sounds like it was a fun run on sunday, wish i could have made it out..

Opening this back up as my 4WD light just started flashing once about every 4 seconds. Wanted to know how the zip ties are working out. Also had another question on this the 4WD system works on these.

I was under the impression that the driveshaft going into the front diff is allways spinning and when you shift to 4H you activate the actuator pump which locks your front driveshafts.
So I don't see how you could still use the 4WD lever with the allways locked front as it should allways be spinning and the way to activate 4WD would be to manually engage the hubs. What am I missing?

I was under the impression that the driveshaft going into the front diff is allways spinning and when you shift to 4H you activate the actuator pump which locks your front driveshafts.
So I don't see how you could still use the 4WD lever with the allways locked front as it should allways be spinning and the way to activate 4WD would be to manually engage the hubs. What am I missing?

The front driveshaft is engaged in the TC when you shift the transfer lever to 4H or 4L.  Unlike the 89-98 models, it is not engaged in N.  The actuator pump is switched when the transfer lever is put in 4H or 4L, and "unswitched" in 2H and N.

So when you shift from 4H to 2H, the front driveshaft will be disconnected in the TC.  It will still be turned by the wheels if the hubs are mechanically locked, but the connection to the rear wheels will not be there.

The zip ties are still working just great.  Over the summer on a few occasions I would be able to lock the hubs and it worked just fine.  Now that it's winter I have the hubs locked full time now and I can just snick it into 4x4 on the fly whenever I want.  And I've been driving the snot out of it and it hasn't skipped a beat.  (Mostly drag-racing people at red lights, because when it's snowy and slushy out, now it's my turn!!!    So yeah, very happy it's still working.

One thing I did notice though is if I  get the driveline all torqued up by some way or another and THEN slip it into 2H, (like making a turn from a snowy or gravel road onto pavement) the transfer case may stay in 4x4 for a few seconds until it clunks and releases.  Beforehand, the diff would disengage the front axles so the torque would be released right away, but it doesn't happen now with the Warn hubs.  So that, and having to get out to engage the hubs in the summer, are I think the only side effects.

James

Well since your zip ties are working you should send me your front diff actuator pump since I think that's my problem
I already have manual hubs installed, so sooner or later I will probably remove the front diff actuator to lock the front diff permanently. Probably make a spacer out of UHMW.

Hey there,
I've had a feew samurais & a couple trackers now, but I'm looking for 2.0L+ power and trying to find the weak links of Gen 2. Is this front diff thing a common problem?

Some people have had unreliability problems with it, others are happy.  The most common problem is the air pipe coming off the pump, but there have been a few reports of actuator or pump failure.

There is a so-called "Shift on the Fly Removal" mod you can do - it isn't really SOTF removal - it's air-operated front axle clutch removal - the SOTF is done by the Transfer Case and will always be available.

Jeremiah, I know you want to build one of these trucks up, so this wouldn't be a problem for you since you'd probably want to put some 5.13's in it anyway, which is the so-called SOTF removal. You basically take out the GV axle and put in a Sidekick axle. It's nice cause you eliminate a weak link AND you get lower gearing for your 31's (or whatever size tire you choose to run)

could you replace the stock diff actuator with something like an ARB compressor?

If the pump quits, just replace the pump.  The diaphragm inside the diff can only withstand about 10psi.  The ARB pump is probably way too powerful.

If the problem is inside the diff itself (say the diaphragm sprung a leak, like mine did) it's probably the simplest fix short of replacing the diff:  get some manual hubs, then pull the diff down and just find something to hold the ring over in place of the diaphragm.  Like I said all I needed was 2 or 3 long skinny zip ties, they were the perfect width to hold the engaging ring over forcing the front c/v axles to be engaged full time.

Once the you have the front diff down out of the car and opened up the actual "repair" takes probably a minute or two, then you bolt it all back together.  You just need a way to hold the diff "activated" while you install the zip ties, best with an air supply and a gentle hand - you want just enough air pressure to keep it fully engaged, you don't want to completely blow-out the diaphragm before you're done!

You can move the engaging ring over with your fingers, it's that light.  Seriously this is so simple a fix, if your stock air diff crapped out and the light's flashing and you just want to get 4wd back up and running this pretty much all you need.  I mean heck you could even forgo the manual hubs but that means the front driveline would be spinning 100% of the time, even in 2wd, and could cause other problems down the road (No way to disengage front driveline from front wheels).  You don't need to run to a machine shop or get something made out of heavy plastic - it's not necessary.  Not from my experience so far, anyways.

THAT SAID, my GV is a v6 manual, which means I have the stronger steel case, not the aluminum one.  And I'm running stock-diameter tires.  The last snowstorm I was out doing parking lot donuts and it did not clunk or bang AT ALL.  The only clunk I ever get is from the transfer case - sometimes - when it's disengaging on a hard surface.

Of course if you want to use a front diff failure as an excuse to upgrade your front and rear diffs to higher ratios and make a big tools-and-parts-all-over-the-garage-floor project, by all means be my guest.  Obviously you must know what you're doing and what you want.  In my case my GV is my daily driver and I don't have a backup car so I had to just fix it quick.

It has not been a full year yet - that's coming March '09.  I'm still driving it with the hubs locked full time over the winter - haven't unlocked them since I installed my winter tires!  Still slips in and out of 4wd really easy.  It really is too bad that I couldn't take pictures or video of how the zip ties are in there, because I'd like to make-up a how-to article.

James

Rally_T-115, Thanks for the input. Mines actually an XL-7, so I too have the steel front diff. Mine's a daily driver as well So I might go the same route as you have in this case. I have some spare UHMW in the garage and could make the spacer so no machine shop needed. but if the sip tie thing works than there is no point. I'm about to mount up 265/70/16's so we'll see

Had mine on soft beach the other day....

The occasional clunk has turned into something along the lines of 'clunk-clunk......clunk-grrrrrrrr-clunk........grrrrrrrrrrr-clunk' 

Each grrrrr is accompanied by a loss of speed as the front wheels lose drive.
My actuator and pump are holding pressure fine, the light doesn't flash and once 4WD is engaged the pump only runs when I remove the air line. So I think the axle clutch is the problem for me rather than the actuator. 

So I think the axle clutch is the problem for me rather than the actuator. 

That sounds right to me.  I'm thinking that once the engagement surfaces have been rounded by the slippage, the only way is replacement?

Has anyone just replaced the diff center with on from from a later SQ model eg 04-05?

There is a so-called "Shift on the Fly Removal" mod you can do

ASMC called it "Shift-on-the-Fly", I call it the "Shit-on-the-Fly".   

Don't forget, for those wanting to lock the front diff, the SOTF removal is essential (aside from welding).

All my SOTF-less stuff is on the shop floor, and getting ready to be spiffy'd up before its off to Egay.  It was fun while it lasted, but chromo'd Toy axles will definately cure the broken axle problem of the GV.