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'02 & Warn hubs...


Bunchie
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SOMEWHERE, here I found something regarding Warn hubs on an '02-Search came up w/"Your a loser". My parts guys w/40 yrs sez his Warn catalog only shows availability to '01-looked at it myself, confirmed).

 

I understand that the "auto" mode is a NO GO w/these apps.. Will '01 hubs work on my '02, so long as I stay away from "Auto" mode???? A simple mechanical Q: Did that area change so as to NOT allow installation of sed upgrades? ANYONE......?

 

Thanx, V.

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I have an '02 with the auto-mode t-case. You can use the manual hubs just fine. If you have the hubs locked you can use all of the functions as normal, even auto mode. Just remember that if the hubs are unlocked you can ONLY have the transfer case in 2wd.

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For what it's worth, I think you can still use the Auto Mode as long as the hubs are locked. If you unlock the hubs, it can damage the transmission if it is in Auto Mode. Unlocked in 2WD should be fine as well. I like my Auto mode here in the slippery & wet NW. I have also found it usefull in relatively loose but packed surfaces, such as settled sand as it tracks betters without the front wheel understeer you can get when the center diff is locked. If I put manual hubs on (and I may), my plan will be to always leave them locked if there is any chance that anyone other than myself might drive it in order to avoid having someone accidentally or at least innocently move it to Auto when then the front hubs are unlocked. People talk alot about the reliability both of assured locked and striength as well fuel economy savings of manual hubs. I'm sure this is true but I think it is only a matter of degree, I'm not entirely convinced that it's noticeable. Maybe 1-2mpg but that wouldn't be worth it to me to lose the usefullness of Auto. People talk about them breaking but I don't think I've ever actually heard of a real example of it happening. All that said, it's only because I live in the Pacific NW where it is wet 80+% of the time that I really love my Auto. Just pulling out of my residential onto a 40mph artery can cause the rears to break loose in 2WD but the grip is way too good for 4Hi (you can feel it bind at the end of the drive). The Auto works perfectly for these circumstances which I encounter daily because of my local climat.

Edited by RainGoat
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As far as I know, all the manual hub brands for any one R50 year will fit all other R50 (and QX4) years. The CV shaft and wheel hubs are dimensionally the same. I think all the fitment applications are screwy because older Pathfinders had OE wheels that could accommodate the Warn hubs, while the newer wheels couldn't because of the center cap style. All the OE wheels have 100mm center bores, but the older wheels had center caps that didn't reduce the bore diameter a few inches away from the wheel hub. My 04 SE wheels have a recessed center cap, and the flange it rests on would prevent the Warn hubs from fitting without modification because the bore reduces in that area to something like 94mm. The generic hubs I use have a smaller diameter, so they fit just fine. My buddy has an 02 with Warn hubs, and they fit just fine because he has afttermarket steel wheels where the center cap isn't even a factor.

 

That all said, if you have aftermarket wheels, you probably won't have an issue because the center cap won't interfere with the Warn hub body.

 

As for Auto-Mode usage, the way RainGoat explained it is how I understand it, but I have the part-time system so I can't attest to anything. I can't really say the having the hubs helped mileage either...it's pretty crappy as is (14 mpg is "normal").

 

 

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I think there's a pretty huge overcomplication of manual hubs in the Pathfinder community for some reason. Hawairish and RainGoat's explanations totally hit the nail on the head, but to make it extremely simple:

 

HUBS LOCKED:
Exactly the same as stock. You can do everything you normally would - 2H, AUTO, 4H, and 4L.

 

HUBS UNLOCKED:

ONLY use 2wd.

 

Pros of manual hubs:

-reduced wear and tear on front drivetrain components (particularly CV's)

-ability to unlock hubs and ignore damaged CV's until it is convenient for you to fix them

-marginal fuel economy gains

-lighter steering feel

 

Cons of manual hubs:

-slight inconvenience in having to lock hubs before using any mode other than 2wd

-potential for somebody else who's using your vehicle to use a mode other than 2wd while hubs are unlocked

-they don't quite fit with some wheels without modification

-technically weaker than stock (although the only ones I've heard of breaking are David Donnely's, and he hit his against a rock)

 

Hope that makes it simple.

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To add to my comment, the stock hubs can be thought of as manual hubs that are always locked. If you have manual hubs and leave them locked all the time, your vehicle will operate exactly like stock.

 

The issue with R50's with AUTO-mode t-cases is that sometimes, when the hubs are unlocked and you're in 2wd, the 4wd warning light will come on. I don't think anybody has figured out what it means, but it's nothing bad. I figure it's just some sensor for the auto system getting a little freaked out that the front drivetrain parts aren't turning. It's not damaging to the vehicle at all.

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To add to my comment, the stock hubs can be thought of as manual hubs that are always locked. If you have manual hubs and leave them locked all the time, your vehicle will operate exactly like stock.

 

The issue with R50's with AUTO-mode t-cases is that sometimes, when the hubs are unlocked and you're in 2wd, the 4wd warning light will come on. I don't think anybody has figured out what it means, but it's nothing bad. I figure it's just some sensor for the auto system getting a little freaked out that the front drivetrain parts aren't turning. It's not damaging to the vehicle at all.

Interesting, If it’s true that unlocked manual front hubs in Auto only causes warning lights & no real damage I’m much more relaxed about the manuals.

 

Question regarding above, if you damaged a CV, couldn’t you switch the auto to 2WD & ignore it until later like above or is it still a problem versus your example above. I’m not sure I fully understand the difference.

