Full floating rear end problem.

[rlm18]

have a dana 44 full floating rear end with a Detroit locker. My hubs keep unlocking internally. They show locked on the outside but internally the flange? is stuck in "free". I cannot turn the dial on or off the wheel. Does this set up work? Can it be driven on the highway? Or is something wrong with axle or locker? I have a Dana 20 twin stick transfer case so I have been getting around in front wheel drive. Is that ok? Thank you in advance for any info. My phone is not allowing me to search the threads to look for topics I'd there happens to be any other posts about the topic.

[Kinder]

I don't know of anyone in the club running a FF44, I'm running a FF9" that is based on 44 spindles & hubs. The lockout hubs are Warn and I've not had a problem yet. What brand of hubs are you running? I have a spare set of Ford brand lockouts if you'd like to see if that's the problem.

Another idea is maintenance related problems, if they are gummed up or dried out they won't function right.

Edit: driving in fwd won't hurt anything.

[Justin]

I don't believe that a full float Dana 44 was ever made by the factory, so it's likely that you've got a conversion kit. If that's the case, hit up this guy for guidance: http://hermtheoverdriveguy.com/?page_id=1611.

How sure are you that it's a Dana 44? I went back a took a look at your old posts (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6861). The ad from when you bought your truck is long gone, but there's a post of mine positively identifying the rear end as a 9". As Kirk mentioned, Warn sold a kit for years that converted the 9" to full float using Dana 44 parts. I'm guessing that's what you have.

Either way, it sounds like you've got some hub parts sticking. I suspect that water, time, and grit have combined to seize up the locking mechanism in the hubs. There's some parts inside that slide back and forth with a spring to help actuate them when you turn the hub to the locked position. If the stiction in the parts is higher than the force provided by the spring they don't lock. It could be that they're wiggling loose when being driven, and that the spring can't keep them in place. It's a simple fix to pull the hub apart and service it. It's also a great opportunity to repack or replace your rear wheel bearings, which are probably in equally bad shape. If nothing else, a full servicing of the parts is easy, never hurts, and would eliminate the outer parts of the axle as the source of the problem. It's pretty unlikely that the locker, gears or other parts inside the center chunk of the axle are the issue.

[Jesus_man]

I'm in agreement with the others. Pull the hubs apart, clean, light grease (too much creates suction) and reinstall. I like to use lithium grease. Perhaps a rebuild kit wouldn't be bad assuming it might come with a new spring and o-rings.

[Kinder]

Now I remember your rig, we did have a quick discussion about the rear hubs. There are a few different versions of the kit, early kits had a few issues, mostly seal problems if I remember correctly. A couple of hours set aside for cleaning and re-grease will likely solve your problem. Let me know if you'd like a copy of the original paperwork.

[rlm18]

On another post some guys mentioned that warn discontinued the hub cause of the problems. How come the rear end has problems but its ok to run in fwd?Everything is cleaned and lubed. Trying Yukon hubs. Stay tuned.

[Justin]

My understanding is that Warn discontinued the kit due to leaking problems rather than something with the hub. If it's Dana 44 based, have you tried stock Ford hubs? Those Yukons are sweet, but mega bucks.

[Gunnibronco]

Why not skip hubs and run drive slugs?

If its D44 based & 19 spline axle shafts, all the 70's Quadra-Trac (full-time 4x4) Jeep Cherokees, Wagoneers, and probably J10 pick ups have drive slugs in the front hubs. They should be pretty easy to find.

[Justin]

Even better!

[Kinder]

Yes D44 based, but not the low 19 splined. There are aftermarket slugs out there, around $150-200.

[rlm18]

My understanding is that Warn discontinued the kit due to leaking problems rather than something with the hub. If it's Dana 44 based, have you tried stock Ford hubs? Those Yukons are sweet, but mega bucks.

Ah I see. For some reason, with this problem, I haven't thought about trying to use hubs from other vehicles