 98 Ranger PVH Hubs question
I have a 98 Ranger 3.0 Liter 4x4. I have the PVH locking hubs. I have been having trouble with the hubs either not locking or locking intermittently. I have gotten some information about the PVH system from a few discussion boards. I have done the modification recently from the TRS (The Ranger Station) site, which removes the metal clip to completely locks the hubs in all the time thus making it a "live axle". I heard that this causes no problems besides eating a little more gas. My understanding is that the newer rangers are set up this way, because Ford hasn't came up with a fix for this yet.
When I took apart my automatic hub locks, I noticed that there is a white plastic cylinder that holds a spring inside. To my understanding, by looking at it, is that when the cylinder is compressed, it allows the hubs to unlock. When the cylinder is decompressed, it presses against a slipring gear that locks the hubs. Please correct me, if I'm wrong. I was also wondering, if I could create a way to compress and decompress the cylinder to lock and unlock the hubs manually. Has anyone tried this sort of of idea, and if so has it had any success? I do not want to spend big money fixing the PVH system, when I know it will eventually go bad again in the future. I do like the idea of being able to unlock my hubs, when it's in 2wd. Not only will it save some gas, but I think it would save on some wear and tear on the front end because you have more moving parts with the hubs locked in all the time. I am only looking at the modification to the "live axle" as temporary for now. Again, please correct me, if I am wrong. I'd rather have the manual locking hubs anyday over the automatic hubs. | 
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