 

As you can tell, I like my auto for wet, mossy, packed sand, packed snow & loose top (soil or gravel) over a firm base. My biggest conundrum is that I think a Lokka would be great but maybe I need an air locker if I want to use the Auto without the autolocker clicking my away at every turn.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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No, because with locked hubs, even in 2wd the broken CV is being turned passively by the wheel. Unlocking the hub uncouples the CV from the wheel, so you have essentially isolated the CV at the wheel and at the transfer case.

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Interesting, If it’s true that unlocked manual front hubs in Auto only causes warning lights & no real damage I’m much more relaxed about the manuals.

As MJO said, run only 2HI with the hubs unlocked.

 

If the hubs aren't locked, the front drivetrain isn't spinning, and the computer doesn't know this. If you're driving at speed and Auto mode decides to engage the clutch, it thinks it's coupling two rapidly spinning shafts together, not coupling one rapidly spinning shaft to a stationary one. I don't know how much damage this would do, but it's unnecessary wear at best, and I imagine it would confuse the hell out of the computer.

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As MJO said, run only 2HI with the hubs unlocked.

 

If the hubs aren't locked, the front drivetrain isn't spinning, and the computer doesn't know this. If you're driving at speed and Auto mode decides to engage the clutch, it thinks it's coupling two rapidly spinning shafts together, not coupling one rapidly spinning shaft to a stationary one. I don't know how much damage this would do, but it's unnecessary wear at best, and I imagine it would confuse the hell out of the computer.

Got it! BAD! Back to original worries...

Thanks!

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Reintroducing worries, that's what I'm here for! :lol:

 

If it's any consolation, the manual-transfer trucks have a bit of the same worry. If you're driving in 2H with the hubs unlocked, and try to engage 4x, it'll make a nasty grinding noise like you're trying to shift a manual without the clutch. With failing auto hubs, I never knew whether the front end was spinning or not, which made going for 4x while moving a little nerve-wracking and often hard on the transfer. I don't think I've barked it once since switching to manual hubs. (I leave my hubs locked all winter, anyway, which is 95% of when I need 4x around here.)

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Got it! BAD! Back to original worries...

Thanks!

 

Yep, as Slartibartfast said, no more worries than a regular t-case truck. Simply don't use anything other than 2wd with hubs unlocked, and do as you please when the hubs are locked.

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Yep, as Slartibartfast said, no more worries than a regular t-case truck. Simply don't use anything other than 2wd with hubs unlocked, and do as you please when the hubs are locked.

Yeah, it’s not me so much as someone else. The Auto control isn’t intimidating the way the shifter is - neither my wife nor anyone borrowing it would touch a 4WD shifter but I’m not so sure about the auto button. I’ll just need to remember to lock the hubs if anyone else uses it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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Yeah, it’s not me so much as someone else. The Auto control isn’t intimidating the way the shifter is - neither my wife nor anyone borrowing it would touch a 4WD shifter but I’m not so sure about the auto button. I’ll just need to remember to lock the hubs if anyone else uses it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Yeah, that's the one real big concern. Luckily everybody who would drive my truck has been taught or is a truck person who knows how it works.

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Yeah, it’s not me so much as someone else. The Auto control isn’t intimidating the way the shifter is - neither my wife nor anyone borrowing it would touch a 4WD shifter but I’m not so sure about the auto button. I’ll just need to remember to lock the hubs if anyone else uses it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

I used to have a binder clip which I labeled "HUBS" that I clipped to the 4wd switch when the hubs weren't locked, it would keep people from turning it without at least wondering what that meant. It was a little difficult to get it to stay on due to the shape of the switch so I don't use it anymore, but it's an idea.

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If it's any consolation, the manual-transfer trucks have a bit of the same worry. If you're driving in 2H with the hubs unlocked, and try to engage 4x, it'll make a nasty grinding noise like you're trying to shift a manual without the clutch. With failing auto hubs, I never knew whether the front end was spinning or not, which made going for 4x while moving a little nerve-wracking and often hard on the transfer. I don't think I've barked it once since switching to manual hubs. (I leave my hubs locked all winter, anyway, which is 95% of when I need 4x around here.)

I do not have any issues with my manual T-Case going from 2H to 4H or 4L with my hubs unlocked. Do it regularly on the trails and always use 4L unlocked to move my trailer. Edited by TowndawgR50
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I do not have any issues with my manual T-Case going from 2H to 4H or 4L with my hubs unlocked. Do it regularly on the trails and always use 4L unlocked to move my trailer.

 

Why would you use 4H with the hubs unlocked? And I assume the 4L is for extra torque to maneuver? I believe he was talking about shifting while driving, but that is a good thing to point out, it's fine to use at low speeds if you shift while relatively stationary. Just probably not a good idea while going 40mph or something.

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For example, when running high speed forest roads, most of the time its open and graded and Ill shift into 4H from 2H at speed no issues at all. Then when I encounter an obstacle, mud, hill climb etc i just hop out and lock the hubs

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If you're shifting the manual transfer between 2H/4H/4LO at a stop, then no, it won't care if the hubs are locked. I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to force the transfer to catch 4x with the hubs unlocked at low speeds, but I don't understand why you would. You have to stop to lock the hubs anyway, right?

And yes, 4LO with the hubs unlocked (2LO basically) is great when you need a little more control. Great for backing trailers. It's also helpful for controlling wheel spin if you're having trouble with traction but don't want to get out and deal with the hubs. I didn't mention it here because I assume the computer for the ATX14A would see that front wheel speed != rear wheel speed when the clutch is locked and start throwing codes.

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