RickyN29
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- San Jose, California
Well, I finished up my SYE install, so I thought I would share my opinion/tips. I did the SYE / Front DS combo.
Total cost was $200 for everything DS & SYE Kit
Ordering:
Performance Off Road Center is awesome to deal with. They have an exceptional deal on the SYE kit, $169 SHIPPED. Shipping was very fast. Payment was secure. I called on a couple of occasions with some questions, and every person who answered the phone was very knowledgeable. S/He was able to immediately answer my questions in great detail. They clearly know the products they sell.
The Kit:
Absolute awesome quality. Everything you will need is included in the kit, the parts are all of the utmost craftsmanship. I think the Jeep will crumble to the ground before a single part of the kit fails. High quality bearing and seal. Heavy duty shaft and yoke. The kit should work just fine on any NP231 transfer case. There are accommodations for the vacuum switches on older ones, they include a plug for those who do not have the switch.
The Install:
Installation was very easy. No instructions were in the box, but you don't even need them! It is pretty straight forward what you need to do. I was able to sit up underneath the XJ to do all the work. There is really no point in removing the TC for the install, it is very easy to do with it on. There is nothing technical or precise about the install, it is just time consuming. So don't be intimidated. I went as slow as a snail because I was really in no hurry. In total, working slow, it took me maybe 6 hours. (I even split it over two days!) On a newer 231, it would have gone even faster.
SHIFTER LENGTH: On the older NP231, the shift rail is about 1.5" long, however the new tail housing will not accommodate this. It is very important to do this step properly. Some instructions I read said to cut it to exactly 1" inch however, this is not the case. If I cut it to 1", I would have been SOL. Measure the actual depth of the hole in the new tail-shaft. Mine was about 15/16th of an inch deep. I cut mine down using a 4.5" angle grinder to 7/8th inch. On mine, the vacuum switch needs to be used, so you need to make sure that that when in 4wd, the shift lever extends out far enough to engage the button on the switch, but not too long that it doesn't bottom out in the new tail-housing (this would prevent you from being able to shift into 4wd)
LOCK RING: On the old shaft, the very first lock ring that needed to be removed was impossible to do so even with the correct tool. The ring was cut reverse of how it should be, so you cannot grab it with lock-ring pliers. Others have run into this problem as well. You might get lucky with two screw drivers and prying it off, however, I gave up on that. Instead, just grab your angle grinder with a cutting wheel, and just cut the sucker off.
CAGED NEEDLE BEARINGS: Again, on the older NP231's, there are two caged needle bearings inside the cog wheel. (if you don't know what I am talking about, when you get to it/see it, it will all make sense) The newer shaft eliminates these bearings. You will need to press them out of your cog wheel and throw them away. Do not worry, pressing them out is easy. There are a couple difference methods suggested on various threads, but here is what I did and it was by far the easiest: Simply use a large socket (I think I used a 36mm or something), a hammer, and a Jeep wheel!. Remove the center cap on the wheel, place the cog over the hole (which is just big enough to let the bearings through, but hold the cog). Place your socket on the bearing, and pound away. Mine only took 5-10 good hits and they were both out.
TOOLS NEEDED:
Metric Sockets
3inch extension
3/8th Ratchet
1/2 Ratchet
15mm wrench
10mm 12pt socket
1 1/8th SAE socket
5/16th wrench
flat head screw driver
rubber mallet
lock ring pliers (and snap ring pliers on newer 231's)
channel locks or large crescent
gasket scraper
angle grinder w/cut off wheel (maybe dremel....but ughh)
Torque wrench (both low range and high range 15-25ft lbs needed and 150 ft/lbs)
Oil catch pan (for draining TC fluid
Oil/Fluid pump (for refilling TC)
Floor jack/jack stands
Materials Needed:
Shop rags
RTV (I used black)
2 quarts ATF (Dextron II/III)
Assembly lube
Front driveshaft (junkyard $30) from an automatic XJ. Good for anywhere from stock to 5 or 6 inches of lift. (the DS from a manual is about 1.5 inches shorter)
Metric 8 x 1.25 (about 16mm) bolt for speedometer gear hold down. (DO NOT USE OLD ONE, it is SAE and will strip out new tail housing.
Pack of cigarettes, pot of coffee
I think that pretty much covers everything. Feel free to ask any questions and I will explain further.
