ShadowsPapa
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Bill
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2019
- Threads
- 180
- Messages
- 29,623
- Reaction score
- 35,243
- Location
- Runnells, Iowa
- Vehicle(s)
- '22 JTO, '23 JLU, '82 SX4, '73 P. Cardin Javelin
- Occupation
- Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
- Vehicle Showcase
- 3
That's because testing by AMC showed less than 1 mpg gain by disconnecting and it was cheaper to not have FAD or hub disconnects. Eagle started out full-time 4 wheel drive. Then they came up with SelectDrive to offer 2wd option to save fuel. That was about 81, then in 84 or so they offered "shift on the fly" 2 to 4 wheel drive and got rid of the FAD - after finding disconnecting the axle offered almost no savings. Testing showed there was hardly any difference.Manual hubs offer the ability of 2WD low range, handy for backing a trailer real slow without riding the clutch in a manual transmission. Just leave the hubs disengaged and put the transfer case in 4L low range.
Also the TJ and JK (and some of the last model year YJ) did not have any type of front axle disconnect.
Yes, that's been my gripe about every stick I've had - except my OLD trucks. R was so bloody high you can't back and do any sort of guiding or steering unless you are really fast. I swear R in my T5 is about equal to something between 2nd and 3rd gear forward. Stupid high.
I keep spare hubs for my car - NOS. Most companies used hub assemblies from companies such as Kelsey-Hayes, etc.To me the benefit of manual hubs isn't the wear on the drivetrain, it's the serviceability at the wheels. Most of those setups are a traditional 2-bearing hub setup instead of the sealed unit Jeeps currently have and carrying a set of bearings and a seal is a lot easier than a new hub (or two if they're different).
The benefit from drag is minimal and even wear is negligible since there's no load but I'm just a fan of being able to actually fix shit instead of just replacing entire assemblies.
If I have to swap hubs, then I rebuild the ones I took out with new bearings and seals and have more spares. It's really simple to rebuild most hubs, not a lot different than if you had to do other systems.
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