I dont understand why the fluid in the hub is needed to kick the four wheel drive in can someone please explain.
I have an explorer on stands and wanted to test out the awd before i filled the hub fluid but it wont kick in lights on and everything but she just wont kick So It has to have the fluid to work.

 

Can Nobody Explain this one

 

The fluid is there more to lube the bearings than anything.

What kicks the AWD in, is the magnet. The mag pulls against the armature plate, creating enough drag to get the rollers to climb the cam, locking the front wheel in. The fluid is there to provide lubrication to the bearings, and also the hub is designed to lock in with a given amount of friction between the magnet and armature plate. The fluid provides a medium to provide that consistant amount of friction.

The hub should lock in without the fluid, though, if you just drained it. There should be enough residue inside for it to work. Just don't run it without fluid, or your bearings will be shot in no time.


Farmr

 

Thats No Good Means Something Else Is Wrong And I didnt need There to be. Also any idea what the torque On the front hub nuts should be in ft/lbs My tourqe wrench doesnt do inch/lbs and thats all the huge manual tells me can I just convert it down by dividing it by 12 or what. I want to make sure I get it right On my 92 I have had the hub fall off on me many times coming from the dealer 6 times infact until they decided it was a factory defect. Thank You[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

Did you take the hubs apart, or just drain the fluid? Sometimes, if you have the hubs apart, you need to drive a couple miles before everything 'sets in' and the hubs work properly (True story - my brother in law bought a brand new Magnum 500, drove it about 1/4 mile, and got stuck in a mudhole, the 4wd wouldn't work. He was VERY mad. However, by the time he had 10 miles on the machine, the 4wd worked 100% of the time). If it was assembled properly, it may just need a few miles before they work reliably.

Yes, to convert inch # to foot #, divide by 12.

If all else fails, check the armature plate. It is very easy to let it slip a little when putting the hub together, and if the 3 tabs aren't lined up exactly with the notches in the roller cage, it will warp, and the 4wd just won't work until you replace it. Good thing is it only costs about a buck.

Farmr