Warn "automatic" hubs (1 Viewer)

[gibgoaz8]

Fellow cruisers: I bought a 78 FJ40 a while back that had automatic warn lock out hubs on it. I have no experience with these, but have heard that there were some problems with them. Does anyone on the board know of what these problems are? Also, should I start looking for regular manual hubs to replace them with? Also, I have the cruiser in my shop right now doing some other work to it. How can I tell if the auto hubs are still working and in good shape or not? Any advice and help will be most appreciated.

 

[Mike Shull]

Push button 40!?...LOL!

Well the best way is to push the button...or honk the horn..how ever they have the hubs hooked up.
Lift the front off the ground, with the 4x4 lever engaged see if the wheels are locked to each other...A good place to start....Auto hubs?

 

[Mike Shull]

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Warn 61918 Automatic Locking Hub

Some one with a Kia liked them...

 

[dgangle]

Did they look like these?





If so, the advice in post 2 is non applicable. I had a set of these on my drum-brake front axle before switching to minitruck disks. According to Warn, these were discontinued many years ago as they were expensive to manufacture and no parts are available. These worked great, if assembled and maintained properly on a regular basis.

 

[Mike Shull]

Did they look like these?

View attachment 302586

View attachment 302587

If so, the advice in post 2 is non applicable. I had a set of these on my drum-brake front axle before switching to minitruck disks. According to Warn, these were discontinued many years ago as they were expensive to manufacture and no parts are available. These worked great, if assembled and maintained properly on a regular basis.

Cool hubs...They aren't auto hubs?
gibgoaz8 said his were auto hubs...gibgoaz8 can you post a picture of your hubs?

I have the minitruck hubs now also...seem to work great.

 

[Shark56]

Auto hubs

I also have the Warn automatic hubs on my 79. Turn one way to lock, the other way to auto! I have not tried the auto selector to see how it works. I would assume that when you shift to 4wheel with the transfer case lever that they "automatically" lock. I always turn them to lock when I need 4x4. I leave them in "auto" for normal driving. Jeff

 

[mudnyreye]

I have a brand new pair of factory Toyota auto locking hubs. They are fine splined and the housings are identical to Aisen hubs. I have never tried them, but I carry one as a spare.

 

[dgangle]

Cool hubs...They aren't auto hubs?
gibgoaz8 said his were auto hubs...gibgoaz8 can you post a picture of your hubs?...

In speaking directly with Warn to identify and buy replacement parts, I was told these were automatic locking hubs no longer made or supported.

I would like to see a picture of what he has.

...Turn one way to lock, the other way to auto! I have not tried the auto selector to see how it works. I would assume that when you shift to 4wheel with the transfer case lever that they "automatically" lock...

Assuming we have the same design, these engage in the 'auto' position when under forward load.

 

[gibgoaz8]

Gentlemen: My hubs are exactly like those in post 4 of this thread. Like I said, I just bought this 78 FJ40 and have heard both good things and bad things about these hubs. I am doing some other work on my cruiser in my shop right now. How do I check these hubs to see if they are still workable and how do I maintain them. Also, how do they work. I would assume that when I am just cruising around I would keep them in the auto position. Then when I need 4 WD, I would place them in lock position. But how does the auto setting work? When I place the transfer case is 4WD, do the hubs automatically lock the front wheels in. If that is the case, then what is the need for a "lock" position. I just really need a good explanation of how the hubs work, how to check and make sure the hubs are still in good shape and how to maintain them. Thanks in advance for helping me.

 

[Shark56]

They look just like your photo dgangle. On my 70 fj40 I have the standard warns with "lock" and "free". On my 74 fj40 I have the Aisan. On the parts rig 74 fj40 I have it came without selectable hubs!

 

[dgangle]

OK. Back when I had these I could find no info, parts or for that matter anyone that could explain how they work. They have 10,000 pieces inside them and appear different than any other Warn or Aisin manual lockout I had ever owned.

I contacted Warn and no one knew what I was talking about. I emailed them pics and I got a call back from an engineer nearing retirement that stated he recalled these. As the story was told to me, these were an attempt by Warn to appeal to the general public and make something that the regular person did not have to give a lot of thought to. These were discontinued sometime ago due to their complexity and costs. There are no parts available. I can't remember exactly how to explain their function but the 'auto' allowed the spindles to turn without all the revolving mass (birfs, inner axles, 3rd member, driveshaft, etc) to save fuel but when the TC was put into 4WD the rotation of the front drivetrain caused the hubs to rotate internally engaging the long horizontal rollers into the inner & outer groves, thus engaging the hubs. The downside was when descending a hill the hubs would disengage (due to no power applied) and freewheel.

