Locking Hubs issue? Front drive shaft spinning, but no wheels! GURU's HELP!

So my first thread was me hitting the backwoods with my '99 2.7 stick Std Cab. My second will be asking what went wrong!

-I turn them to the lock position, but they don't engage the front half shafts or each other (My '99 has the manual locking hubs).

-I put the truck up on jack stands, and in 4hi & 4lo the front driveshaft is spinning in forward and reverse gears.

Is there something else I can check? A fuse? A relay? A solonoid?

Guru's: help! I want back on the trails

 

The front driveshaft coming out of the transfer case (under the DS floor) spins, the half shafts going from the diff to the front wheels does not.

In addition, nor do the hubs lock each other as they should. If you manually lock both your front hubs and spin one wheel the other should also spin.

How is the 4wd engaged? Is there a vacuum diaphram that may have been knocked out? An electrical connection that may have gone out?

 

I didn't try to spin the front driveshaft by hand, but I did try to spin the front wheels while keeping an eye on the half shafts and drive shaft. None spun, regardless if the hubs were locked or not.

Is any of this helping? LOL

 

I answered in BOLD above.

Next question: If it looks like a hub issue, what is involved in swapping out? Do you repair/rebuild/replace hubs?

Thanks for your quick replys, this feels like a public PM

 

If you've got driven power to the wheels (in 4wd) and the wheels aren't turning - that does sound like a hub issue.
Download the appropriate service manual for your truck - lcate the hub diagrams. I don't know about the toy hubs, but hubs should be easy to work on. Once you find the diagram of the hubs in the manual - I would take the hub off and inspect it. Clean it out good and look for anything worn. Sometimes all they need is a good cleaning. Sometimes you can't see anyting in there. There might be a big spring inside and the spring might not function/engage properly.

Good Luck!

 

I did find that link on a search last night.

I downloaded the 1995.5-1997 Toyota Tacoma PDF last night, funny you sent me there. The page (1056) I found is this one:



I should point out that I'm assuming here that I have a 'free wheel hub'... exploded view:



Is that what I need to pull apart? Am I on the right track?

I should also point out that I'm fairly comfortable with anything mechanical, with guidance I'm golden. Furthermore, Lancaster is less than an hour from West Chester, and I have a nice clean shop with a large beer fridge!