88 XJ LOCKING HUBS

Hi im new to the forums i have a 1988 cherokee Xj 4.0l with a 4.5in lift. i have an sye in the tcase from advance adapters. they provided me with a bolt that was labeled optional fill bolt in the instructions that goes in the spot where the 4wheel drive vacuum actuator(think thats what its called?) went. and as a result the front axle doesnt recognize when i put in 4hi/lo.

idont know too much about this area of the vehicle so what are the options i need to consider to fix this?

Will i need manual locking hubs and the conversion kit?

Thanks.

You don't need the disconnect at all. Jeep finally did away with it in the mid 90s. All the later ones just have a full time engaged setup. 'works ok

The fix here is to remove the axle motor housing, move the "shift" collar over to lock the axles together. Then manually move the shift fork in the motor housing over to the 4wd position, shim it with washers so it won't move, and reinstall it.

If you want to get really involved, replace both front axle shafts with late model one piece shafts. this does away with a weak point(shift collar) and upgrades to a bigger 297X ujoint at the same time.

There is also a kit you can buy that will convert the vacuum disconnect to a cable operated unit. IIRC it is made by OX. In all truthfulness I would do what was listed above before I went the kit route.

here's an active thread with a pic of a shimmed vacuum motor in it:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=928686