one of my manual locking hubs does not turn quite all the way when i try and lock it. is it broke? are the aisin hubs the stockers?
another problem i have with the truck is that the steering cluncks real bad when i crank the wheel all the way. any ideas, common problems?

 

The Aisin hubs are the stockers. As far as the steering goes...my truck ('93 P/U) klunks when I turn hard in either direction. I don't think that there is anything wrong with it. It is caused by not having the rubber bushing or something like that. Can't remember exactly where, but if you look at the steering stuff you will see where metal is making contact with each other. This isn't making any sense is it? To solve, you can just put some grease in there. As far as the hub goes, maybe it is time for a rebuild?

 

where do they sell rebuilt kits for the hubs?
are the aisin's good hubs or should i go with some warns?

 

From what I have read, it seems like the best hubs are the Aisins...the aftermarket ones don't compare. As far as rebuild kits, not sure. Maybe a dealer or something. Do a search for hub rebuild and I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me has something on it. I found a pdf somewhere (most likely on this site) for rebuilding hubs. Seems pretty good.

 

Here is a write up on rebuilding. http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...d/hub_rebuild/

If you can do it yourself or get it done cheaper than new hubs I would. The warn's are ok, but not up to par with the aisins.

 

When I first got my truck, one hub didnt turn all the way to free... I didnt think anything about it and drove it for awhile till one day when I was changing the tires, I noticed that the front half shaft was turning when I turned the tire. Come to find out the Dealer who did the brakes before I got it didnt put the hub back together right, and wouldnt let it release the shaft.

Try jacking up the truck and turning the tire to see if the half shaft turns... if it does, try taking the hub apart per the link above and make sure it is put back together properly..

 

oh yea, btw one of my hubs doesn't quite turn all the way to lock either, but it works just fine. Get it on some jackstands and see what the shafts are doing. Put it in 4wd and hold the other wheel, if the one with the broken hub turns, its working.

 

Even if the shaft turns there could still be a problem if the dial doesn't go all the way to "Lock". You may only be getting partial spline engagment which will mean the hub will be much easier to break.

On the other hand... if it doesn't go to to "Free" all the way but the axleshaft still disengages I wouldn't worry about it, that'll work ok.

Cleaning out the hub and putting in fresh grease is easy to do and should be a regular part of 4x4 maintenance. If it looks like water has gotten in there I'd repack the wheel bearings too.

 

I still haven't broken mine after 2 years, quite a bit of hard wheeling too. Even if it wansn't fully engaged, I'd think the CV would give in first would it not? I got a feeling I may need to repack my hubs tho. I noticed some moisture around the dial.

 

It's hard to say if the hub or CV would go first... too many variables involved (how much is the hub engaged, your CV strength will vary with the angle it's at, both suspension and steering).

 

aisin hubs are pretty well regarded, they just work well and have little problems. there's no real rebuild kits out there, but the only think you really change out are the gaskets when you rebuild them. otherwise it's mainly a job of just cleaning and greasing.

one of the local wheelers i know has broken an aisin hub and tried both warn and superwinch hubs. he says the superwinch has held up even better than his aisin hubs, and that the warns were absolute junk. the warn hubs also look like they stick out a lot farther than other kinds.

 

I just got a set in the mail and was up most of the night reading about the rebuild. Is it pretty easy, or what? I think I can do most of this, just make sure I put it all back like I took it apart, right? Does anyone know how much those gaskets cost?

 

gaskets can't be too much....i'm afraid to work on my hubs after I broke my spindles and all sorts of crap last time. I need a mechanical mentor of sorts....

 

I have heard the Warns are junk. But I have had mine for 3 years and have had No problems at all.

When I got my 4runner, my asin hubs would not disengage either. The dial would barely turn. The Warns were the first modification that I made.

 

alright, got the dealer to order me gaskets, $2 each. will disassemble this weekend, regrease, and make sure nothing is broken.

 

I've been told Aisins are best, but I run Warn on my truck right now... Acutally right now I have 1 warn on the drivers that works great, and an aisin on the pass, (not the warn's fault), that is stiff to turn. The only problem ive had with the warns is water getting into them and eating the bearings.... but i think that was an installer problem...

 

do i just use like wheeling bearing grease for the hubs?

 

yup..

 

i rebuilt mine. and it was a little challenging to get it all put back together. but patience helped a lot. the only tips i can think of is to pay attention taking them apart. there is also a very small spring that is behing a small ball bearing that is easy to lose because they are tiny. the spring and ball bearing allow the dial to stop at LOCK and FREE. lastly if it doesnt work, you did something wrong. thts all im sure this was a huge help....

 

actually, it was, thanks