Yes, I will. I have a feeling it may not be. Shifting between the drives with the pathfinder doesn't give me the same feeling as it does in the truck where you can feel it sort of pop into position. It's more of a challenge and sort of a guessing game with where to position the stick.
Thanks a lot boywonder! That has to be the best DIY car repair video I've ever seen. I replaced the pads and rotors on my F250 last year so the assembly isn't completely foreign to me but the autolocking are definitely more involved than the manual. I concur cruddy and rusty is most definitely going to be an issue. I'll give this repair a shot soon.
If costs are no different, would you do manual or autolocking hubs and why? I have manual on the truck and I rarely use 4x4 so I rarely have those in the locked position. It's really not a big deal to get out of your truck / van to turn them in the locked position and I'm guessing the manual's have a much lower fail rate compared to the autolocking hubs. According to this video it sounds like you should engage the 4x4 periodically to exercise / lubricate the assembly even if you don't need the 4x4 that often. I wonder if I should do the same with the truck.
Thanks again boywonder!
If this were my van and I had to remove the hubs anyway I'd replace them with fully manual. I had an Isuzu Trooper with automatic locking hubs and was descending a steep sand hill with an uneven surface. I was using engine braking. As the Trooper would hit uneven areas I could hear the hubs locking and unlocking. Because of nature of the surface I figured it was like backing up. The only thing is that this was under load. This seemed like an invitation to sudden failure to me. So on went good old fashioned fully manual locking hubs. It's a small thing to get out and lock them.
Ok let's back up! You said the front left wheel spins freely whether 2x4h the same for 4x4h or low? If you put it in 4h or 4l the tcase is now engaged meaning the front drive shaft (with rear wheels on ground) should not spin! If the shaft does not spin then you are in 4x4. When in true 4x4 hi or low if the left front wheel spins freely, yes it's a hub issue, usually a grease issue, broken spring or gear.
If the drive shaft spins when you are in 4h or 4l then you have a tcase issue. Could be slide collar, bent fork worn gear, or shifter issue.
....or jack up one front wheel and spin it.....in 4WD you should see the u-joint right behind the wheel spinning as well as front axle...or at least moving with the wheel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChadH
The van was in 2H and the wheel spun freely with no movement from the u-joint. I put it in 4H, then neutral and 4L, all with the same results.
Vanimal...good point..I mistakenly said "4WD" above.....should have said "2WD".....
If the wheel is spinning in all modes without the front axle engaged it sounds like a hub issue......
Automatic hubs are more convenient if you're driving in sloppy weather and want to engage 4WD without getting out of the truck. A lot of more serious off-road drivers prefer manual, both for simplicity and because you can't engage the automatic ones if you're already stuck. (Ideally you'd always put it in 4WD before you get stuck, but Murphy's law and all that.)
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N8SRE
1990 E-250 Sportsmobile w/ penthouse top, converted when new by SMB Texas.
(No name yet)
CSC TT250 + homebuilt trailer
Linear Mode
