[anastasios]

Hey guys,

Im pretty new to the 4wd world,

how do I know if my vitara (specs above) has auto or manual hubs?

I want to double check my 4wd is working before i take it away next weekend

[Fatzook]

Most likely they are manual.

The easiest way to check is to see if they have the lockout on the face of them that allows you to switch between 'free' and 'lock'.

[BlueSuzy]

It will have manual hubs.

Look in the middle of the front wheels, if there is a turn handle, locked/free, They are manual hubs.

[Gwagensteve]

(Bluesuzy kind of beat me, but there you go)

They are most likely manual hubs. I think only 2.0 litre vitaras had auto hubs.

I fyou have manual hubs, you will have something like this in the middle of the wheel:





Which you can see here:



Turn it to "Lock" to engage drive to the front wheels.

If you have auto hubs (unlikely) they look like this:



And you will have to trust they engage.

I'm not sure how to ensure that auto hubs are engaging. With manual hubs, lock the hubs, put the car in 4WD, and jack up one front wheel. It shouldn't turn freely. If it does, a hub (could be either one) isn't engaging.

I'm sure someone can help with the procedure for checking auto hub function.

Steve.

[anastasios]

Ah yes they are manual hubs then, what are the steps for engaging 4wd, do you put gear lever into 4wd then lock hubs? orr?

[BlueSuzy]

correct. You will have a high and lowrange 4wd.

High range is same gearing as 2wd.
Lowrange is reduced for slower speeds and more torque up hills , going done declines in gear, needing brakes less etc.

[Gwagensteve]

Doesn't really matter which way round you do it, but normal practice is to lock the hubs first, then engage 4WD. It might be harder to turn the engage knob if you are in 4WD first.

Sorry if this is telling you something you already know, but don't drive on paved surfaces in 4WD - it can damage the car.

You can drive on paved surfaces with the hubs locked, but in 2WD - that's fine.

Steve.

[anastasios]

Okay I will do the jacking up one wheel test when I get home, fingers crossed!!

are they easy to repair? i have had a lot of experience working on other cars so am pretty capable

[Gwagensteve]

Yes, there is a topic in "good tech" on the procedure.

Steve.

[anastasios]

Just tested the 4wd, wheels spin freely when each side is jacked up separately

im assuming this means hubs are gone?

[Gwagensteve]

Are you 100% sure the car is in 4WD in the transfer case?

Are both front hubs in the lock position when you are lifting up one wheel?

Is the front driveshaft (from the diff to the transfer case) turning when you turn the wheel?

Steve.

[anastasios]

Okay so this is where I am at atm.

put car in 4wd in transfer case, light comes on dash.

locked both front hubs

raised one wheel, and wheel turns along with the driveshaft

turned hub to free and wheel spins while the drive shaft does not

Is the front driveshaft meant to spin when car is in 4wd with hubs locked?

[Gwagensteve]

put the car back down on all four wheels and with the hubs unlocked go for a short drive with the transfer case in 4WD - a hundred metres is heaps. Then lock the hubs and try jacking up a wheel again.

Your hubs are working. It appears that the transfer hasn't gone into 4WD. It might be possible if you just threw it straight into 4WD while parked it hasn't properly engaged, even though the light is on.

Steve.

[anastasios]

argh, cant get the spring to attach to the cog gear :/

[anastasios]

bit of an update, went to pick and payless and picked up a front locking hub in heaps better condition than mine, installed it, put car in 4wd, locked hubs and jacked one wheel.

i can rotate the hub about an inch left and right, i am assuming this is normal and that the 4wd is working fine?

[wolf_rt]

Sounds about right, if you mean the whole wheel... there will be a bit play.