hi my name is cody i just bought a 95 f150 and decided to test the 4x4. so i went in to a lil mudd and kinda got stuck not to be serious incase something broke since this was the first time. i put the truck in four wheel drive and gave it some gas but only the rear wheels spun, so i got out and looked at the drive shaft to the front case and it was spinning but the wheels got no traction or movement to them. does anyone have any ideas of what the cause could be

i have automatic locking hubs.

 

You already mentioned the problem. Automatic hubs. They have a tendency to fail or if you have a vacuum problem will not work.

 

well im kinda new on this stuff so what would the vacuum problem be if the automatic hubs are good

 

A leak. The hubs work off vacuum. No vacuum, no work. Do a search in the forums for "automatic hub" and you will find more info.

 

so i was messing with the 4x4 and seeing what my buddy thought and we found out the low range works fine but it gets no power in just regular 4x4 got and sugestions??

 

Pre-'97 trucks do NOT use vacuum in the 4WD system at all.

Auto hub locks are known to stick, and there's not much you can do with them. I've heard of a few people rebuilding them at home & getting them to work, but I've never tried. You can swap in some used autos if you want to keep that convenience, and I have some if you can't find any locally.

But the vast majority swap in manual hub locks. They're more reliable, cheaper, stronger, easier to find, better for off-roading... Many people tout Warn Premiums as being the best, but they're no better than any other decent aftermarket hub lock. I use MileMarkers, and they have the same LLT warranty as the Warns, but they cost a LOT less.

To convert a '95, you'll need some additional parts, commonly referred to as a "conversion kit". But it's actually just the old-style wheel bearing nuts, and they can be had for ~$15/side +sh from places like JBG.

For more info, click the black Bronco in my signature & look in the Brakes & Hubs album.

 

Sorry, I could have sworn I read somewhere that prior to the 97 that they were also vacuum activated. Maybe on a different model. Never had them, always had the manuals. Only problem with those was that the **** always faded from red to pimk and looked ugly. Always worked though for me.

 

No pre-'97 Ford truck uses vacuum. They use mechanical hub locks. The vacuum is used for an axle center disconnect, which is only used on the twin-A-arm IFS. Older trucks have the TwinTractionBeam (TTB) IFS.