Cant get manual locking hub to fit back onto axle

CJP2017

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I have a 2000 Ford F250 Super Duty that is up for sale. Over the past few months been fixing / updating things in preparation.

The other day during a test drive, a potential buyer asked me if I had the manual hubs locked out because he thought he cd feel it when getting on the highway. I told him they shouldn't be, but we can easily check to be sure. Turns out they were switched to the "free" position, but the the axle was moving like the hubs were still locked.
He didn't want to drive the truck home (8+ hours at normal driving speed if the hubs were locked. He had a tight schedule to keep & was afraid he he'd have to drive a lot slower because of this issue. We postponed the transaction for a couple of weeks.

Yesterday, i bled the power steering system to get rid of the whining. Then i figured "while i have both front tires off the ground, i should test the hub locks" because a few nights ago i was getting stuck in 4-5" of snow while in 4 wheel drive. I hadn't locked the hubs because of what we had witnessed with the hubs previously. Once stuck in the snow, i got out and locked the hubs - what a huge difference, i was plowing through 12" drifts like butter. It seems like the hubs are working properly.

Now, with both front tires off the ground, i tested the passenger side locking hub. The wheel spun freely when hub was unlocked and didn't spin when the hub was locked. Perfect!

On the driver's side the wheel rotated a few inches either direction but appeared to be locked, regardless if the hub was switched to free or locked.

Side note: This past summer i had problems getting the locking hub switches to turn at all so i pulled the hubs off, tore them down for inspection, cleaning & regreasing. Got the switches to turn again & I tested the hubs / 4wd after putting them back on. Everything worked perfectly....

I figured i should pull the locking hub again to check things out. I removed the snap ring & tapped the hub a cpl times with a screwdriver while pulling on the hub. It came off nice and easy. I couldn't see anything obviously wrong with the hub or around the spindle. I then spent another 2 hours outside, after dark, in 0 deg weather trying to get the locking hub back on. Brought it back inside to look at the splines on the hub. I used a small file on a few small, nicked / dinged teeth just to make sure this wasn't an obstruction. No luck, i called it quits when i couldn't feel my legs anymore.
In the morning w proper lighting I could see its not the hub splines that are an issue, the axle spindle alignment is off. If I'm centered on the spindle 1/4 of the hub splines won't even touch the axle splines. I could see the spindle had some room to move with just my hand.
After consulting the google & youtube, i tried using a screwdriver in the u joint to get the spindle aligned.
I tried rotating the u joint / knuckle to different positions. I rotated the tire around to different positions, i turned the steering wheel from left to center to right positions. I tried putting tire back on & lowering the jack. Nothing i did seemed to help even the slightest.

I noticed that the spindle seems to have enough play in its movement, just not in the direction I need it to go, no matter which position the u joint / knuckle is in.

I really need to get this hub back on. I dont live in the state Im currently in so i cant call any mechanic friends to come help. Im 25-30 miles from any town that has automotive shops. Even then, I am currently on an extremely tight budget for a few months so any towing fees & repair costs would really hurt.

Sorry for such a long post.

Any ideas or advice is greatly appreciated [by both me & my frozen fingers! ;-) ]

Btw, if more info is needed or if photos would be helpful, just let me know.
Thanks again!

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PABowhunter

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Did the spindle spin freely when the hub was out? I had a half shaft weld itself to the spindle one time when the "non-servicable" bearing disintegrated. I remember having a difficult time getting the hub in and out like you described until I noticed what the root cause was.
 

co04cobra

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I agree with PA the needle bearing that the axle stub shaft rides on can cause some really dumb issues. Ford does sell that bearing though if it’s needed separate from the unit bearing. If your axle joint spins with the hub out or sounds very rough when spinning the wheel with the hub locked in that’s usually the issue.

Otherwise, get a medium size pry bar between the lower ball joint nut and bottom of the axle joint. Pry up from there while working the hub on the outer splines. Grease everything throughly.
 

CJP2017

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Did the spindle spin freely when the hub was out? I had a half shaft weld itself to the spindle one time when the "non-servicable" bearing disintegrated. I remember having a difficult time getting the hub in and out like you described until I noticed what the root cause was.
In order to rotate the spindle to a new position I had to reach behind and move it via the u joint. Question, should I be able to rotate the spindle freely -; by hand or with careful use of a tool like a channel lock (with the hub off of course)?
Let me double check though because I was wearing huge heavy duty leather gloves & I could have just gone straight to the u joint so I wouldn't have to take my gloves off or get my gloves even more goobered up by the grease on the spindle. I'll update this post with my findings shortly.


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CJP2017

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I agree with PA the needle bearing that the axle stub shaft rides on can cause some really dumb issues. Ford does sell that bearing though if it’s needed separate from the unit bearing. If your axle joint spins with the hub out or sounds very rough when spinning the wheel with the hub locked in that’s usually the issue.

