I took out all my vacuum lines on my '89 since I was swapping in an NP242, and I needed to figure out what to do with the disconnect Dana 30. I heard you can add washers beside the shifter fork to force it over, so I took out the housing.
Warning: Some oil will pour out (enough that you should get an oil pan)
Turns out that to put washers in you need to take out a few snap rings, which generally are the most annoying mechanical parts on earth. I didn't have the required tools and I thought it'd be a waste to simply put it back in, so what to do.. What to do..
Bingo! It runs on vacuum, that's the key. If you put your fingers over the vacuum ports, the shifter fork will not be able to move. Hence the writeup:
Step 1: Remove the disconnect housing (4 bolts, 11mm) [Have an oil pan ready underneath]
Step 2: Move the shifter fork as far from the vacuum motor as possible, and plug all the vacuum ports (using tooth picks, vacuum plugs, etc).
Step 3: Replace the disconnect housing
Step 4: Touch up the oil level
That's it, simple eh? I'm not sure how it'll hold in the long run, but after plugging the ports, I couldn't force the shifter fork over.
Warning: Some oil will pour out (enough that you should get an oil pan)
Turns out that to put washers in you need to take out a few snap rings, which generally are the most annoying mechanical parts on earth. I didn't have the required tools and I thought it'd be a waste to simply put it back in, so what to do.. What to do..
Bingo! It runs on vacuum, that's the key. If you put your fingers over the vacuum ports, the shifter fork will not be able to move. Hence the writeup:
Step 1: Remove the disconnect housing (4 bolts, 11mm) [Have an oil pan ready underneath]
Step 2: Move the shifter fork as far from the vacuum motor as possible, and plug all the vacuum ports (using tooth picks, vacuum plugs, etc).
Step 3: Replace the disconnect housing
Step 4: Touch up the oil level
That's it, simple eh? I'm not sure how it'll hold in the long run, but after plugging the ports, I couldn't force the shifter fork over.