Anywho, I generally feel more comfortable with things I understand, can fix and get parts for. So when I went to minitruck FDB, these went down the road with MAF FDB kit.

These are difficult to troubleshoot and the reason I was soooo happy when they went bye-bye.

 

[77TLCFJ40]

My '77 40 has had these as long as I have known the rig ('88). Someone suggested they were probably added to the 40 along with the 8274 Warn winch and bumper at the dealer??

The hubs have given me no problems yet. With a LOT of help from good friends, we services the birfs (bearings, seals, etc) and the hubs went back on and continue to work with no problems.

Also, the Warn instruction sticker on the dash is red on my 40. All the Warn Manual hub instruction stickers that I have seen are black.

At the same time, I am keeping my eyes open for a good used set of Warn or Aisins (long body from an FJ55).

Good luck

 

[Vicm]

I think he is confusing the older warn manual lockouts with the auto lockouts.
The auto ones will have no dial. The ones I am familiar with anyways . When you put the transfer case in 4wd and drive forward they lock . When you put the transfer in 2wd you need to go in reverse to unclock them.
The ones in post 4, I have a set of them. They work the same way as the other warn manual lockouts. They are very durable "tough".
I didn't know that these came in 30 spline gear.
Post a pic Frank , you might have something rare or I might be as dum as I look.

 

[77TLCFJ40]

I think he is confusing the older warn manual lockouts with the auto lockouts.
The auto ones will have no dial. The ones I am familiar with anyways .

The Warn Auto Hubs on my 77 sure have a dial. Auto or Lock are the choices.

 

[JohnnyC]

good pic of an auto warn hub:
IH8MUD Forums - View Single Post - Warn hubs

different manufacturer of auto hubs:
Products AVM

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/197419-automatic-locking-hubs.html

 

[Vicm]

Look at both pics,
My Question is,
Are these two the same and work in the same way or are they different and work differently???????
I have a lock-o-matic for a drum brake axle (74). They only say free or lock (like in the pic).
So can someone please provide some answers.
Thanks.

 

[Trollhole]

Look at both pics,
My Question is,
Are these two the same and work in the same way or are they different and work differently???????
I have a lock-o-matic for a drum brake axle (74). They only say free or lock (like in the pic).
So can someone please provide some answers.
Thanks.

Work in concept the same way. But they have different mechanisims inside from what I know. One is just an older design than the other.

Arthur was the man.

 

[dgangle]

this from Warn today. Installation & operating instructions.

 

[gibgoaz8]

Took pictures of my hubs this morning, but can't seem to get them down loaded. However, my hubs are exactly like those in the bottom photo of post #16 of this thread. They have "auto" setting and "lock" setting, and they are called Warn Automatics. The Warn Lock o Matics have a setting of "Lock" and "Free". Trollholes explanation and pictures in post #17 of this thread give a good explanation of how the "automatics" work and also a schematic break down. These helped me a lot in understanding how these hubs work. Thanks again to those that have offered help.

 

[Captn Conch]

update on Lock-O-Matic hubs

For what it is worth I have used the Lock o matics since 1971 on my new '71 FJ40 That I sold after 3 years and again on my next '71 FJ40 I bought in '80 and still own. I think they are the greatest things ever for our old Cruisers. These enable you to stop, engage 4wd and proceed in 4wd hi or lo w/o ever having to get out and engage the hubs. They stated on the install manual that if you are going to do heavy stressful 4wd or pulling/ compression breaking it is recommended to get out and manually spin the dial to lock them in that way. I have never had a bit of trouble with them and never understood why they were ever discontinued. No, they do not have many parts to them, They are extremely reliable and I love the fact that if I need 4wd I do not have to exit the cab and spin the dials. They were a wonderful product that worked super. If you do not have lockomatics on your old Cruiser, you should, they work. I have owned my Cruiser forever and have crawled the goat/4wd trails all over Colorado, These have never let me down. Also if you manually lock them in you can shift from 2wd to 4wd without stopping, but to use the automatic feature you must stop to let them engage. They work by centrifical force. I would never trade these out for a manual set of lock outs.
Jack Nichols