Otherwise, get a medium size pry bar between the lower ball joint nut and bottom of the axle joint. Pry up from there while working the hub on the outer splines. Grease everything throughly.
I want to be sure I understand you correctly. You state, "If your axle joint spins with the hub out" ....with the hub removed from the axle, I could reach behind to the u joint & knuckle and move them to rotate the spindle around, hoping Id find a position where the spindle aligned properly. Am I describing the same thing as what you stated above?

I should note that there is a bit of play in the u joint when. I grab it with my hands, I'm not sure if that means anything.

Also when I first tried to put the locking hub back on, I cd tell that the the small amount of arm pressure on the front of the locking hub was pushing the the whole axle system away from me. I had to jam a screwdriver between the far end of the u joint and the axle housing to prevent that movement so I could feel for the the spline alignment between the spindle and lock hub. I'm not sure if this is an important detail or not.

I am starting to suspect I have a needle bearing issue. I'm planning to remove the brake and hub assembly to take a closer look especially if I continue to have issues getting the lock hub back on after trying your suggestion.

I understand that a failed needle bearing can damage the axle shaft to the point it will need replacing also so I'll be looking for that. But how can I tell if the rest of the hub assembly needs to be replaced do to potential of the other failed bearings besides the needle bearing?

I want the truck to be safe for the person buying it wo going overboard and just replacing the axle, u joint, hub assembly, and locking hub - like I would want to do if I was planning to keep the truck.

I appreciate the help! I'll send an update after I give your suggestion a try.

Thank you!

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PABowhunter

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If it is indeed a needle bearing issue you might be able to get away with just an axle and new bearing. I was able to get what was left of my bearing out and then cleaning up the hub assembly with emery paper before putting in the new one. It wasn't perfect, but definitely safe.

The hub assembly is the most expensive part, so if you don't need to buy that you're ahead of the game.

Also, not sure if this is the right thing to do or not, but if I remember correctly I removed my vacuum connections on the hubs and put zerk fittings in there. Figured it would be better to have more grease in there since I only manually locked the hubs.

This of course was all before I did an 08 axle swap...
 

CJP2017

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I tried to move the spindle by hand this morning and couldn't get it to move. If the spindle wasn't greased up and it was warmer out I could have gave it a better effort.

I'm uploading two video clips taking this morning showing the alignment issue and my attempts to get the lock hub back on following co04cobra's suggestion. I trimmed the videos so they can be watched in less than 3mins. If you have a min, would you mind taking a look. You might see something that I'm not.

Follow up question, if I taped up the open axle end wo the lock hub attached & also considering I may have a needle bearing or other problem causing the spindle to be out of alignment, is it safe to drive the truck into town 50 miles away? I could take a highway or the interstate to get there.

That's where I'll have to go to buy parts and I may be able to get to assistance from a friend or at least an indoor place to continue tearing things apart & troubleshooting myself. I plan to leave the truck there while it's up for sale.

I appreciate all the help & kudos to being a bownhunter. I've been archery hunting whitetails in South Dakota for 4 years now. Wish I had taken up archery hunting at a much younger age. I always had a blast rifle hunting deer, but it doesn't even come close to the thrill & challenge of trying to get up close to mature deer with a bow!



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CJP2017

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I tried your suggestion of using a pry bar to get the spindle aligned with the lock hub. No luck
I recorded 2 short videos of my testing & findings & just found out that we can't add them to posts, soI created links to the videos in my Dropbox. Take a look if you have a couple of mins to spare (links should be below.

I appreciate the advice & your pry bar suggestion, thank you!

1 last question - do you think it is safe to drive this truck 50 miles to town without the lock hub attached & another related issue like a bad needle bearing? I'd plan to tape up the axle end real good.
I can get parts in town & assistance for the remaining troubleshooting.

Video #1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/captrag4o2zrefh/20210103_093312_s01_s01_1.mp4?dl=0

Video #2
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6gvggstfog8pgth/Video_20210103120312454_by_VideoShow_1.mp4?dl=0

Thanks again!
Corey

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psduser1

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As long as the transfer case is in 2wd, and the hubs are in the free position, the front axle shift doesn't turn. I.e, the axle isn't powered. I'd drive it forever that way, aside from dirt and road grime that will find its way into the bore.
If both hubs are unlocked, and the t-case is in 2wd, and you can't turn the front axle, you may have a different problem, lol.
 

co04cobra

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Did you try to push the hub in while working with the pry bar? If you spin the lug nut studs with the hub out and the axle joint still spins the needle bearing cage is welded to your axle stub shaft.

Which also will limit how much the stub shaft can move.
 

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