Best of luck and Happy New Year!
-RickyN29
Total cost was $200 for everything DS & SYE Kit
Ordering:
Performance Off Road Center is awesome to deal with. They have an exceptional deal on the SYE kit, $169 SHIPPED. Shipping was very fast. Payment was secure. I called on a couple of occasions with some questions, and every person who answered the phone was very knowledgeable. S/He was able to immediately answer my questions in great detail. They clearly know the products they sell.
The Kit:
Absolute awesome quality. Everything you will need is included in the kit, the parts are all of the utmost craftsmanship. I think the Jeep will crumble to the ground before a single part of the kit fails. High quality bearing and seal. Heavy duty shaft and yoke. The kit should work just fine on any NP231 transfer case. There are accommodations for the vacuum switches on older ones, they include a plug for those who do not have the switch.
The Install:
Installation was very easy. No instructions were in the box, but you don't even need them! It is pretty straight forward what you need to do. I was able to sit up underneath the XJ to do all the work. There is really no point in removing the TC for the install, it is very easy to do with it on. There is nothing technical or precise about the install, it is just time consuming. So don't be intimidated. I went as slow as a snail because I was really in no hurry. In total, working slow, it took me maybe 6 hours. (I even split it over two days!) On a newer 231, it would have gone even faster.
SHIFTER LENGTH: On the older NP231, the shift rail is about 1.5" long, however the new tail housing will not accommodate this. It is very important to do this step properly. Some instructions I read said to cut it to exactly 1" inch however, this is not the case. If I cut it to 1", I would have been SOL. Measure the actual depth of the hole in the new tail-shaft. Mine was about 15/16th of an inch deep. I cut mine down using a 4.5" angle grinder to 7/8th inch. On mine, the vacuum switch needs to be used, so you need to make sure that that when in 4wd, the shift lever extends out far enough to engage the button on the switch, but not too long that it doesn't bottom out in the new tail-housing (this would prevent you from being able to shift into 4wd)
LOCK RING: On the old shaft, the very first lock ring that needed to be removed was impossible to do so even with the correct tool. The ring was cut reverse of how it should be, so you cannot grab it with lock-ring pliers. Others have run into this problem as well. You might get lucky with two screw drivers and prying it off, however, I gave up on that. Instead, just grab your angle grinder with a cutting wheel, and just cut the sucker off.
CAGED NEEDLE BEARINGS: Again, on the older NP231's, there are two caged needle bearings inside the cog wheel. (if you don't know what I am talking about, when you get to it/see it, it will all make sense) The newer shaft eliminates these bearings. You will need to press them out of your cog wheel and throw them away. Do not worry, pressing them out is easy. There are a couple difference methods suggested on various threads, but here is what I did and it was by far the easiest: Simply use a large socket (I think I used a 36mm or something), a hammer, and a Jeep wheel!. Remove the center cap on the wheel, place the cog over the hole (which is just big enough to let the bearings through, but hold the cog). Place your socket on the bearing, and pound away. Mine only took 5-10 good hits and they were both out.
TOOLS NEEDED:
Metric Sockets
3inch extension
3/8th Ratchet
1/2 Ratchet
15mm wrench
10mm 12pt socket
1 1/8th SAE socket
5/16th wrench
flat head screw driver
rubber mallet
lock ring pliers (and snap ring pliers on newer 231's)
channel locks or large crescent
gasket scraper
angle grinder w/cut off wheel (maybe dremel....but ughh)
Torque wrench (both low range and high range 15-25ft lbs needed and 150 ft/lbs)
Oil catch pan (for draining TC fluid
Oil/Fluid pump (for refilling TC)
Floor jack/jack stands
Materials Needed:
Shop rags
RTV (I used black)
2 quarts ATF (Dextron II/III)
Assembly lube
Front driveshaft (junkyard $30) from an automatic XJ. Good for anywhere from stock to 5 or 6 inches of lift. (the DS from a manual is about 1.5 inches shorter)
Metric 8 x 1.25 (about 16mm) bolt for speedometer gear hold down. (DO NOT USE OLD ONE, it is SAE and will strip out new tail housing.
Pack of cigarettes, pot of coffee
I think that pretty much covers everything. Feel free to ask any questions and I will explain further.
Best of luck and Happy New Year!
-RickyN29
