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1984 dodge front axle dana 44-8F

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16K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  magnumRC  
#1 ·
Hi all I am a newbie to the forum and I have a 1984 dodge ram W150 4x4. I am curious as to why my automatic locking hub front axle does not have vaccum lines going to it to engage it into 4-wheel drive? Is this a full time 4wd system? if so how does it work. I have seen other vehicles with vacumm lines and when I don't see one under my front axle I am a little curious?
 
#7 ·
Automatic hubs automatically engage when they feel the axle shafts torque when the t-case is engaged.  When the t-case disengages the axle shafts stop torquing and the hubs disengage.  Automatic hubs tend to be troublesome, thats why most convert to manual hubs which you can do on yours.
 
#9 ·
Very, mine are auto also. I have not changed it over yet. But I think there is a how to. The hub's can be bought on ebay for around $80. A friend told me the swap can be done in 1-2 hours. Plan on changing out the wheel bearing's or at least inspecting them. let me go look for a link.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
Thanks guys! I have only been on the forum for 2 hours and I am learning already. i was kind of freaking out because the automatic locking hubs on mine are a little different than I am used to seeing with vacumm activation. I will probably change mine to manual soon. I also plan on posting pics of my rig. i got it for free about a year ago from the father-in-law he said if I can get it home its mine and the rest is history. I need new tires first then I will work on the hubs.
 
#12 ·
welcome, do us a favor and finish filling out all of your info. I feel comfortable saying that any question you have, has been asked and answered before. welcome to the best site on the net!. Spend some time going through the FAQ, and just cruising the site. Also check out your chapter.
Link to the FAQ bord. http://ramchargercentral.com/boards/index.php?board=121.0

Nate
 
#13 ·
I would suggest saving up a few dollars and change out your auto hubs to manual hubs.  One of my auto hubs wouldn't unlock one time and as I would slow to a stop it sounded like someone was hitting my axle with a 50lb hammer.  It also seemed like they would momentarily disengage if I changed from forward to reverse and vise versa.  If there was any wheel spin during the change in direction they would engage with a sickening BAM.

I bought the all metal Warn hubs.  It's a very simple install that takes almost no time, and it is worth it- one less thing to worry about.

-Erich