Bloody Useless Auto Locking Hubs
Submitted: Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 18:05
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Best Off Road
Now this is a little embarassing but I'll share it anyway. We decided today to get the trailer full of rubbish out of tghe backyard. It's been raining heavily in
Melbourne for a few days.
I reverse the car down the side of the house towards the trailer and the left rear sinks into wet, mushy clay. I try to drive forward and start to get wheelspin. No worries, I'll engage 4wd. Turn the little knob on the console and nothing happens. Try repeatedly with no result.
Time to read the instructions on the visor. It says turn
the knob and the hubs will engage once the car moves forward.The car wasn't too keen to go anywhere. Effectively I'm stuck in 2wd until I can get out of this bind.
Two options
1. Get the woman next door to snatch me out of my own backyard with her X Trail. Hmmmm, that is going to be mighty embarassing.
2. Lots of revs forward and backward until I could drive out. This worked but sprayed a heap of mud all up the fence, and left a bloody great crater in the backyard.
Oh for the good old manual hubs and a little gear stick.
Jim.
Reply By: Zukscooter - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 18:52
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 18:52
Is it not the same as when you go driving in the forests or where ever you think you may need to engage 4x4 you do so first just in case,you cannot blame the book.Lol
At least you got out without the neighbor.No harm done.
Cheers Bob.
AnswerID:
336599
Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 19:04
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 19:04
Bob,
See response below to Geoff. I'm a great believer in engaging 4wd the moment I get off the bitumen.
Just didn't anticipate getting bogged in my own backyard LOL.
Cheers,
Jim.
FollowupID:
604272
Reply By: Geoff (Newcastle, NSW) - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 18:53
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 18:53
Hi Jim,
There is an aweful lot to be said for the KISS principle.
Sounds like it all ended
well even if there's a bit of cleaning up to be done.
Actually, thinking more about it, that's handy to know before you get stuck somewhere very inconvenient!
Geoff
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AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 19:01
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 19:01
Geoff and Bob,
When I go bush, the minute I hit a gravel road I switch to 4wd which engages the hubs and keeps them engaged even when going back to 2wd until I hit another switch on the dash to disconnect them.
The episode in the backyard was the first time I have got myself into trouble without having the hubs locked in.
I've learned LOL.
Jim.
FollowupID:
604271
Reply By: Member - Davoe (Yalgoo) - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 21:29
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 21:29
the missus told me her hilux had auto locking hubs - and yep a quick glance revealed no locking tabs.
First trip off road and it wasnt even taking the first minor hurdle??
low range in - yep.
check the book........... Hmm no mention of auto lockers hmmmm lets look further.
After market
wheels with a plate covering the locking tabs - just needed to flick them off and all was good
AnswerID:
336630
Follow Up By: Member - Porl - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 21:57
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 21:57
Have read that a few times. When I bought my 2000 Hilux 3.0D 2nd hand this year the RACQ report mentioned as a fault, the absence of front wheel hubcap diff covers. I thought why the youknow would you want to cover manual locking hubs? So obviously manufacturers do. I find that quite strange.
FollowupID:
604309
Reply By: Top End Explorer Tours - Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 22:04
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008 at 22:04
You know what they say about a tradesman blaming his tools??
LMAO.
Steve.
AnswerID:
336638
Reply By: Member - lyndon K (SA) - Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 00:58
Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 00:58
I love my manual hubs! Never fail, easy to use and i can pull them to bits if i have too with no prob's. Can you do this with your auto hubs? If not maybe you shouldn't go to far of the track :)
AnswerID:
336650
Reply By: Robin Miller - Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 07:57
Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 07:57
Hi Jim
There can be pluses with auto hubs combined with part time 4wd so next time you might have to borrow the 4800 on gas.
Its auto hubs only require the front drive shaft to rotate and they engage.
Its system also has another advantage in that you can disconnect the hubs without getting out of the car.
You might ask why one would want to, but on the weekend I was cutting across a icy slippery paddock and came to an uphill section I know which requires a very sharp right turn and I was able to quickly disconnect 4wd (and auto hubs help by disconnecting the axles to) to make the car tail happy and just as quickly reselect 4wd after sliding the rear to re-align the car and up we went.
AnswerID:
336657
Follow Up By: RV Powerstream P/L - Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 14:58
Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 14:58
Robin
That proposition is very generous but risky to you unless you only allow him to use it in his back yard where you can recover it easily.
Best of all Best not ot let Best out of your sight especially when he is not _Affordable_Storage_Drawers.aspx.
Ian
FollowupID:
604377
Follow Up By: RV Powerstream P/L - Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 19:49
Monday, Nov 24, 2008 at 19:49
Especially seeing its his dads car.
Damn it jim I thought i had one on you but Robin knew it wasnt his car he was offering so he was safe from you anyway.
Ian
FollowupID:
604420
Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 at 17:46
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 at 17:46
Hey Robin sounds like fun that drive, My experience with Auto hubs is that you need to reverse the vehicle in 2WD to disconnect the hubs, just switching to 2WD will only remove power to the front end and not disconnect the front auto hubs. That was the story in the 88 Paj I used to pilot.
This is the case in my patrol as I have an auto diff lock in the front and if I don't do the reverse thing the front diff can be heard doing its disengage-engage thing on tight corners in 2WD.
FollowupID:
604560
Follow Up By: Robin Miller - Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 at 19:41
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 at 19:41
Hi Bonz
Yes your right , same in my car to actually disconnect the axles properly as opposed to just getting it back to 2wd.
FollowupID:
604585
Reply By: Member - Hughesy (NSW) - Friday, Nov 28, 2008 at 13:35
Friday, Nov 28, 2008 at 13:35
What vehicle Jim?? I'm pretty sure with the Nissan's if you have a 21mm socket (guess) you can manually lock the hubs in. My work one has markings and
little red dots saying whether hubs lucked or unlocked.......but it doesn't have
the knob to turn by hand.
Anyway bit late in hindsight isn't it? LOL. You story made me laugh. All you need now is to make a winch wall out of the side of the house and you could start charging admission fees.........missus wouldn't be happy though LOL
AnswerID:
337280
Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Friday, Nov 28, 2008 at 17:29
Friday, Nov 28, 2008 at 17:29
H,
Ford Courier, no manual override.
As I said, I always engage 4wd long before it is needed. Just didn't envisage getting bogged in my own backyard LOL.
It's a bloody stupid system. If you get caught on the hop you're buggered.
Cheers,
Jim.
FollowupID:
604958