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wind right out of my sails

T

TwistedSkipper

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ok, so my stock '83 k-5 is not only my first 4x4, but also the first vehicle that have done any maintenance on, it is also a true love affair.
So i today learned first hand whilst trying to traverse a snow covered patch of grass how uncapable my stock open diffs really are. I had my rears in the grass, my fronts pretty much on pavement, and all i could do was spin the rears deeper in to the lawn, mud by this time at the mall parking lot. It was horrible, embarrasing when a co worker came with a 2 wheel drive truck to pull me out.
It doesnt seem like my hubs were locked at all, i mean shoudnt the fronts at least spun a little bit? I put her in neutral,t/case too, then turned the warn hubs, as far to the right as i could, does this sound:doah: right? Im pretty sure my front shaft was turning cause i had a bit of clunking going on
 
are thet supposed to click when they lock, or just get to the point where they wont turn any further?
 
mine just get to a point where they won't turn anymore, no real click involved. If you haven't engaged the hubs in a while, lets say since last winter, they are probably frozen in the unlocked position. The spring that actually moves the locking collar is very light so it is possible to turn the dial and not have the hub itself engage. Try pulling them out and clean and lube them lightly with grease
 
TwistedSkipper said:
ok, so my stock '83 k-5 is not only my first 4x4, but also the first vehicle that have done any maintenance on, it is also a true love affair.
So i today learned first hand whilst trying to traverse a snow covered patch of grass how uncapable my stock open diffs really are. I had my rears in the grass, my fronts pretty much on pavement, and all i could do was spin the rears deeper in to the lawn, mud by this time at the mall parking lot. It was horrible, embarrasing when a co worker came with a 2 wheel drive truck to pull me out.
It doesnt seem like my hubs were locked at all, i mean shoudnt the fronts at least spun a little bit? I put her in neutral,t/case too, then turned the warn hubs, as far to the right as i could, does this sound:doah: right? Im pretty sure my front shaft was turning cause i had a bit of clunking going on
Click to expand...
are you sure you locked your hubs in? i think '83 is still manually locking hubs, it was on my '83 k5 anyway. a locker wouldn't solve this problem, as a locker is only good for the axle it's in. if you have a locker in your front axle, it will do nothing to your rear axle. i don't think you should be hearing any clunking.
 
Clunking=Bad. I say its probably a problem with your hubs not engaging too. Take them off and inspect them. They are pretty easy to work on.
-Harrison
 
sounds liek you have manual hubs but autos were avialable in those years... if they are auto hubs...ditchem
 
haha. sorry man, but that does sound seriously embarrassing, and i'm just glad it wasn't me. but, don't scrap a good 4x4 because it let you down once. my stock 82 is more capable in 2wd than many other trucks are in 4. but yeah, you should have been squealing at least one front tire if everything was engaging, and most likely, you would not have been stuck.
 
do they "click" when you turn the hub dial? mine kinda click when I unlock them. Also is your front shaft ok and do you by chance (doubtful though for the year) have a np203 full time transfer case?
 
I had a similar situation happen to me and eventually found out the front driveshaft got stripped. You wouldn't notice it unless you were sitting at a certain angle. When it was on a frame lift with the front wheels hanging free the shaft would extend to a point where it would partially catch the splines again and you would miss that it was stripped. Finally found it when it was sitting on all 4.
 
Hubs Engaging or not?

Is there a way to determine whether or I am successfully engaging my hubs in the locked position? Having to ask somebody standing outside my window "Hey are my front tires spinning?" whilst getting squirrely on the ice in the parking lot is getting old.I know it may seem like a silly question but I am true nube. I never had a dad to show me!:haha:
 
well, if you put your WHOLE truck up on jack stans, (this means NO tire touches the ground), engage the 4x4 and see if they are spinning. not sure if all four will spin, or only one on each axle tho... i would imagine all four would spin, but don't be suprised if less than that do. you know your 4x4 is working if at least one wheel spins on both axles.
 
TwistedSkipper said:
Is there a way to determine whether or I am successfully engaging my hubs in the locked position? Having to ask somebody standing outside my window "Hey are my front tires spinning?" whilst getting squirrely on the ice in the parking lot is getting old.I know it may seem like a silly question but I am true nube. I never had a dad to show me!:haha:
Click to expand...

with the truck or t-case OUT of 4wd jack up one of the front tires, turn the hub in and turn the tire by hand and look just inside the tire where you can see the axle shaft and U-joint. See if it turn and even stick a bar in there and see if it completely stops the tire. If they seem locked together that is engaged. If you can turn the tire and hold the shaft stopped it out.
 
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