaft but can't rember.
 
Nissan11 said:
What is the reasoning behind that idea? I read the manual over twice and it doesnt say anything about temperature having any affect on the hubs. If you couldnt get the hubs to work when it snows, what good are they? It was 40 degrees when I tried it today.
Click to expand...

I just remember a buddy of mine had one and it said somewhere that once below a certain temp the auto portion wouldn't work. I could be wrong but I'm about 99% sure that's what it said. Either way you prob have a vac prob like everybody else said.
 
I have them on my 02 F350. I lock them in with the dash switch ever month or so for a few miles when I am driving and even use the 4 low every now and again to make sure it works. Never had an issue with mine, but I can see if they would set for "years" without being engaged could pose a problem. It is really nice to be able to "flip" a switch in the cab when needed to have 4X4. Especially in the snow and crap we have had lately. That said, if they are not working I would remove and inspect them to see what is up.
 
Screw that plastic Ford crap. Get a set of Warns and dont get stuck like I did.
 
the manual portion and the vacuum portion are 2 different issues. hubs can be stuck maually but still work with vaccum dash switch and vice versa.

its not like when you push the dash button a little ford man jumps out with vacuum attached to his arse and turns them for you. The maual is an override system if you have a vaccuum failure. Which you have.
 
when it is really cold, you don't get much vacuum pressure. They usually work fine in the summer.

That's one of the reason old vacuum wipers sucked in the winter. They barely worked until the temp came up in the cab.

But I agree, if they haven't been used in a long time, cold is one issue, leaky seals/cracked lines are probable.
 
My dad took it to the ford dealership and said it was a vaccum problem. They fixed it for $58. I didnt go though, so I dont know the specifics.
 
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