I have been searching and searching for a way to convert my hubs, even though i have an automatic T-case, a hub conversion will stop wear and tear and help gas milage right ? i saw a shady way of doing it on TRS.com but it was for an 02, HELP ME !!!

 

On a 2004?! Absoloutely zero chance.. unless you replace pretty much the whole front end w/ a mid 2001 or earlier. Mid year in 2001 they went to a 'live hub' system where there is NO hub disconnect at all, PVH, mechanical, or otherwise. So there are no hubs to convert.

What we've got is basically the front end to a Focus or a Taurus up front. It's a FWD car that just doesn't get power 98% of the time.. Fortunately it means no more broken/failed hubs..

 

it wont save on mpg at at .... its been tested

 

By who? What about CV wear?

 

Mid 00' not 01'

 

you would have to change out or modify the transfer case
right now if you put in a device to free spin the wheels at the hubs the entire system behind it to the transmission would still be turning

 

well Ive never even heard of it being done on an 02 so I would beg you to post a link. the setup on an 02 is the exact same as 04, besides caliper size possibly...

 

damn, i wanted to do this on mine... this explains y ive never seen them on 01's and up lol

 

I don't understand, Neil. The current transfer case disconnects the front driveshaft from the rest of the powertrain just as it did in earlier years. The way I see it, a freewheeling device at the hubs would disconnect the halfshafts, front diff and front driveshaft from everything when in 2WD, just as it did before 2000.5. All you would lose with a manually selectable hub conversion would be shift-on-the-fly capability. Of course, as mentioned above, a hub conversion would not be practical without some major parts swapping like the front knuckles, hubs and halfshafts.

 

SEARCH IS YOUR FRIEND ehem haha

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ht=manual+hubs

 

no it seems that is me who does not understand Bob
I know the parts are all moving - I forgot they work backwards and are moving because the wheels are turning them
after engagement the power goes the other way and the engine/transmission is turning them

OK - you can disconect the wheels from the system at the hub provided you created a locking hub that will work

 

Mid way through '00, I stand corrected.

I too wanna see this TRS link..

 

well i was wrong, its for a 98 and up which does include a 2002 of course, but who knows how old this article is... anyways i thought if i swapped to manual hubs the axles wouldnt spin nor would the front driveshaft because i was under the impression that these things always spin until the t-case was engaged into 4, then they would spin like normal just with power, is this making sense or am i totally off base... heres the link about the swap ..
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech.../99hubswap.htm

 

It's actually for 98 through 2000 1/2 Rangers. The irony is that they are telling you how to convert from Pulse Vacuum Hubs to the Explorer live axles. This is EXACTLY the system that your 2004 Ranger already has.

 

Looks like a typical TRS page to me; typical in that it does not take newer than 2000.5 vehicles into account. TRS has always struck me as a resource dedicated-or at least favoring-earlier model trucks. Like so many other pages on that site, this one doesn't seem to give any indication that the Ranger changed to a live axle system in 2000.5. In the first paragraph it mentions the instructions are to swap out the PVH system, which was replaces after 2000.5.

Your impression of how the front end works sounds about right. The front driveshaft, differential, half-shafts and CV-joints are 'spinning' when the vehicle is in motion regardless of t-case position. There is no torque applied from the engine when in 2Hi because the t-case disengages the front drive-shaft internally. When you switch to 4Hi or 4Lo, torque is then applied. The t-case is the only part that changes between 2 and 4WD.

It's exactly like having a vehicle w/ unlockable hubs, just leaving the hubs engaged all the time.

My dealer actually tried to convince me that the new system is better for the CV joints as it keeps them moving and keeps the boots from drying and cracking, thus ruining the joints. I don't know if I'm sold on this.. but we don't exactly have a choice.

 

yeah that TRS articale i found last night says that you need to convert to the old style hubs and knuckles and cvs. expensive for one.

then there was also a proposal to make custom upper arms or whatever needed to swap in yota knuckles. with enough work and time Im sure that could be acheived, but it still seems "ghetto"

In any way, even if a hub system is developed its going to cost a lot of money and its a general idea to me that the very large majority of ranger owners wont shell out the cash for that kind of thing. It would probably be an easy 1000 dollars for a kit if ever made. pair that with a lift kit price and you can do an SAS...

just not plausible

 

As much as I'd prefer disconnects, you're right, I wouldn't pay anything near $1000 for such a kit.

 

As i said in my introduction statement I am also a member on TRS. In there defense, and what seems common sense, to me is that, some one that is serious about that swap will know that their Ranger came with PVH hubs. I am seriously considering that swap when I get the money, since I just found out that my hubs don't work. There are 2 fixes on TRS for this problem i'll try to find them after while.
-Josh

PS: I notified TRS of the year range issue and am awaiting a reply.

 

I checked into what it would take to convert to manual locking hubs. The 2001+ Rangers can be converted to the pulse vacuum hubs with existing parts. It is expensive and well over $1000 unless you can find the parts at a salvage yard. I feel the pulse vacuum hub could be converted to a manual hub with some modification. I have a full machine shop and a German machinist that can make anything, so I didn't see converting the PVH system to manual as a monumental undertaking.

The thing that stopped the project was I found out the bearings with the PVH system are not that strong and would probably have to be replaced periodically. They are expensive to replace and I decided the conversion was not worth it.

With unlocking hubs you can save about 0.3 mpg according to Ford engineers. CV joints don't wear that fast because they are not loaded in 2WD. The CV joint boots are probably the only thing that will wear sooner because they are spinning all the time. The live hub system seems like a better way to go for now.

 

TRS has 2 hub fixes for the PV Hubs one is the same as what ya'll in the tech forum, they also have one where you can fix the hubs to engage and disengage but you'll have to search through the forums over there to find it. I just think that the Explorer swap would hold up better, and I don't like the idea that breaking something fixes it. Before I go doing that I am going to check over everything real good to make sure it isn't something simple broken.
-Josh