yo,
Ford sells the auto hub repair parts, are $$ though;
All below from 1996 F-150, F-250, F-350, and Bronco Workshop Manual
Automatic Locking Hubs
NOTE: While the vehicle is hoisted, shift into 4-wheel drive from a dead stop and not while rear wheels are rotating in order to avoid slamming the hub locks into the lock position.
Raise vehicle on a hoist so that all wheels are off the ground. Start engine (6007) with vehicle in neutral and transfer case in two-wheel drive. Front wheels should spin freely by hand. Put transfer case in 4WD and put vehicle in gear. Front and rear wheels should rotate together. Put vehicle in neutral and spin front wheels by hand in the forward direction. The front axle and front driveshaft should rotate with the wheels. The additional load of the drivetrain components should be felt once the hub has been engaged. To disengage the hubs, spin the wheels in the opposite direction until an audible click is heard. Spin wheels forward again and they should rotate freely without the axle and driveshaft rotating. Repeat the procedure, only shift into 4-wheel drive and put the vehicle in reverse. This time the hubs should release when the front wheels are spun in the forward direction.
Road Test
When checking front hubs for proper operation, road test the vehicle to make sure the hubs will remain engaged while under load. This is accomplished by engaging 4-wheel drive and taking the vehicle through several turns (both forward and backward) on dry pavement. This will put an additional load on the front wheel at the outside of the turn because it is traveling the greatest distance.
Driving through several turns while traveling in different directions will make sure that both sides of the hub teeth have been tested under load. Hubs that are not sufficiently engaged will pop out when loaded. This is due to the driveline releasing windup and is an indication of hub malfunction.
If slippage is suspected, mark the tire and axle shaft with chalk (after locking the hub) and apply a heavy torque load several times. Then inspect your original indexing marks. If they are no longer aligned, the hubs are not remaining locked when under load. They will have to be replaced.
Should hublocks become submerged in water or mud for a long period of time, water may get past the seals and into the hubs and axle. In this case, all water must be expelled from the system. The axle must be drained by loosening the axle cover and 4x4 Gear Oil F1TZ-19580-A (WSL-M2C191-A) used to refill the axle (F1TZ-19580-A has no equivalent). Disassemble the hubs using procedures in this section and repack the wheel bearings using procedures in this section and dry off the hublocks. Reassemble hubs using procedures in this section. Refer to Section 05-03A or Section 05-03B for replacement of outer axle shaft seals or spindle inner seal and bearing.
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3 ***** Diagram for 5/95-96
Source: by Ford
Part Number Description
1 1K104 Cap
2 1K105 Hub Body
3 3B457 Snap Ring
4 Plastic ****** Washer (Part of 3B458)
5 Cam Assembly (Part of 1K105)
6 Wheel Retainer (Nut) (Part of 1K105)
7 3B549 Wheel Retainer Key
8 Steel ****** Washer (Part of 3B458)
9 Splined ****** Washer (Part of 3B458)
10 Lock Ring (Part of 1K106)
11 1K104 Capscrews (3)
A While Rotating Front Disc Brake Hub and Rotor, Tighten Wheel Retainer (Nut) to 68 Nm (50 Lb-Ft) to Seat Wheel Bearings. Back Nut Off 90 Degrees (1/4 Turn). Tighten to 1.8 Nm (16 Lb-In).
B Tighten to 4-6 Nm (35-53 Lb-In)
Removal
CAUTION: Do not drop hub components during removal and installation.
Separate cap from body assembly by removing the three capscrews, using Torx® bit TX25 or equivalent, from the cap.
Remove cap.
Remove the lock ring seated in the groove of the front disc brake hub and rotor (1102).
Remove the body assembly from the front disc brake hub and rotor.
Installation
Align the fixed cam retaining key on the cam assembly (garter spring inboard) with the keyway on the spindle. Firmly press the cam assembly on the wheel retainer nut.
CAUTION: Improper sequence of three-piece ****** washers will result in excessive wear of assembly.
Install three-piece ****** washer set (first metal, second plastic, third splined) and retainer lock ring on C-clip. It may be necessary to push the axle outboard from backside of knuckle. Be sure retaining ring is seated in groove properly.
CAUTION: Rotate moving cam stop (use any one of three) to the one o'clock position in relationship to the fixed cam retaining key.
