2000 Ford F-250 Hub or axle problem?

JAR0172

MEMBER
2000 FORD F-250
6.8L
V10
4WD
AUTOMATIC
76,000 MILES

Please give me a better answer than rotate my tires and I might have an axle problem have someone check the axle, I donated to this site and expected a detailed professional analysis not the generic answer I received, thank you!
I am hearing a loud intermittent vibrating noise from the front end, it shakes the whole truck. I took apart and greased the auto locking hubs, also I jacked the front of the truck up, with the hubs set to automatic and the truck running, I engaged and disengaged the 4wd using the switch in the cab of the truck, the hubs locked and unlocked, I verified this by spinning the wheels one at a time and the axle and driveshaft stopped moving when I switched 4wd off, and moved when switched 4wd on, the 4x4 light illuminates. I tied a piece of fishing line to the axle and driveshaft and went for a drive with hubs in auto position, and switch in 2wd, the line was broke when I returned. I test drove the truck again in 2wd with the hubs moved to lock position, it does not make the noise at all with the hubs locked in. My question is what is my next step, are one of the hubs bad, or is it the wheel bearing? Also when jacked up I grabbed tire at 12 and 6 and 9 and 3 oclock positions and there was no wheel play at all, but then again everything on this truck is built like a tank, but I could not feel any play pulling out on the wheel either, thank you for your help, I am unsure of my next step, all these parts are very expensive and I just do not want to start throwing parts at it, please advise, thanks again. JAR. USAF "retired".

8 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Does the vibration occurs only in 4WD mode?

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Saturday, January 4th, 2014 AT 10:37 AM

JAR0172

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5 POSTS

No the sound does not occur in 4wd mode.
Auto hubs in lock position switch in 2wd= no sound
auto hubs in auto position switch in 2wd= intermittent grinding sound usually after hitting a bump or turning sharply.
Auto hubs in lock OR auto position switch in 4wd= no sound

Thank you again for taking the time to read about my issue!

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Saturday, January 4th, 2014 AT 12:29 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Seems like the auto hubs are not functioning correctly and intermittently trying to engage even when they are not locked. Check for abnormal wear and clearances to bearings for the auto locking hubs.

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Saturday, January 4th, 2014 AT 1:22 PM

JAR0172

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Ok, I will try the hubs first, I can get them at a local u-pullit junkyard and see if that works first, thanks!

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Saturday, January 4th, 2014 AT 1:29 PM

CJ MEDEVAC

MECHANIC
11,004 POSTS

I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOUR HUB SYSTEM

ARE YOU SURE THAT ONE IS NOT REMAINING LOCKED IN?

WE GOT 3 PARTS IN PLAY

2 LOOSE AXLES AND A DRIVESHAFT WHEN IT'S "SUPPOSED TO BE" UNLOCKED

. ON MY JEEP CJ 5, I CAN SEE/ TOUCH THE U-JOINTS IN THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER KNUCKLES

IF I SPIN A FRT WHEEL BY HAND----I CAN HOLD THE U-JOINT "STILL" WITH MY HAND. FOR SURE, IT'S UNLOCKED. OTHERWISE THE U-JOINT WOULD TURN

. SAME GOES FOR THE OTHER WHEEL. SEE MY PIC

AS FOR MY 1946 WILLYS, IT HAS BENDIX JOINTS WHERE THE KNUCKLES MOVE (LOOKS LIKE AN ENCLOSED BALL ON THE INSIDES)----THE U-JOINTS ARE BIG GIANT BALL BEARINGS AND ARE INSIDE THE BALL. BATHED IN OIL. IN OTHER WORDS, I CANNOT "FINGER" THEM OR SEE 'EM, AS WITH MY NEWER CJ 5.

.I CAN, HOWEVER, TAKE OFF THE OUTER CAP OF THE HUB (THAT YOU TURN) AND WATCH THE AXLE ENDS

I HAVE INSTALLED "SELECTRO" MANUAL LOCKING HUBS ON BOTH JEEPS
.
.

ON MY NEWER '77

IF I "LOCK IN" (I HAVE MANUAL HUBS) ONLY ONE SIDEWITH THE FRONT WHEELS IN THE AIR.I SPIN THE LOCKED IN WHEEL WITH MY HAND

. EITHER THE FRONT DRIVESHAFT WILL TURN. OR. THE UNLOCKED/ UNSEEN AXLE WILL TURN IN THE AXLE HOUSING

. DEPENDING ON FRICTION, BOTH MAY MOVE

. IF I HOLD THE DRIVESHAFT STILL. AND SPIN THE LOCKED IN HUB. THE UNLOCKED/ UNSEEN AXLE ROTATES IN THE HOUSING

LET'S DIG DEEPER

I LOCK BOTH IN. SPIN A WHEEL. EITHER THE OTHER WHEEL MOVES, OR IT DON'T, . BUT THE DRIVESHAFT DOES

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF (IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW) THAT THE "TURNING" WILL GO THRU THE DIFFERENTIAL AND SPIN THE OTHER "FREE" AXLE. IN WHICH YOU CANNOT SEE IT TURNING

. IT MAY BE FOOLING YOU INTO THINKING BOTH SIDES WERE UNLOCKED

THE MEDIC

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Saturday, January 4th, 2014 AT 5:14 PM

JAR0172

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Thanks CJ MEDEVAC!
It is a vacuum system that locks and unlocks the hubs when the hubs are in auto position, when I put them in manual they are locked in. I would much rather have the old style manual hubs!
When I have the wheels off the ground and check the hubs operation I am able to grab the passenger and drivers side u-joints like you pointed out above to check and see if they unlock, they both unlocked.
The problem I am having is when the hubs are manually locked in the intermittent noise never happens, it is when the hubs are in auto and I hit a bump or make a sharp turn the axle noise appears.
Do you think I should check the pinion bearings in the hub that ride on the axle to see if they have worn a groove in the axle?(I am pretty sure it is on the driver's side) I have a feeling I am just going to end up tearing it all down anyway to figure it out, and then I will probably just put manual hubs on and get rid of the auto hubs! Thanks again for the detailed advice, I appreciate it! JAR

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Sunday, January 5th, 2014 AT 9:19 AM

JAR0172

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5 POSTS

Thanks to all the advice above, to anyone that has had the same issues I have had, after talking to a very nice Ford mechanic who gave me some free advice it turned out to be the needle bearing that rides inside the wheel hub that had failed and was causing the intermittent vibration issue when the hubs were in AUTO due to "The needle bearings in the hub don't have a differential rotation against the stub axle in 4wd, they do in 2wd. That would pretty much confirm to me the bearings need changing." I changed the bearings out on the side the noise came from and put new o rings on the back of the wheel hub and the one on the auto locking hub. Problem solved! 2 NAPA B2110 NEEDLE BEARINGS (1 PER AXLE)11 dollars a piece, 2 yellow o rings(8 dollars a piece), 2 black o rings(12 dollars for the kit), FORD parts depend on what front axle you have to give the dealer your VIN and they will get you the right parts.

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Monday, January 6th, 2014 AT 8:22 PM

KHLOW2008