Front Warn hub clicking

[kylakekevin]

What did I do wrong? I put my front axle back together this weekend from replacing all the seals and bearings. Driver side is all good but passenger side clicks when I put the hub lock out on. Everything went back in where it is supposed to go, down to the ring clip holding the guts of lock out in and when I push the outer cap of lock out in it clicks when you turn the wheel like it is slightly pushing in to lock the hub. When I lock it there is no click when turning the wheel. Did I not get something tight enough inside? I torqued everything down I thought.

 

[SteveL]

I would pull it apart and inspect it. Look for signs of what might be hitting when the wheel spins.

 

[kylakekevin]

That's what I'm going to do this evening I guess. When the outer part is off it doesn't click so it has to be in the locking mechanism not seating in far enough or something along those lines. We will know more tomorrow hopefully.

 

[DirtDonk]

Did you have the lockout apart fully and put grease in the assembly by any chance? If so it's easy to get too much and cause the parts not to engage, or in this case disengage fully.

Make sure the cap and knob are in the right position on the inner slug. There might be a position where it does not quite work. Pretty sure that's not an issue with the aftermarket hubs, but check it out anyway.

Paul

 

[kylakekevin]

Didn't pull it any further apart than in the pics below. Clicking is definitely in the locking hub mechanism. When I hold down on the top like in pic 4 it is starting to engage on the axel spline gear part. This is like it's in the hub and I tightened the outer 6 bolts. Is there a space I have missed the other side looks just like this and is working fine. I have tried this in all 3 positions that the two pieces go together and it's the same.

 

[DirtDonk]

Well it sounds like you've done the correct testing by using all three positions. Not that it should make much difference, but it's good to know for sure!
Did you turn the knob while looking at the ramp in back to make sure it's doing it's thing?

Might even take the main body apart and make sure that all the splines are clean and burr-free and working properly. If the knob feels good when turning, then it's probably in decent shape inside still, but again, doesn't hurt to confirm.

Otherwise not sure what goes wrong with these things. We've had these issues since there were aftermarket hubs in fact, but I've never had to deal with it personally.

Paul

 

[kylakekevin]

Thanks Paul for your help. I'm going to take the 2 halves apart and see whats in them now I guess. The knob turns freely and the plunger goes in and out but when Its in I can still push against the spring another 3/16" or so, Like its not pulling the plunger all the way out to disengage. The main body works freely by hand twisting the gears and pushing the slide gear in to engage. I may have to just buy some new hubs.

 

[PaveBronco]

Do you have the big spring?

 

[SteveL]

Have you tried swapping sides just to make 100%sure it's the locking hub causing it? Check and make sure the cheap metal piece inside the outer cap hasn't bent or jumped a thread. That was a constant issue when I had the warn premiums.

 

[kylakekevin]

Do you have the big spring?

I haven't pulled that part apart yet but it does feel as though it's there. Still trying to figure out how to get that apart really, these aren't the premium hubs.


Have you tried swapping sides just to make 100%sure it's the locking hub causing it? Check and make sure the cheap metal piece inside the outer cap hasn't bent or jumped a thread. That was a constant issue when I had the warn premiums.


Steve no I haven't tried that I should have I guess, I will this evening now%). And again not sure how to tear them apart with out tearing them up it's all plastic in these cheap hubs. I wish the PO didn't throw the originals away because he thought warns were so much better.

 

[kylakekevin]

Ok that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. All pieces and parts accounted for and no burrs. Now to the outer . Oh thanks for the pic Pave it helped out!!

 

[SHX669]

How about inside your " axle hub " - the surface the splines on the " locking hub " slides on.
I've heard em click on guys rigs a couple of times - it was caused by to much grease or rough surfaces where the " sliding gears couldn't retract eough .

 

[DirtDonk]

Definitely try both sides in case there is some issue with the truck itself, rather than the lockout.

When you put it back together, just use a very light coating of grease. No packing like a bearing.
It's mainly to keep things moving freely, repel moisture a bit, insulate dissimilar metals, stuff like that. No real load or anything like that, other than in a radial direction. Just the light spring pressure in and out.

Internally the #9790 Standard and the #20990 Premium hubs are pretty much the same basic design.
Said it many times, but I still prefer the Standard myself. Only 1/4-turn and easier to grasp the knob by hand. The Premiums are cool, but I live in a super cold climate where the plastic might have trouble, and don't plan to ever let my bearings go so far that the heat builds up and melts the plastic knob off either!;D

Paul

 

[kylakekevin]

Well I swapped sides with the lockouts last night and the driver side was good when installed into passenger side hub and Passenger side clicked in driver side hub. Since I like fighting that keeper ring I put them back where they came from before I started this seal job. While I had the passenger side out yesterday playing with it I noticed if I left the knob part up off the locking mechanism about 50/1000 (a guess I didn't measure it) the clicking wouldn't happen, This was while holding in my hands trying to figure it out. So when I put them back together the last time I swapped the knob to the other sides. The driver knob worked fine on the passenger side locking mechanism, so when I put passenger knob on driver locking mechanism all was good no clicking anywhere. I wish I could tell what the difference in side makes on the knob part but only thing I can come up with is it didn't seat in as far When I swapped them around.
Thanks for all your help guys I learned a lot about the hubs in doing this inner axle seal;D