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Dana 30 vacuum actuated axle engagement

Hi,

I have a '90 XJ with the vacuum actuated axle engagement in the front end. The previous owner had welded the fork so that the collar was permanently locked on the axles. The weld recently broke and now I have no front drive.

My first inclination was to simply weld it up again, but after driving disengaged, I've noticed less highway noise and I got to wondering if having it permanently locked might increase wear and fuel consumption.

Any opinions on this?

I know that the somewhat pricey manual Posi-lock shifter would be the ideal solution, but I have a long list of other upgrades I'd rather spend on first. Has anyone out there rigged a cheaper home made alternative to the Posi-lock?

For relatively little cost, I could replace the hoses and harness to restore the vacuum actuation, but the system is known to be failure prone. So, can I expect reasonably reliable operation with new hoses and careful installation, or should I just weld it and forget it?

Thanks,

Steve

Reply to
Steve
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Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

The TJ and newer XJ owners will tell you that it doesn't make any difference, but a good rule of thumb with any mechanical device is that if it is making noise that you can hear then it is using fuel and wearing something out. Jeep stopped using the vacuum disconnect to save the cost of manufacturing a vehicle, and for no other reason. That is my story and I am sticking to it. Otoh if you are short on cash or want to use it for other upgrades then just weld the fork again. The actual amount of fuel use and accelerated wear that you will experience isn't enough to worry about.

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

If one of your upgrades is going to be an automatic locker for the front, get the Posi-Lock, it's less than $200.00, and fairly easy to do. There are people that have made their own, check on the JeepsUnlimited forum, probably find something there.

Good luck Tookie - Denham Springs, LA

88YJ,"Money Hungry" 4" lift, 33" TSLs, Lock-Rights PosiLock, 4.10s
Reply to
Tookie

Our 88 with 300K km on it still has the original hose setup and it still works well.

The dealer does sell a kit with all new lines for a decently cheap price I have heard.

I can speak for the Cherokee, but on my CJ7 my mileage drops a fair bit with the front axles engaged.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Steve wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

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