Hey, another broken disconnect thread!

[Philberto]

Mudwheelin is sending me his intact one. I am most definitely not reusing mine.

[Conner299]

So... Being a "noob", I have been slowly learning more about the internals of this vehicle. It all started by just wanting to put on a lift. I have a few questions about the AWD sleeve upgrade. By doing this upgrade you essentially eliminate the gears and fork? According to the diagram it doesn't look as though they are reused. This upgrade eliminates A4WD? You basically just use 2HI, 4HI, & 4LO, but leave the actuator motor attached so a signal isn't sent to trigger the service 4wd light? It seems to be a more solid option, since I don't use A4WD after learning of the added stress it can cause. Many thanks for any clarifications.

[wink]

You are correct, on all points, good research.
Gears are replaced with the sleeve making it one solid unit. A4WD shouldn't be used ever. Keep actuator plugged in so the truck doesn't think it's broke. Just be careful taking the disconnect off the truck.

[Conner299]

Thank you, very much!

[The Roadie]

....This upgrade eliminates A4WD? ...

No. A4WD mode still runs if you ask for it. What's changes is just that the disconnect does not have a disconnected position so the passenger CV shaft is constantly connected to the intermediate shaft even in 2HI. So the differential is always turning the carrier, and that rotates the front driveshaft. So there are more rotating parts in 2HI and more friction and slightly worse fuel economy than in the former 2HI mode when the passenger CV shaft was free-wheeling.

The AWD trucks with constantly-on AWD mode run this way, but there's no mode switch or LO range.

[Conner299]

Roadie... IYHO, is this an modification worth doing? I looked to see if there were any long term reports on on how rigs were holding up with it, but couldn't find any.

[wink]

...is this an modification worth doing?

In my opinion is it's worth doing if your current setup has failed and you need to service it anyway. I waited until my disconnect failed before adding the sleeve to mine. For me the fuel economy didn't change by very much.

[v7guy]

The modification is more of a durability thing. The sliding fork/sleeve is weaker than the actual sleeve. Now if you're at full lock flooring it, bouncing up a hill with 35s you can still break it, but overall it's a good bit stronger.
Of note, you may want to just pop the disconnect in half and leave the part that's pressed into the oil pan alone. Then you can grease it and swap out parts without fear of breaking it.

[Conner299]

Definitely good to know. I'm also curious, as to other parts wearing out, as referenced by Roadies earlier post.

[KE7WOX]

.the passenger CV shaft is constantly connected to the intermediate shaft even in 2HI. So the differential is always turning the carrier, and that rotates the front driveshaft. So there are more rotating parts in 2HI and more friction and slightly worse fuel economy than in the former 2HI mode when the passenger CV shaft was free-wheeling.

So essentially you're running with the equivalente of the hubs locked?

[fishsticks]

So essentially you're running with the equivalente of the hubs locked?

Bingo.

[KE7WOX]

So essentially you're running with the equivalente of the hubs locked?

Bingo.

Wouldn't that cause binding / that jumpy sensation when turning on dry pavement?

[The Roadie]

Wouldn't that cause binding / that jumpy sensation when turning on dry pavement?

Only if the transfer case is engaged in 4HI or 4LO mode. In 2HI mode, all it does is turn the front differential into a constantly turning open diff, driving the front driveshaft. In the usual disconnected behavior, the wheels can both turn, but the intermediate shaft is not connected to the passenger side CV shaft. Think about how a diff works, and you'll conclude the spider and end gears are the only parts of the diff to rotate, the carrier does not, and neither does the front driveshaft. The intermediate shaft actually turns in REVERSE from the passenger side CV shaft, which is why engaging the splined disconnect, even in A4WD mode, is discouraged. It's being asked to lock two splined gears together that are rotating in OPPOSITE directions.

[DirtyBacon04]

Roadie... IYHO, is this an modification worth doing? I looked to see if there were any long term reports on on how rigs were holding up with it, but couldn't find any.

I belive quite a few of us, myself included, are running AWD sleeves and IIRC Fishsticks is the only one who's had one break on him. I installed mine over a year ago, and have had no issues.

[fishsticks]

I broke mine being stupid.

Even with a mechanical locker in the front, the truck drives normally when in 2WD.

[Opeth]

whew, finally drivable again! Okay, here's the rundown, and I'll have pics up when I get back later tonight:

1) Outer housing is toast, as is outer bearing. Big surprise there.
2) CV axle is, surprisingly, perfectly fine. Steel vs aluminum = steel wins.
3) Gears and fork look fine, but I have an AWD sleeve on order anyways.
4) inner housing, bearing, seal, washer, all fine.


Also, I didn't have any issues getting either a) the CV axle out or b) the disconnect detached from the pan. For a), there is a circlip holding the axle in the gear assy of the disconnect, and for b), one should simply be able to thread in a slide hammer into all 4 bolt holes that are threaded on that side of the disconnect. The key is to disassemble the disconnect while it's still attached to the car, taking the outer housing out attached to the CV axle, and then remove the inner housing. See ya guys in a few hours.

Curious as to which attachment you used to thread into all 4 bolt holes? I can only find an attachment which appears that it will get 3 of the 4 bolt holes. I need to pop mine out tomorrow and am semi paranoid about cracking the inner housing off. How much force were you using on that slide hammer, a couple real good blows or several light taps in order to slowly work it out?

[The Roadie]

If I had to do that I'd just cut an aluminum plate to spread the force

[Opeth]

Didn't end up needing to use a puller, I was able to pull it off by hand. Bet that's pretty rare

[Moots1288]

Mine did