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Installation
date: 1/5/02
I
have to start out by saying this is one of my most favorite mods so
far, but it wasn't one I'd planned on doing originally. When I had my
front D44 built, I had it loaded with a Detroit locker because OX hadn't
yet released their D44 OX locker. The Detroit worked great, but it really
put a damper on steering on the trails, and most of the trails I run
get pretty tight. The traction was great, but making two and three-point
turns all the time now got annoying pretty quick. TeraFlex's 2LO kit,
which disengages the front driveline while still in low-range, seemed
to be the answer. I started asking around about the kit and the feedback
was all positive, in fact, the only "bad" thing I heard about
it was people forgetting they had their rig in 2LO and getting "stuck"
until they shifted back into 4LO.
The
kit itself is very basic, just a new range fork and shift sector for
the transfercase along with a set of new pads for the range fork and
a small dash plaque indicating the new t'case shift pattern. The installation
is relatively straight forward, especially if you've already been in
your t'case to install an SYE kit or already have the t'case apart to
install an SYE kit. Tera's instructions start out with the t'case already
split apart, so I'll start there as well. For a details on how to get
to this point, read through pages 2 and
3 of the JB SYE install article.
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Steps 1 &
2. With the t'case drained and split, unplug the indicator switch
from the front half of the t'case, if your t'case has the switch.
Next remove the shift detent screw, sprint, and poppet from the
bottom of the t'case. Be careful when
removing this because the spring can shoot out and you can loose
it... If this happens though, you can purchase a new spring from
your dealer for a couple of bucks.
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Step 3.
Remove the nut and washer that connect the range lever to the
front half of the t'case. The arrows in the pic point to the lever
(bottom) and the connecting point (top).
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Step 4. With
the output shafts and chain removed, pull out the mode sleeve,
mode fork, and shift rail. They should come out as a single unit
as shown.
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Step 5. Now
remove the range fork and hub.
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Step 6. Now
you can remove the shift sector, this is the piece that the range
lever from step 3connects to. Make sure you do not loose the o-ring
and bushing.
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Here you
can see the old shift sector (top) vs the new 2LO shift sector
(bottom).
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Step 7. Put
the new pads on the new mode fork and make sure they seat properly.
Now just
reinstall the parts in reverse order (shift sector, then range
fork and hub, then mode fork, sleeve and shift rail), reconnect
the range lever on the outside of the t'case, and replace the
detent screw, spring, and poppet.
That's really
all there is to it.
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The install only took a couple of hours at max, and that was including
time to take photos. If you've already been into the t'case to install
an SYE, this kit shouldn't take any more than 2 hours to install, if
that long.
The new shift pattern
for the t'case is 2H - 4HI - N - 4LO - 2LO. If you've got an XJ, the
lever won't line up exactly with the markings on the shifter bezel,
but that's a minor issue. Shifting between 4LO and 2LO is just like
shifting between 2HI and 4HI in that you can shift on-the-fly without
having to stop, all other shifting remains unchanged.
One thing that
wasn't obvious to me at first was that since 2LO is 2wd, the "Part
Time" light on the dash will go out when you shift into 2LO. This
confused me for a moment until I realized that oh yeah!... The part-time
light only came on when the t'case was in 4wd, and 2LO was 2wd. DUH...
Anyway, I've been extremely happy with the kit, it was easy to install
and makes the twisty east Texas trails I run a lot more enjoyable now
that I don't have to make all these multi-point turns anymore to get
around. In fact, the only 'bad' thing I have to say about the kit is
that I use it so much that I often forget I'm in 2LO until I'm halfway
up a hill or obstacle and get stuck... then I realize I'm only in 2wd!
I'd highly recommend
the kit to anyone with a front automatic locker. I don't know how much
benefit those with open diffs or selectable lockers would see, but it
certainly couldn't hurt them. Any shop that sells Tera stuff should
be able to get you the kit, I ordered mine from my buddy Doug over at
Ram Power Parts. Last I checked, the kit sold for about $200. Well worth
it in my book.
For more information,
contact:
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