Got lotsa snow last night, so I turned the hubs to 'lock' this morning to get out of the parking lot. worked great, had 4wd, got onto the streets which were plowed so i moved the t-case into 2wd, and just drove to work (40 miles highway)

got to work and parked, and went to unlock the hubs since i probably wouldnt need them on the way home, but they were already fully unlocked. left and right side.

why is this? is this normal? seems strange that they would automatically unlock on a manual hub

1990 3vze 5spd 4wd xcab

 

No spring and detent ball in hub dial.

:wabbit2:

 

Agreed with the Wabbit. Manual hubs should never unlock on their own.

 

sounds easy enough. but such minor parts to have to buy...
are there places that sell individual small parts like that?
or can i just buy mcmaster parts to make it work?

 

what is the rule of thumb for driving on the highway with your hubs locked?
Ive had the same situation where i need 4x4 to get out of a parking lot or side street but once on the main roads i usually pull over to unlock the hubs before hitting the highway. Is that necessary?

 

No ROT really... driving around with your hubs locked won't hurt anything except a small hit on your fuel economy and your turning circle will be a tiny bit wider is all... (I've noticed with the hubs unlocked i can turn a fraction tighter making Uies)... yes you will get a bit more wear on the front drive line but nothing you'd really notice...
by driving around with them locked you are basically giving yourself the ADD type system installed on later trucks...
So no you can leave them locked up... with my 87 I used to lock up in dec. and un lock in mar. more or less...

 

can i damage components if the hub is flipping back and forth between locked and unlocked, due to the lack of ball/spring?

or does it automatically default to unlock after a while?

if the worst case scenario is the hub disengages, and i can just jump out to re turn the hub to lock, i wont worry about it for now.

 

what about top speeds with the hubs locked?

 

I think my top speed right now is about 90mph unlocked, so with the extra drag of the front drivetrain, probably 85mph locked

 

Leave em locked if there's a chance you might need 4wd. It will result in a little wear and tear but not as bad as sliding off and wrecking. With them locked you can shift in and out of 4wd on the fly. Like others mentioned if there is snow I lock them and don't unlock until the snow is gone.

 

thanks for the advice on speeds with locked hubs!

 

When l bought my truck, the front left hub spring was missing so l'm always driving around with them locked since l don't want to fry my diff by unlocking one. Does anyone have any aftermarket suppliers that they recommend to buy the springs from?

 

I say the hub thing is a personal choice.

With me since I very seldom drive more then 20 miles from home I leave the hubs in all winter in the event I would need to drive any sort of distance on dry roads I would unlock them

 

I honestly don't lock them unless I really think I'm going to need 4wd. Even before I put an Aussie locker in the rear of my 'runner, there was very little that it wouldn't handle in 2wd. Now, with the locker, I only bother to lock my hubs if I am actually getting snowed on and it looks like I might need to shift into 4wd, or if I am hitting a trail. Ymmv. -MC

 

OK you guys are talking above me and I have never driven anything that was not 4wd since I was 15 (39 yrs old now). How do your spring "fly out"? The hubs appear to be a sealed unit. I can understand springs wearing out like anything else but "fly out" if the hubs aren't locked in? Not calling BS here just trying to understand soemthing I thought I understood.

 

im assuming they are small, which means misplaced during rebuilds?

 

yup, FYI when taking my hubs a part durning a brake change, my spring went flying like 10-15 ft. Good thing for me I found the sucker. The ball is quite tiny too. maybe 3/4 the size of a BB.

 

i wouldnt drive 85 locked. 60 max in my opinion but hey its your truck

 

i also live in colorado and travel over i70 often and keep it in 2wd all winter. 4wd is for wheeling and when you get stuck, it doesnt give you any more control driving. it just helps you start faster.

 

If you have the Aisins then go to the dealer.