CAUTION: Do not force body assembly into front disc brake hub on rotor if body assembly will not fit. Recheck alignment of all components.
NOTE: The hubs should not be packed with grease. Too much grease will damage the hubs and prevent proper operation.
Install body assembly into vehicle front disc brake hub and rotor by lining up the three legs outside the hublock body with the three pockets in the cam assembly.
Make sure body assembly is in far enough to see groove in rotor tube. Install large lock ring into groove of hub. Be sure lock ring is correctly seated.
Install cap to body assembly. Install three capscrews and tighten to 4-6 Nm (35-53 lb-in).
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& fyi;
The Touch Drive 4x4 system allows the driver to engage four-wheel drive at the touch of a button instead of pulling a shift lever. This button is connected to an electronic control module that controls the functions necessary to engage the transfer case (7A195).
When the 4x4 button is depressed, the electronic control module energizes the electronic clutch coil in the transfer case. This accelerates the front axle shafts up to the same speed as the front wheels. As the axle shafts begin to rotate, they engage the automatic hublocks located at each wheel end. After approximately 5 seconds, the transfer case clutch coil turns off. A stepper motor located on the back of the transfer case then locks up the transfer case via a camming mechanism and a locking collar. The entire sequence takes only a few seconds.
To disengage the transfer case, again depress the 4x4 button. This will unlock the transfer case but the automatic hubs will remain locked. To unlock the hubs, back up the vehicle for at least 10 feet, then continue in the original direction. Because the front axle has been disengaged from the transfer case, the hubs will remain unlocked.
Buzzing and ratcheting noises were a constant concern with older 4x4 vehicles. These noises occurred usually when shifting into 4-wheel drive after starting a vehicle that had been sitting cold for several hours. The noises would also occur just after shifting from 4-wheel drive to 2-wheel drive. Cold weather was another factor that produced the noise concerns. Colder temperatures increased the viscosity of the axle lubricant, resulting in a much higher torque requirement for the transfer case clutch that could only rotate the pinion gears enough to cause the hubs to partially lock, which resulted in a ratcheting noise.
The newer vehicles, however, utilize a 75W axle lubricant with low viscosity and a transfer case clutch with a higher output. Both innovations allow for 4x4 operation in extreme temperature conditions.
Noise concerns in 2-wheel drive, just after shifting from 4-wheel drive, can occur if one of the hublocks fails to disengage. As the vehicle moves forward, the one hublock that has failed to disengage will rotate its axle shaft through the differential and attempt to rotate the other axle shaft in the opposite direction. As the opposite shaft turns in the reverse direction, the hublock will attempt to engage (sometimes referred to as differential motoring torque), which will result in a ratcheting or buzzing noise.
This type of noise concern is usually found on axles that have very few 4x4 miles on them. As the front axle accumulates a minimum of 250 miles of locked hub operation, the axle will break in, which reduces the amount of differential motoring torque significantly. To accomplish this, engage 4-wheel drive and then shift out of it without disengaging the hubs. This will break in the axle. Should the vehicle be put in reverse gear during this time period, the hubs will disengage and will have to be locked again by repeating the engagement procedure.
The manual locking hubs must be engaged and disengaged by hand. To engage the hubs for 4-wheel drive, grasp the locking bar in the center of the hub and rotate it clockwise to the LOCK position. The arrow on the locking bar must line up with the marker on the hub at the LOCK position. To disengage the hubs for 2-wheel drive, grasp the locking bar and rotate it counterclockwise toward the FREE position until the arrow on the locking bar is lined up with the marker on the hub at the FREE position.
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For future Xfer Case/hub info /repairs
Four Wheel Drive (4X4) General Information, Operation & Troubleshooting TSB 92-1-8 for Bronco, F Series & Ranger (COMPLETE); Includes Electric Shift On The Fly (ESOF) Troubleshooting & Hub Operation; Source: by Ford via Chilton
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New OEM Ford Automatic Locking Hub Assy. F150 Bronco F6tz-1k105-aa
by Ford
Price: $278.12
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by sherwoodparts.
Only 9 left in stock--order soon.
http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Automatic-Locking-Bronco-F6tz-1k105-aa/dp/B004M68EU6
Verify part # and applic. to your 96 because the description includes "Fits F150 & Bronco 1992 to 1996 with automatic locking hubs"; beause the "new" style hub is for Just 5/95-96
