Winter is here, and snow is falling. Is it bad if I leave my manual locking hubs locked so I can engage 4wd on the fly? Or will I risk damaging something or prematurely wearing something out?

 

yes...its fine...to an extent..dont go very fast.no more than about 35 or 40 i say..i left mine locked all the time on my first gen pickup..and i was dopin about 55 down the highway one day and all the sudden my front drive shaft flies apart and busted my transcase completely off..so i wouldnt leave them locked very long..short amount of times are fine..but please dont go very fast...it caused some EXTREME repairs...if you wanna see the aftermath of my experience..then look at the thread titled "screwed and tattooed"

 

Many of us leave them locked all winter for exactly that, and drive like normal. Camo must have had something else go catastrophically wrong for that to happen.

 

I was wondering the same thing and i googled it found a very helpful website that convinced me other wise. Since then, 2-3, weeks i have been driving with mine locked at speeds excess of 70 mph with no vibrations or noise. i was planning on unlocking them soon since there is no snow here (yet), the reason i locked them in the first place to make sure my front end rebuild was a success.

so in a nut shell i don't have an answer, but i have done it with no problem. Look around, check you manual, the answer is some where.

I would think that the above members drive shaft problems where some how bearing related, though i didn't read his thread.

hope i helped at least a little.

 

I cant find this thread
can you link to it?

 

its fine, when it started snowing i just left mine locked, then the snow went away and yeah.. i think camo ment dont shift into 4wd going 35-40. But i think DupermanDave ment on the fly, as in not running outside and locking both hubs then hoping back in

 

Leaving them locked and driving like normal will not cause any problems. So long as everything is in working order, you won't see any ill effects.

I too think Camos problem was something else that was just exacerbated by the locked hubs at high speed.

 

Thanks for all the advice.

Now next question: If it's not bad to leave your hubs locked, why is it even an option to lock/unlock them?

 

correct me if im wrong, isnt it more reliable. Plus, unlocking them will give less resistance to thoese moving parts.

 

Wear and tear on your CVs. That's the biggest savings.

 

your millage will suffer some but on my 4wd whenever its nasty out i keep them locked so i can shift on the fly

 

The models WITHOUT locking hubs have them on ALL THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. It does wear your hubs but only you can decide if it's worth not having to stop & lock them. I wouldn't think it would make a helluva lot of difference. GO FOR IT!

 

I think ill lock them. Seeing as how 3 winters ago I didn't want to lock the hubs on my 4x4 and i slid off the road... year, i'll lock them.

I was lazy and didn't want to pull over and get out in the snow to lock them. It was a light snow that ended up freezing on the road and making the situation much worse. Thanks for the advice.

 

your model vehicle probably came with the aisin manual locking hubs as standard equipment. the 2nd gen runners/3rd gen p/u's came with add as standard equipment. there are lots of opinions regarding wear, gas mileage etc so, give it a try and go from there.

it is recommended that you lock your hubs periodically throughout the year to facilitate proper lubrication of the internal mechanisms. a day or two should suffice. as stated above, during the winter you are able to shift between 2wd & 4wd while driving with your hubs in the locked position. it would be prudent to do this at a lower speed so as to minimize potential unwanted results, as in loss of control at higher speeds.

lee

 

My hubs are locked when the weather is gonna throw down (for days at a time), but unlocked when I know the roads are going to be bare.

I suggest you hit your u-joints and cardin joints with the grease gun first.

 

here's a summary of my hub advice:

*leaving manual hubs locked is ok with a 2nd gen pickup/first gen 4runner AS LONG AS YOU DON'T HAVE A FRONT DIFF LOCKED. (with a locked front diff, you'd have binding when turning)

*leaving manual hubs locked is ok as long as you have fresh diff lube, drive shaft u-joints lubed, hubs serviced recently. otherwise you'll notice a minor decrease in mpg and may wear some parts that have been neglected. lube that drive line! :-)

*leaving manual hubs locked WILL INCREASE WEAR OF YOUR CV JOINTS. (with hubs unlocked, cv's do not spin with the wheels, and as long as you're not in 4wd, they do not spin with tranny.)

*cv's are complex little turds (a thin metal basket with heavy ball bearings inside it) and if crud gets inside, they can blow apart. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR CV BOOTS FOR CRACKS. DON'T LET DIRT/ROCKS INSIDE, HEAVY LUBE MUST STAY SEALED INSIDE.

*as long as you have decently serviced equipment, during times where you anticipate needing 4wd sometime that day/week, you can leave them locked so you can shift to 4wd on the fly. No need to jump out and lock/unlock in crappy conditions. But I don't recommend shifting to 4wd at high speeds, particularly to minimize shock to the cv's. They are the weakest link in the front driveline, and primary reason for solid axle swapping.

of course, 4wd doesn't help stopping in the snow, so don't get going too fast!
peace out cub scout!

 

Just make sure to keep your front drive shaft greased. I always do the front at the same time as the rear anyway.

 

mine have been locked since i got my newerish dd and ive gone 75-80 on the freeways and then went into 4wd just by pressing in the clutch did it with my trail rig when she was my dd to never had any problems as for the 1st poster saying his trasfer and everything blew up well thats just a matince thing i guess never saw heard or had it done in my life so good luck and i say keep them locked so if you cant get out of that parking spot just stop the wheels and shifter her on down into overdrive!

 

those of us with ADD essentially have locked hubs 24/7/365. Your gas mileage savings will be negligible but as has been said, the biggest effect will be your CVs getting a little more wear, but keep in mind my hubs, for example, have been "locked" for 8 years now and my torn boots were more likely caused from wheelin (when you'd have your hubs locked anyway) and not just regular driving (though theres no way for me to prove that). the only difference is my front DS isn't spinning normally and yours will be, but if you keep everything lubed up youll be fine.