FAD Missing

[CrazyCooter]

It’s so annoying. Either locking hub axles or fads. Otherwise it’s a mess.

Locking hubs is more aftermarket parts with potentially sketchy availability? Last thing I want while out of the road is something I can't get at most local parts stores?

It's bad enough that most OEM parts we need these days are on "national back order no ETA" from Stall-antis? I'm not seeing much better form the other big 3, so this feels like 2008 again. I'm sure it will get better when they file bankrupt again in the next few years?

I called Posi-Lok again a few weeks back a few weeks ago advising them of our situation and the potential for their product in our market. The tech guy had no idea that Jeep had deleted the FAD motor, but also that the hardware WAS STILL THERE for them to swoop in and be heros?

Sponsored

 

[WILDHOBO]

Locking hubs is more aftermarket parts with potentially sketchy availability? Last thing I want while out of the road is something I can't get at most local parts stores?

It's bad enough that most OEM parts we need these days are on "national back order no ETA" from Stall-antis? I'm not seeing much better form the other big 3, so this feels like 2008 again. I'm sure it will get better when they file bankrupt again in the next few years?

I called Posi-Lok again a few weeks back a few weeks ago advising them of our situation and the potential for their product in our market. The tech guy had no idea that Jeep had deleted the FAD motor, but also that the hardware WAS STILL THERE for them to swoop in and be heros?

Hard to disagree. I try to have a trail spare of anything smallish, that I know I wouldn’t be able to source easily.

 

[JTGuy]

I also did the Dynatrac free spin on my 03 Ram. The best thing I ever did to it. My 14 Ram gas a CAD.

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

Some more data to share:

Not sure how Jeep does it for factory FAD delete, but after I reinstalled my FAD and enabled it via Tazer...all of a sudden the front output of the transfer case is now engaged/locked even in 4H Auto while parked/off. AFAIK you are supposed to use Tazer to disable FAD if you physically remove it, and yet it seems like it messed up the transfer case engagement.

Anyways, front axles/driveshaft and FAD are back to stock. One of the few mods I have swapped back to stock, but I just couldn't take it anymore (and we are going on a 30 hour round trip road trip for Thanksgiving).

 

[Stan H]

ME TOO

I seen the guy at Exodus 4x4 putting a live kit on a Gladiator.

 

[Stan H]

ME TOO

 

[Rusty PW]

I seen the guy at Exodus 4x4 putting a live kit on a Gladiator.

I've seen that video before.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I seen the guy at Exodus 4x4 putting a live kit on a Gladiator.

I’ve watched that as well. What stops me is the u joints. I emailed the owner of the company that makes them to ask if rcv spindles could be machined down.

 

[Stan H]

I’ve watched that as well. What stops me is the u joints. I emailed the owner of the company that makes them to ask if rcv spindles could be machined down.

I am still using axle joints , I just put new ones in just recently . And dang the old ones was tough . I think bouncing is what gets you .

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

Another day, another update: got the stock rear driveshaft re-installed. Ended up using a thick machined washer to fill the gap on the side of the carrier bracket where the crossmember was dented. It actually filled it in perfectly. Went for a test drive: smooth as butter as high as 75 mph. Pains me that I wasted all this money just to go back to stock, but it’s a great feeling to finally eliminate the vibrations.

 

[CrazyCooter]

Another day, another update: got the stock rear driveshaft re-installed. Ended up using a thick machined washer to fill the gap on the side of the carrier bracket where the crossmember was dented. It actually filled it in perfectly. Went for a test drive: smooth as butter as high as 75 mph. Pains me that I wasted all this money just to go back to stock, but it’s a great feeling to finally eliminate the vibrations.

Cracks me up every time I see someone post up another "upgrade". Some items truly are, but not everything needs to be swapped out.

34 years in the automotive/off road business so I'm a bit jaded.

 

[Rusty PW]

Cracks me up every time I see someone post up another "upgrade". Some items truly are, but not everything needs to be swapped out.

34 years in the automotive/off road business so I'm a bit jaded.

Reading about people replacing their driveshafts and ending up with vibrations. I'm at the lift height where I'm a inbetween staying stock or needing an aftermarket driveshaft. Do I replace it, or stay stock until it fails.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Reading about people replacing their driveshafts and ending up with vibrations. I'm at the lift height where I'm a inbetween staying stock or needing an aftermarket driveshaft. Do I replace it, or stay stock until it fails.

It's 100% caused by people's lack of understanding the different joint types. The factory rzeppa joints should have equal angles at each end. For the front, the tcase output is nearly flat, which is perfect because the pinion being flat puts you around 6⁰ caster. Swap that to a ujoint at the axle and a double cardan at the tcase and those angles need to change. For those joints to be happy the pinion needs to point up at the tcase output. At ~4" of lift that's between 4 and 5⁰ up. This leaves you with 1-2⁰ of caster and a Jeep that wanders all over the road. Most try to balance the vibrations and enough caster and end up at ~4⁰ of caster with a slight vibration at speed. If you have a functioning FAD as you won't get the vibrations in 2wd and you can just run ideal caster and less than ideal pinion/driveshaft angles. The rear is the same side from the lack of caster to worry about. You still need to adjust the pinion angle for the type of driveshaft you're running so you'll need at least 1 pair of adjustable arms.

 

[CrazyCooter]

I personally coach clients to stop just short of having to replace a bunch of stuff unless they just have to have it! I personally like the Rzeppa joints up to the point where the local shop cant repair them and the cost to replace can get expensive.

Max front shock length to keep OE front driveline.

Enough lift to gain total suspension travel without requiring steering linkage and long arms where acceptable alignment and driveline angles can be acheived.

Max tire diameter to fill the fender with least amount of lift and not need new axles.

Rear axle geometry brackets for max travel while reducing rear pinion angle change throughout suspension travel.

I used to be the guy on 44" tires with a broken truck all the time...... I'm getting old and maybe wiser over time?

 

[ChrisNLA]

I personally coach clients to stop just short of having to replace a bunch of stuff unless they just have to have it! I personally like the Rzeppa joints up to the point where the local shop cant repair them and the cost to replace can get expensive.

Max front shock length to keep OE front driveline.

Enough lift to gain total suspension travel without requiring steering linkage and long arms where acceptable alignment and driveline angles can be acheived.

Max tire diameter to fill the fender with least amount of lift and not need new axles.

Rear axle geometry brackets for max travel while reducing rear pinion angle change throughout suspension travel.

I used to be the guy on 44" tires with a broken truck all the time...... I'm getting old and maybe wiser over time?

These discussions are the thoughts that have drove me (among other reasons) to not modify the Gladiator as heavily as I did my JK.

I would like to have a more lifted truck capable of more things, but a path of diminishing returns comes quickly where my geographical location doesn't make it practical to make the truck more problematic so that I can crest that next hill or do that more difficult trail once or twice a year. The truck goes a lot of places with careful driving and after that it spirals into a lot of money, and I won't call it trouble shooting, but a lot of time spent to make it perform correctly.

And if I do build the truck, it will be at a point when I can pull it from daily driving duties.

Slightly off topic/on topic...

Sponsored