Author Topic: 1974 K20 internal locking hubs. Front not locking when rear is spinning  (Read 4682 times)

Offline dvdlarue

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I went on a river run the other day and as i was going up the bank to get out, i got high centered on the trailer hitch (That will be coming off soon!). My rear tires were just spinning in the water. My front tires were doing absolutely nothing! I now have oil leaking out of both sides of my axle. How hard is it to replace the seals or do i need to rebuild the axle? where would i get the parts? Local parts store or does someone make a kit?

Offline bake74

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     You did not mention what front axle you have ?
     Depending on what axle you have, you might have to take the ring & pinion set out to get the axles out to replace those seals.  Some have C-clips which can be removed without taking out the ring & pinion set.
#1: The easiest and most obvious solution to any problem is 99% of the time correct.
#2: There is no such thing as impossible, it just takes longer.
  74 k10, 77k10    Tom

Offline dvdlarue

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Sorry it has a Dana 44 4.11 gears. I looked online and found that i will have to take the ring and pinion out to replace the seals. I am trying to find a kit to replace all the seals and bearings while i have it torn down that far. I have not found any info on the internal locking hubs on how to rebuild them.

Offline bake74

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     Yes, on a Dana 44 you will have to remove the ring and pinion.
     You have different levels of rebuild kits for the Dana 44.  Top is going to be the "master rebuild kit", then the "Basic Differential Rebuild Kit", then the "Pinion Differential Rebuild Kit", and last but not least the "Mini Differential Rebuild Kit".
     To see what I mean go to West Coast Differentials, to see the examples of the different kits.  (It's local to me and where I get my stuff, in fact I will be there tomorrow repairing some of their equipment).
     To do a search for yourself type in a search engine "Dana 44 front axle rebuild kits", it should pull up all kinds of options.
     I will try to remember, if I can, to ask them how much a rebuild kit for your axle is and report back tomorrow night, if I remember that is.
#1: The easiest and most obvious solution to any problem is 99% of the time correct.
#2: There is no such thing as impossible, it just takes longer.
  74 k10, 77k10    Tom

Offline Irish_Alley

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what tcase? was the front drive shaft moving?
If you can’t tell yourself the truth, who can you tell it to?~Irish_Alley

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes

Offline dvdlarue

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I believe it is a 205 Tcase. nothing in the front was working or moving or making any noise. The back wheels were just paddling water.

Thanks for the info on what to search for. Now i can spend the rest of the night trying to find a kit. Lol

How does the front axle locker work? It is internal. I have never had one of these. All my other trucks have external lockers so i can select free wheel on them.

Offline Irish_Alley

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whne you say "nothing in the front" are you talking about the front drive shaft or axle shafts?
If you can’t tell yourself the truth, who can you tell it to?~Irish_Alley

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes

Offline dvdlarue

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I mean nothing in the front from the front drive line to the front axle. Their was nothing turning but the rear wheels. I had no power to the front axle at all.

Offline bake74

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I mean nothing in the front from the front drive line to the front axle. Their was nothing turning but the rear wheels. I had no power to the front axle at all.

     Your transfer case should have least turned your front axle to the front pumpkin. 
     By the way I remembered, West Coast Differential said a master rebuild kit was around $280.00 plus shipping.
#1: The easiest and most obvious solution to any problem is 99% of the time correct.
#2: There is no such thing as impossible, it just takes longer.
  74 k10, 77k10    Tom

Offline Irish_Alley

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like bake said if your front drive shaft wasnt turning then you have a problem in the t-case.

 if the front shaft was moving but neither of the axle shafts (look at the u joint behind the front wheels) then you have a ring & pinion problem or the locker.

 if one of the axle shafts was spinning but the tires to that respective axle shaft wasnt then you have a blown hub
If you can’t tell yourself the truth, who can you tell it to?~Irish_Alley

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth ~Sherlock Holmes