RE: 1997 Dakota questions

From: Dave Clement-LDC009 (Dave_Clement-LDC009@email.mot.com)
Date: Thu Dec 19 1996 - 08:48:50 EST


From: elliott@serv.net@INTERNET on Wed, Dec 18, 1996 10:57 PM

>Can't speak for the 97's, but I'm pretty sure that all the pre '97's have
>the same or similar 4WD hookup. The front differential turns all the time
>because it's driven by the left front wheel. Shifting into 4WD just
>causes the sleeve to slip over the splines to drive the right front wheel
>and deliver power to the front differential through the transfer case.

Around 92/93 they changed the front axle on the 4x4 Dakota's from one with
the vacumn disconnect to one without. The intent of the older system was to
reduce some drag by not forcing all of the front axle and transfer case gear
to turn when in 2wd. When the axle disconnect is not engaged the right side
wheel & outer axle is free to turn without trying to turn the differential.
The left side wheel & outer axle spins and is still connected into the
spider gears of the differential. But because the right side is free, the
ring & pinion gear, front drive shaft and the transfer case are not forced
to turn. As long as the friction in these componenets exceeds the friction
in the spider gears the spiders will spin leaving the rest stationary.

>Unless there's some means of disconnecting a front wheel (or both front
>wheels in a locker or limited slip front differential) the front
>differential will drive the transfer case. Full time 4WD's and AWD's use
>some sort of viscous coupling or differential to allow slippage between
>the two ends of the drive train.

This is what happens on 92/93 and newer trucks, everything is spinning all
the time.

>That's probably not the best explanation in the whole world, but unless
>the '97's have some sort of viscous coupling they've got some means of
>disconnecting a (the) front wheel(s). Look on the right (passenger side)
>front axle and see if there's not a good sized lump on the axle housing
>between the center section and the end of the axle housing before the half
>shaft.

The 97's do not have the vacumn disconnect. One of the mags had an article
with close-up pictures of the chassis with the body off. The 97 front axle
is shorter (to allow for more wheel travel by reducing the max angles on the
CV's) and the housing is aluminum.

This months 4WD Magazine's article implied that there was automatic locking
hubs this year and compared it to the system used by Toyota. The photo's I
have seen of the front end do not make it clear and other articles do not
mention this feature.

Dave Clement
 



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