Front axle disconnect advise-options

[Gonzo 1066]

ON my 2001 I installed a BD 4x4 front axle disconnect and it works OK. Is there another option out there that you all have some experiance with? I need to do one on my 2002.

 

[Jeff Knight]

Depending on when your 02 was made it might not have the axle disconnect. The later 02 don't have one. Jeff

 

[JerryB]

Axle Disconnect

Posi-Lok makes an axle disconnect, available through NAPA dealers. It replaces the vacuum actuator with a cable run into the cab. I have this on my 1986 W150. It works perfectly, but the wife doesn't care for the looks of the cable/knob coming up under the dash. I installed it myself, was quite straightforward. The most time consuming part was routing the cable from the axle to the cab in such a manner so that it wouldn't rub on anything as the axle moved up & down.



Jerry

 

[Blakers]

Originally posted by Jeff Knight

Depending on when your 02 was made it might not have the axle disconnect. The later 02 don't have one. Jeff

Why are they doing away with the axle disconnect? Does something else take its place, or are they just spinning the whole front end all the time like the old Jeeps did? Might as well have full time 4x4 then like they did back in the 70s. Those trucks handled great and tires wore well.

 

[JerryB]

disconnect

They went away with the disconnect, while at the same time went with another axle maker. Now all you control is the transfer case.

In my opinion, if they were smart, they would put good old, reliable locking hubs in front, or at least make them optional.



Jerry

 

[David Muench]

Not just the old Jeeps, Wranglers since '97 model year have had front axles that spin constantly. Same for all the other Jeep models, though I don't know all the model years where they changed over.



It's not ideal for offroading for sure, but for day to day use, I definitely prefer the front axle spinning all the time in my '03. When I pull the 4wd lever, I know it's engaged instantly and without fail. My '01 was pretty good, but there still was some lag there.



I do miss 2wd low though. .

 

[Blakers]

Re: disconnect

Originally posted by JerryB

In my opinion, if they were smart, they would put good old, reliable locking hubs in front, or at least make them optional.



Jerry

I'll second that!



Never made sense to me why they bother with the axle disconnect. What parts don't spin with the axle disconnected? None don't spin anyway, except perhaps the front driveshaft, but I presume it turns from oil drag anyway. How can it reduce drag for better mileage?

 

[Extreme1]

Contact member "Bob V" for a good set up. I'm very happy with mine.

 

[David Muench]

Won't work on a 2002 or a 3rd gen.