I just joined recently and I have a drive train problem with my 99 f250 sd 4x4 5.4l screw. 4wd will not engage. A sound of gears trying to mesh inside the front wheel hub drivers side. It makes this sound gear grinding sound even worse when turning hard. It does it in both 2wd and 4wd selections. when 4wd is selected in the cab you can hear gear grinding accelerate with engine speed. The hubs have the selector for auto and manual, they have always been switched on auto. things recently done on the truck, levelling kit (in march), new 35 inch trxxus tires in may. Other then that nothing has been done to it. The truck is not a daily driver, has 58k miles on it. It has been a charm. I am not hard on it either. I do have extended warranty on it, but with a deductible. Maybe if I understood innerworking of hub, i could figure out my issues. Any explanations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou

Rob W.

 

Your hub is shot. New ones(it's all one unit) are about $350+. Take it in and hope your warranty company doesn't say anything about your lift and tires.

 

Mine lock in, but I was getting this squealing sound in the drivers side after disengaging. I switched the hubs (just the locking part), and it's definitely in the hub. I assume since you can't buy the hub alone (which makes no sense, they are fairly easy to remove), there's no way to get bearings for one?

 

From Ford. Supposed part number for the locking hub part only...

1C3Z-3B396-CB Genuine Ford front hub assy $ 99.99

 

Hey there. I have the same truck, and before you go and buy new hubs, get you wheel bearings checked out. Same exact problem happened with me. Expect to pay about $460 for 1. Also make sure that they order you the correct part for your truck...they made 4 different bearings and they are not interchangable. :-(

Tim

 

I switched the locking part of the hubs (switched sides), and the noise didn't move, so it's not in the hubs. Wheel bearing were my next choice, but it sounds awful cheap to be something load bearing. It almost sounds like a rubber squeak. Unfortunately, I've got a worse noise that has cropped up over the weekend. I guess at 126K miles, things are starting to wear out on me...

 

I've got the same problem with the gear grinding "squeak-sound" from the front end but it is so intermittent I can't force it to reproduce.

If you got your fixed, please let me know what resolved it.

 

of course check out your front end, but the hub seals and dust seals can tear which can cause a vac leak (auto hub wont work)

does the noise go away with the hubs locked in manual?

Check the vacuum line to the spindle (if the line or cap comes off this can lead to dirt entering the spindle and cause spindle bearing/even axle shaft wear)

Torn hub seals (big blue seals) can also cause premature wheel bearing failure and spindle bearing failure among the auto lock not working. (the spindle bearing should actually be repacked at 50k and the hub seals replaced)

 

I've only noticed it in 2 whel drive. I've never heard it in 4 wheel drive. It does it so intermittently it's hard to pin it down. 4 wheel drive does still seem to engage and work.

Fluid has been changed in both differentials and no debris or abnoral looking wear. And also fluid was changed in T-case with no debris showing there either.

It's been at the shop all week and and doesn't seem to make the noise for the mechanics on short test drives.

To me and my untrained ear it sounds like really fast/rapid gear grinding that only last for a split second or 2 and comes and goes. Does it under load, coasting and has only been noticces so far going straight. has not been noticed in turns or reverse (yet).

Thanks