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Free-wheeling hub will not drive the front wheel

You select four-wheel drive, the transfer case goes in, and one front wheel still does nothing. This rests on a single club thread rather than the several independent ones a stronger tier would need, so treat it as a well-argued starting point. On the automatic hubs, the answer in that thread is a small driving dog inside the hub that has snapped off — and the loading that snaps it is exactly the loading you apply when you are already stuck and rocking the truck forward and back. Members describe a ratcheting sound from the hub as the warning that comes first, which makes it worth acting on rather than driving through. The same thread is unanimous that the factory manual hubs are the stronger part and bolt straight up in place of the automatics, which is why that is listed here as a fix and not as a modification. The truck drives perfectly well in two-wheel drive with a dead hub, so this is not an emergency on tarmac — it is an emergency the first time you need the front axle and do not have it.

Gen 11983–1991US · CR · UK · AU · JDM · EU · GLOBALCan strand youAnecdotal

Drive gently — repair soonManeje con cuidado — repare pronto

Anecdotal. This entry is not backed by factory documentation — treat its values and steps as a starting point, not as if they came from the factory manual.

Anecdótico. Esta entrada no se apoya en documentación de fábrica — tome los valores y los pasos como punto de partida, no como si vinieran del manual de fábrica.

Symptoms

  • A ratcheting or clicking noise from one front wheel, often only when turning
  • Four-wheel drive is selected and engaged but the front wheels are not pulling
  • One front wheel clearly drives and the other one spins free
  • The dial on a manual hub will not turn to the locked position

Likely causes

  1. The small driving dog inside an automatic hub has broken off, usually under shock load
  2. Water has got into the hub and the internals are rusted or packed with mud
  3. The transfer case is not actually in four-wheel drive, whatever the lever or the lamp says
  4. A front axle shaft or its joint has failed further inboard, so the hub never sees drive

Diagnostic steps

  1. Lock or engage both hubs, drive slowly in a tight circle on loose ground and listen for a ratcheting from one sidePoints toThe small driving dog inside an automatic hub has broken off, usually under shock load
  2. With the truck safely on a jack and axle stands and the hub locked, turn that front wheel by hand and feel whether the axle shaft turns with itPoints toThe small driving dog inside an automatic hub has broken off, usually under shock load · A front axle shaft or its joint has failed further inboard, so the hub never sees drive
  3. Confirm the transfer case is genuinely engaged by checking that the front driveshaft turns with the wheels, not by trusting the lever positionPoints toThe transfer case is not actually in four-wheel drive, whatever the lever or the lamp saysRules outThe small driving dog inside an automatic hub has broken off, usually under shock load
  4. Take the hub cover off and look inside for a snapped driving dog, water, rust or packed mudPoints toThe small driving dog inside an automatic hub has broken off, usually under shock load · Water has got into the hub and the internals are rusted or packed with mudRules outThe transfer case is not actually in four-wheel drive, whatever the lever or the lamp says

Fix paths

Strip, clean and repack the hubs

$Difficulty 3/5

Often the whole repair, and always worth doing on a truck of unknown history. Renew the seals while it is apart; water getting in is what caused the rust in the first place.

Convert to manual free-wheeling hubs

$$Difficulty 3/5

Members of the cited club thread agree the factory manual hubs are the stronger part and bolt straight on. Keep the shims from the automatic hub and the circlip that retains it. The trade is convenience: you get out and turn each hub by hand.

Replace the front axle shaft or joint

$$–$$$Difficulty 4/5

If the shaft does not turn with the locked hub, the hub is innocent and the failure is further in. That is a bigger job and a bigger bill, so prove it before you buy hubs.

Sources

  1. Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club (UK) forum — "Free Wheeling Hubs" thread: members report that automatic hubs break the small driving dog that mates with the rear hub, typically under shock loading when rocking a stuck vehicle forward and back, that a ratcheting sound from the hub is the early warning, and that the factory manual hubs are stronger than the automatics and bolt straight onOwner forumarchived copy