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front diff solenoid?


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So the comanche decided to take a little time off during the snow. i had it in four wheel low backing out of my drive way got all the way to the road and the front wheels quit spinning leaving us in the middle of a road. The front drive shaft is spinning but the wheels are not turning. I did not hear a pop. I still have automatic hubs. (hoping its not a vacuum line, if its like my old Chevy) could there be a solenoid froze? we do have 14'' of snow on the ground. any help is much appreciated. i will be checking this mutliple times today since i can't really go anywhere  :doh:

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So the comanche decided to take a little time off during the snow. i had it in four wheel low backing out of my drive way got all the way to the road and the front wheels quit spinning leaving us in the middle of a road. The front drive shaft is spinning but the wheels are not turning. I did not hear a pop. I still have automatic hubs. (hoping its not a vacuum line, if its like my old Chevy) could there be a solenoid froze? we do have 14'' of snow on the ground. any help is much appreciated. i will be checking this mutliple times today since i can't really go anywhere  :doh:

You don't have automatic hubs, you have (as already commented) a central axle disconnect. It's a vacuum-operated sliding collar mechanism on the passenger side, between the differential and the outer stub axle. If you lose vacuum, the slider won't actuate.

 

It can be engaged manually, but doing so requires crawling under the vehicle and removing the vacuum shift mechanism from the housing on the axle.

 

There are no solenoids. It's not operated by electricity.

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Alright awesome. Once the snow is gone i'll crawl under there and see what i can find. Thank you so much for the help. 

Just do the mod.

 

 

CAD STINKS
 
 
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.
 
,
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I agree. The CAD on my '88 XJ failed once, a number of years ago. Naturally, I was in a valley trying to climb a hill in a snowstorm to get home. I replaced the vacuum harness, and I have a spare that's still new in the factory packaging, but knowing that there's no downside to eliminating it, my choice today would be to just lock it in the engaged position and not worry about it.

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Crusier you are right about it leaving you sitting when you need it the most. i pulled the battery out of the Comanche and put in the ford we use around the farm and it decided to leave me sitting as well cause the battery went dead. yesterday wasnt my day. Today will be better. I am gonna dig the snow out from under the Comanche and fix the CAD in the snow. 

 

next question i have is it gonna kill my MPG's? i mean lets be serious these trucks don't get great MPG's. this is a daily driver truck. mild wheeler. 

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And shift them like this:

 

Here's how the factory suggests you shift the transfer case and I've been doing this since these things were new and I worked at the dealership. Quoted from the owner's manual. The suggestions in CAPS are mine. 
 
"To engage, shift the transfer case lever from 2H to 4H while the vehicle is moving at any legal speed". I LET OFF THE GAS, THROW THE LEVER, TAP THE GAS AND LET OFF.
 
4L position: " To engage, slow the vehicle to 2-3 MPH , shift the transmission to Neutral, then shift the transfer lever to the right and pull firmly rearward to 4L". 
 
TO SHIFT OUT OF 4L, SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED, SHIFT THE TRANSFER CASE LEVER TO 2H, THEN THE TRANS TO D IF YOU HAVE AN AUTOMATIC, OR INTO FIRST GEAR WITH A MANUAL, AND CONTINUE ON.
 
Revised 11/20/2014
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IT WORKED!!    :bowdown:  :thumbsup:  :banana:

I said heck with it if its that easy i am gonna do it now 

so i dug a hole in the fourteen inches of snow underneath the truck and pulled it.

the C clip was the most difficult thing to remove. mine was just not engaging the whole way. must of had a leak. 

 

This fourm is great! thanks so much guys! 

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