4 wheel drive not engaging

[7488bronco]

got stuck in the snow a couple times and tried using 4 wheel drive and the front wheels wouldnt turn. with 4x engage the front hubs spin but the tire to turn under front wheel drive. when disengage the hubs dont move. when showing the bronco to someone who was buying it he was driveing and bumped it into 4x4 when we were going 40 and didnt even ask if it was ok. didnt hear anything pop though so i though it was fine. whats wrong what needs to be fixed. are the hubs just shot. there autos. can i just replace them with manuals. how hard is it to take the autos hubs out and replace with manuals. will i lose 4x4 low. and at one point only one rear was spinning. so what do i need to do to fix this whats the problem. thanks

 

[Yardape]

Yes it sounds like your hubs are shot, its pretty easy to swap to manual hubs. Depending on the year you may need a conversion kit. Why would you think you would lose 4lo? 4lo is safe its not going anywhere.

 

[Yardape]

Oh and the one tire spinning, thats a stock open diff. To fix that you need to install a locker of some sort. Its normal.

 

[7488bronco]

i was thinking since the buttons were electronic that i would lose 4x4 low because its an auto hub and i would be switching with a manual. probalby way off. whats all involed with switching from autos to manuals. do i just have to take of the wheel and unbold the hub or is it more complicated thanks.

 

[7488bronco]

its an 88 bronco xlt 351 4x4. which brand hubs are good and cheap. can you post the ones that would work on an 88 bronco

 

[Justshootme84]

I used the Warn Premium hubs when I swapped out the autos on my 84. They will work on your 88, too. About $90 for both hubs. Count the number of allenhead bolts holding the cap on the auto hubs you have now, should be five and no need for the extra conversion kit (for three bolts). There should be a few write-ups on the hub swap in the link to "Miesk5 Homepage" in the Tech Articles forum. JSM84