Dana 50 TTB Automatic Hubs

[THSIM9]

Can someone explain to me how the automatic hubs work? I’m getting an intermittent clunking sound from the front end and I’m wondering if it’s a hub issue.

Crawled under the truck the other day. Manual transmission in neutral, transfer case in 2H. I was able to spin the front driveshaft by hand a couple of revolutions and then it locked up. Is this how it should operate or should it always free spin? I’m not very knowledgeable of how the drivetrain operates obviously.

 

[Black dawg]

That is how they work. Rotation from front driveshaft will cause them to lock automatically.

 

[franklin2]

Yep. And the only way to unlock them is to back the truck up 8 to 10ft with the truck in 2H.

 

[Rocknit4x4]

Anybody know of a source to get new ones? I converted my truck to the warn manuals but that was because I couldn't locate replacement automatic ones.

 

[hce]

I chased a hub clunking sound with 4wd unlocking only to discover the 4wd shift hub in the transfercase had significant wear. The spring that pushes the hub gets weak also.
As for as replacement for automatic hubs junkyard, car-parts.com or ebay.

 

[IDIBOBS]

Anybody know of a source to get new ones? I converted my truck to the warn manuals but that was because I couldn't locate replacement automatic ones.

The warm hubs are much stronger and will last much longer than the auto hubs. I just leave my hubs locked all year long. But I drive dirt roads every day and need to be ready for 4x4.