jeep690 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 So first off, if this isnt the place for questions of this sort please redirect me and second, I have a 89 MJ and I want to swap the axles. My question is should I use the newer style stock axles out of a cherokee that does not use the vaccuum actuated thingy? It seems like a weak point to me but i've never owned an MJ/XJ that had this style of axle. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 In my opinion, yes it is a worthwhile upgrade, especially if you plan on doing an axle swap anyhow. It is a simplified design and you can get them with larger/stronger ujoints. You can also upgrade to aftermarket shafts. I had locked the CAD unit on my '86. Even then it work work loose leaving me with no 4wd. I swapped in a '93 XJ D30 and could be happier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Yes, do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 It all depends on how you intend to use the vehicle. Let's face it, there are tens of thousands of XJs and MJs in the world with the axle disconnect, and they work just fine. My '88 XJ has it -- 287,000 miles, has been wheeled at Paragon, on the power line rail in northern Rhode Island, Old Florida Road in Massachusetts, through one of the state parks near the Connecticut/Massachusetts state line, in Maine, and on fire roads around northern New Mexico. Still has the disconnect. The '88 MJ has fewer miles, but I bought it used. The previous owner wasd a teenager who had beat on it hard enough to blow up the Peugeot transmission -- but the disconnect axle was (and is) fine. I've wheeled that at Paragon, Old Florida Road, the Rhode Island power line trail, and some local spots nobody has ever heard of. Is the one piece axle shaft of the late model XJs stronger? Maybe a little, but remember -- it's the same diameter. You can get late models axles with larger u-joints, but just the absence of the disconnect isn't a guarantee of that. Lastly, the passenger side control arm mount is significantly WEAKER than the one that's part of the disconnect housing. What are your intentions for the vehicle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeep690 Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 I just want to use it for mild trail riding and some rocks. Tires will be no bigger than 35" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incommando Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 A *correctly working* CAD is fine. However they use the smaller u-joint. 35's is about the max size for a D30 with the bigger u-joints. If you are going to go that big i think you should upgrade the shafts and do the one piece change. Doing so while retaining the CAD housing would give you the strongest possible combo. On a side note: 35's are not needed for mild trail riding. Going that big will cause problems from gearing to axle stress. I go wheeling a few times a month and I run 32's. I would say that I go more than mild and rarely do the bigger tire jeeps go anywhere that I cannot. You might meet your goals at a lower cost in both money and time by staying a bit smaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banshee Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I ran disconnect for years with 35s not braking much, but did finally brake it did the 96 xj shafts and seals still rocking 35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 My input on the cAD. I advocate locking it in at a bare minimum. The big issue is that the CAD system only fails when you need it the most. Kinda like when you don't realize your wiper blades need replacing until it rains.... I know somebody’s system works and he advocates keeping it stock, but my exposure to the failures is probably hundreds of times greater than his, as a result of being Service Manager at a Jeep dealership from 1980 through 1992, and being a current XJ and MJ owner. CAD stinks. Every Jeep I work on with it, I eliminate it. Guess what I find in the process? 25 year old busted vacuum lines, bloated vacuum line connectors, bad vacuum reservoirs and piping, bad transfer case vacuum switches. In other words, had the person gotten into a sticky situation and needed 4WD, they would have been screwed!!! That's the tip of the iceberg. The factory went through 3 revisions of the shift fork also. The fork issue is non-existent if you just slide it over and leave it. See the link below for complete instructions. Takes less than 1/2 hour. http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/fre...ss-91-a-38629/ , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesleypipesyo Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I would follow what cruiser says. Go ahead and lock that bad boy in. Then figure out what you want your truck to be. If you plan to do heavy wheeling, build your budget with a bigger front axle. If you want to wheel twice a year and drive to work every day consider either replacing it with a nondisco d30 or fixing the cad. But, if you do eventually go with 35s it might be easier and cheaper to buy and axle with new gears, bigger shafts, and a locker in that axle. You can get on Pirate and find someone upgrading and selling older parts. And you can get more axle already built cheaper than buying all the parts and putting it together. Just a bit of advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Lock it in and wheel it like wesley says. Make the big decision later after you've played with it for a while. At least you'll know your front end will engage when you get back in the boonies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I ran the CAD axle till i grenaded a 5-260x joint and shaft,i looked into deleting the CAD and putting in the 5-297x shafts but it ended up being cheaper/easier to swap axles. I picked up a non CAD axle with the bigger joints in it for $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankTheDog Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 The correct shaft for the disconnect side can be found in some 1995 YJ's. My ex son in law picked up a used set with new joints for $60. They are out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeep690 Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Ended up going with a non-cad d30 fro the swap. i think i'll be fine for a while with this. thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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