Nope. You're gonna need a whole new case. I just checked the parts breakdown. It is in fact a manual shift case. However it is so intertwined with the rest of the electronics that it is not the reliable manual shift of old. And no, you can't put the electric one into neutral because there is no neutral position inside it.

Now if there were manual hubs available, then you could rip out the electronics and have true manual shift. Then there would be demand for your case too like there is in older Fords. Very strange decisions Ford makes sometimes.

I would be happy if I were you. You've basically traded floor space for a neutral position. Thats a good trade in my book.

 

interesting, I dont mind the shifter as much as I mind the frickin cupholder that takes up the whole center floor, I will get rid of that in due time

 

I would be interested in swapping T-cases with you if I didn't have a center console. Sure I would still have to deal with the auto hubs but atleast I wouldn't have to deal with the electric shift motor. I always used to have shift motor problems when wheeling in 12"+ of snow. Snow would pack in around the transfer case and freeze the shift motor. I would have to lay in the snow and scrape the snow from around the transfer case and skid plate to get it to shift. This was in a Ranger and a Sport Trac.
I assume that the floor in these are all stamped the same with a cutout for the manual case, I know the rangers are. Got a picture of the shifter location?

 

The shift motor is an easy fix. I'm surprised more people don't fix them before they have problems. Generally two things need to be done after completely disassembling it.

1) Get all the factory grease out of there and jam it full of higher quality stuff. I use moly wheel bearing grease because it withstands all the temperature extremes. Getting it full is no big deal unless you plan on shifting it literally constantly and building up a lot of heat. For intermittent use it doesn't see enough load to cause heat expansion.

2) Either torch heat the end of the empty motor case and turn the set screw back a half turn or so, or grind the tiniest amount off the end of the screw shaft. The preload on the shaft is just to high for long life. Releasing the preload some also improves the shift times since the motor spins easier.

Now this is something I've been doing to electric motors since the wipers started acting funny in my 84 Bimmer. I "fixed" a 96 Ranger motor like this a few years back too. I really don't know if this is a problem on newer trucks cause maybe they stopped cheaping out on the grease. But if my motor went bad in the 06, this is how I would fix it.

 

you are pathetic

you ask a question, we answer and suddenly we are little girls because you got your panties twisted because you didn't get an answer you wanted to hear...or that we don't agree with you

Face a few fact, man up and get over yourself.



the hubs just don't exist, and they won't. if it ain't happened after 5 yrs, it isn't going to happen.

FYI: the Raptor will have the exact same hubs...must be something right if a 400 HP Baja truck can use the same hubs

 

Aren't you the guy who told someone yesterday not to get a body lift because you were afraid the bolts would break? And wait, you told me yesterday that a live axle damages hubs just by spinning. So you'll excuse me if I take everything you say for exactly what I paid for it.

 

yes, body lifts are extremely dangerous. you mitigate the danger somewhat with grade 8 bolts. but that still places the body 2-3" higher on metal pucks. believe what you will, they aren't safe. otherwise you'd see them as OEM equipment

and yes, you are stupidly damaging your front axle for no good reason. The live axle setups...Dodge/Jeep are designed that way. They weren't part time systems to begin with like Ford uses in most cases.

I cannot believe you are recommending to people that they drive around with their front ends locked up, despite the fact they were designed as part time units only. They/you are needlessly wearing out the u-joints/knuckle/hubs for no good reason...other than being to lazy to get out and lock/unlock the hubs.





wait, isn't the whole point of this thread to get manual hubs...so you could lock/unlock them at whim?...and yet you don't even use them as designed.

 

No!!! That wasn't the whole point!!!! Which is what at least four people have been trying to say for three pages!

Either read the thread again carefully or please just butt out so you don't have to be the first person I put on my ignore list.

 

you say the auto hubs suck...and they break left/right

then you say the manual hubs are wonderful and never break...then you recant...then you are relieved the auto hubs at least fail engaged

then you say you've had a auto hub fail and leave you stranded and you want to ditch the auto hubs because they are unreliable


pretty much the gist of this thread right? You have no idea what you want, but you know that the manual hubs are better and we are all off our rockers because not all of us agree with you or see the need for them


still, it was a nice contradiction of yourself about that hub failing...especially since they FAIL ENGAGED. Not so sure I believe your story about getting stranded. So please do ignore me. I'm a big boy...I'm sure I'll get over it. I think 5 seconds of recovery would be sufficient

 

I just did a Search on "Hubs Won't Engage" and came up with 11 pages of posts.

Hubs partially engaging because of Vacume leaks, People Replacing hubs, Hubs making grinding noises, Solenoids needing replaced to fix hub engagement issues, I could go on and on..

All issues that could be Fixed FOREVER with a Manual Hub upgrade.

I'm not saying this is for everyone or Ford should even Spec this on their trucks, but for those that have had problems with their hubs because they USE their trucks, it would be Nice to be able to Upgrade your hub system to a manual Locking style.

No reason to get defensive about it. The guy just asked a simple question and people Jump Ugly.

Again, You've been able to Upgrade Ford hubs on basically Every Ford Truck made EXCEPT the 2004+ F150. I still think there's a technical reason keeping the aftermarket guys from offering this upgrade....


Merry X-mas!


:santa:

 

The four-wheel drive system on these trucks blow. Now I'm not ******* the F150's or Ford but "Built Ford Tough" doesn't mean what it used to mean. While great for towing/hauling these trucks just weren't meant to see much time off the pavement.

Put me in the 3% category of those who would "downgrade" to manual locking hubs.

 

BHibbs, I've been looking through the shop manual today. I think the reason they don't offer them is because the old hub templates don't fit. Its not just a matter of calculating the spline count and the outer diameters and sending it to China for machining.

It used to be that the hub was the second thing to come off after the wheel. Now the hub is mounted on the other side of the knuckle! So its a whole new design and I don't think its physically possible to have a manual hub anymore!

The only thing I can see to do is to pull the vacuum lines, plug the holes, and call it engaged. I wonder if that would throw codes?

 

I don't have my manual loaded in my laptop, but I recall what you say is correct. I had a 1975 and a 1978 f-150. When road conditions are as they are now, packed snow and ice I would keep the hubs locked in so I could select to 4x4 in a second. I've had my 2004 f-150 in 4x4 for the last three weeks because of these same conditions. I hate spinning my tires trying to get across an intersection with traffic heading my way and it takes to much time to get into 4x4 with this technology for my liking. I could care less about the IWE's, easy fix. The difference is a nice floor shifter that makes you seem things are going to happen fast, but in reality works the same as the little switch on the dash. Vacuum operated. I do miss the mechanical shift into 4x4 , the little plastic **** makes me feel like a wuss at times. I got pretty damn good shifting into 4x4 on the old fords, four wheel slide then bang it into 4x4 and head into the direction I wanted to go. But so far my 04 is trouble free though.

 

I'd wait till you actually have a problem until you go messin w stuff like that. Its really not that bad of a system, I've never had a problem in 69k

 

don't wreck his christmas now:santa: someone needs a tissue i think. i know guys that have 125k on the ticker an no problems yet, its the people that use them 4x4 twice a year that have issues with it,use it or lose it.