T/C chain wear from Np231 cad delete

[Cochise]

'89 Base model,

was thinking of doing a front axle cad delete via the permanent rod kit or a DIY fix, was wandering how hard this is on the chain in the older NP231 T/C.

 

Were the +'91 T/C's (I think NP242) built to operate better with a non-cad setup?, did the chain turn all the time like the 231 will?,

 

I'm not worried about gas mileage as it's only on the highway twice a week, I'm more worried about the extra wear on the T/C chain from allways turning. Front driveshaft will allways turn also but replacing driveshaft or U-joints is easier to fix.

 

I have a Posi-Lok cable on order but I may not use it just yet. 

[ghetdjc320]

The old 231’s (94 I believe was the changeover year), had needle bearings on the main shaft that the Chan sprocket would ride on. They were later deleted. So basically, the 231 was updated when the driveshaft started spinning all the time. That being said, you should have no problems if your tcase is in good shape. If you run an sye, most will update the internals to the later style with no cage/needle bearing. 

[Cochise]

Well that sucks, maybe I'll try the cable that will arrive on Friday. 

 

Just tired of fixing the vacuum leaks from the country rats chewing the lines, I live in the country and these rats just love to crawl under your hood and munch away.

 

I actually had to sell My 2002 Silverado HD with the 496 big block because the wiring was coated with some kind of soy based insulation, they thought it was rat candy.

 

Thanks for the reply

[JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I love my posi-lock. 2WD Low is amazingly useful. 

 

For the rat chewing things, try some Honda Rodent Tape. 

[Cochise]

You would have to tape every wire under the hood, that would take at least 163 beers.

 

I'm going to try the posi-Lok, the cable is 80", I hope it's not way too long.

 

how long was your cable? and how did you route it?

[Pete M]

in 20 years of being online, I've not heard of anyone burning out a t-case after doing the CAD delete. 

[JustEmptyEveryPocket]

14 hours ago, Cochise said:

how did you route it

Lets see if I can remember on the fly....

 

I ran it over to the driver's side, used the upper control arm to ziptie to, put a vertical loop in it to take up some slack and to compensate for articulation, ran through an existing hole in the firewall close to the speedocable, and mounted the handle in the lower right hand switch hole. My truck had a redneck "switch delete" so I just knocked that out and let the posilock handle sit there at a slight angle. Personally I enjoy having it mounted higher since its easier and safer to reach when the roads turn to ice suddenly. Lets me shift on the fly much better than mounting it to the lower dash panel.

 

Actually I suppose I ran it exactly opposite what I stated since you have to have the handle inside the truck.... but you should get the idea. 

 

Its been in place for 3+ years and still functions perfectly.

[derf]

4 hours ago, Pete M said:

in 20 years of being online, I've not heard of anyone burning out a t-case after doing the CAD delete. 

Same here.  The chain will stretch before the tcase wears out.

 

Remember, the front output is the lowest point in the case.  The front bearing sits in an oil bath 100% of the time.  It never lacks lubrication.

[ghetdjc320]

7 hours ago, Pete M said:

in 20 years of being online, I've not heard of anyone burning out a t-case after doing the CAD delete. 

Same here. I’m not sure if the OP understood my post. I was just mentioning the internal differences but have never seen a failure from the mod itself. You may notice a bid of driveline vibes if the driveshaft wasn’t balanced 

[Pete M]

yup, that's the only real downside.  you might find out that your driveshaft is in need of repair   (which you should be fixing anyway of course)

[Cochise]

Thanks for all of the info, the posi-lok cable will be here tomorrow and I will check it out and see how it works.

 

I may look into designing something that would attach the cable to the T/C shifter or linkage to engage the cad when the T/C is engaged. Hopefully I can find a spot on the T/C shifter/linkage that gives the right travel length for the cable engagement. If not I could make an over-travel slotted connection that should do the trick.

 

I'm a mechanical engineer and I do machinery design so I'm pretty sure I could figure something out. It will take some prototyping but I'll let you guys know if I get a working model. 

 

I only use the 4wd when I go surf fishing or down to the river, I would rather keep the cad because it sees alot of highway use and would rather not be power-rotating parts that could otherwise be free-fiction spinning. I think the vacuum cad is great because I can just pull the shifter anywhere up to 55 mph and keep going, but I don't like the idea of having to pull a cable and shift the T/C if I start getting stuck.

 

I have a new unused vacuum control for the cad that I won't be using now, maybe someone on here could use it, I'm just tired of fixing vacuum lines.

[Pete M]

I've got 200k miles on my Liberty with it in AWD for near that entire time.  I've seen no effect on wear and tear or mileage.    those things were just a thing that Jeep advertised but it never came to fruition and so they dumped the entire concept for a normal front axle back in the early 90s.