How reliable are they first of all??

And can the be retro fitted to a GQ??

Very reliable, as long as they are manually locked when going off-road. The GQs came with auto hubs from 1992 onwards, but I'm not sure whether GU hubs fit a GQ.

Cheers

Ray

Ok.. Dam.. Mine has to be September 91 fleet...

So you still have to physically lock them even though there 'auto'?

If they are in auto setting, the moment you go into high/low 4WD, they lock, but in this mode they are not at their strongest, which is why they should be manually locked when going into more serious stuff.

GQ auto hubs should fit earlier model GQ Patrols, in the GU the hub design changed somewhat, so that's why there are issues with backwards compatibility.

Cheers

Ray

Cheers ray

Hi Ray what do you mean by not strongest? Is there a chance of breakage if not fully locked? I thought locking the auto lockers stopped them from unlocking if you have to reverse out if a bind?

Hi Ray what do you mean by not strongest? Is there a chance of breakage if not fully locked? I thought locking the auto lockers stopped them from unlocking if you have to reverse out if a bind?

The auto hubs are probably as strong as the manual ones, as long as they are manually locked.

Cheers

Ray

Ok, not a complete answer but no worries. Ill let you know when mine break.

Ok, not a complete answer but no worries. Ill let you know when mine break.

I'm not sure what you're actually after as an answer. Go off-road and lock them manually and you should never have an issue.

Cheers

Ray

Hi Ray what do you mean by not strongest? Is there a chance of breakage if not fully locked? I thought locking the auto lockers stopped them from unlocking if you have to reverse out if a bind?

The auto hubs have a bit of a habbit of unlocking them selves at the worst posible times, As Ray says lock them manualy when 4wding.

The auto hubs have a bit of a habbit of unlocking them selves at the worst posible times, As Ray says lock them manualy when 4wding.

Ok now im with you. They unlock themselves. Thats pretty much what I said. Not sure how they will get damaged. I dont remember reading about anyone damaging the auto hubs by not locking them in.

They can get damaged if they unlock and relock while under load from what I have read. I replaced mine with manual hubs - when I need 4wd I get out and lock them in (usually I'll be dropping tyre pressures and doing a visual check of the car anyway).

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In auto mode, the way the hubs work is that there is a series of bearings that act to lock the hubs when the axle turns. This allows a degree of freeplay that when subjected to shock loading can cause impact damage. When the hubs are manually locked, the bearings are locked in and can't move whatsoever and the hub effectively become one solid unit like a fully manual hub.

If you've ever seen or used one those bearing operated ratchet spanners, which have oval bearings that lock in one direction and run freely in the other, that will give you an idea of roughly how the auto hubs in the Patrol work. This type of mechanism is inherently strong, but not as strong as when the bearings are fully immobilised.

Cheers

Ray

Edited June 16, 201213 yr by Ray!

Ok now im with you. They unlock themselves. Thats pretty much what I said. Not sure how they will get damaged. I dont remember reading about anyone damaging the auto hubs by not locking them in.

Funnily enough I am on my 4th 4x4 since 1980, two with manual hubs and the last 2 with auto's, this one being owned since new in 2000 (the previous one I had for 4 years and I did a lot of hard stuff in that), on the latter two I have never manually locked the hubs in, OK I haven't done a lot of extreme stuff in the GU but I still give it a bloody good workout. I too don't remember reading about any failures, not saying there haven't been but there may have been other reasons, like fitting aftermarket LSD's which may interfere with the overall operation of the hub.

Edited June 21, 201213 yr by geeyoutoo

I destroyed my auto hubs on an 08 patrol earlier this year the one time I didn't manually lock them and they crapped themselves

Mine used to stay locked in or lock themselves in and click at random times. I have manual ones now.

Well, I don't know, I've had 16 years of auto hubs without an issue, mud, sand, shale, rock, the whole 9 yards, guess I must just be lucky.

How do u manually lock them ?

You turn the bolt in the centre of the hubs (with the tyre lever or a socket) so that the arrows align withe the locked arrows.

Cheers

Ray

Ok sweet thanks.

Well, I don't know, I've had 16 years of auto hubs without an issue, mud, sand, shale, rock, the whole 9 yards, guess I must just be lucky.

Clearly you've never had to reverse down a steep hill that you didn't quite get up.

The first thing that happens here is you go into 2WD, which may or may not lead to a nasty undoing. You'll need the brakes to hold you and the front's will instantly lock up giving no steering at all. You have no ability to "drive through the brake" when reversing in this scary situation.

Better to lock them in when you need low range. High range stuff probably easier and no less safe to rely on auto mechanism.

My auto locking hubs died with a few weeks of me owning the car ( 96 gq ). I opted for removing the auto mechanism from the auto hubs, therefore turning my auto hubs into manual hubs. And have never had a problem with them since.

I just removed the auto locking mechanism on mine as well. It was a surprisingly easy job and, as an added bonus, it saved me the money for buying a set of manual locking hubs.