TOD and no rear driveshaft....

[nfpgasmask]

All I am saying, if the rear tires were on ice, as simulated by removing the drive shaft, I would think the power transfer to the front should be smooth.

I see what you are saying here. However, in defense of the TOD, I think your "experiment" is only applicable in extreme situations, IE, rear end sitting in soup or on a perfect sheet of ice. Normally, the rear end is getting some traction, even if it is minimal, so that when the slipping begins in the rear, the TOD kicks on and send power to the front, making the TOD seem to operate smooth, more-or-less. Now, with the rear drive shaft out, you are going to experience a completely NON factory reaction to your experiment, so jerky stop and go action does not seem wrong to me, just natural for the TOD. Meaning, the TOD would rarely kick on from a DEAD STOP, as there is typically some forward momentum happening when it kicks on normally. Know what I mean?

All that aside, I see what you are saying about wanting a "normal" 4WD transfer case, but then I have no choice to go back and tell you that you bought the wrong vehicle to begin with.

I personally don't understand some folks extreme desire to turn the VX into something that it is not. The VX was not meant to be lifted 4"s, it was not meant to have a SAS, it was not meant to have a winch bumper up front, it was not meant to run 35"s, it was not meant to etc etc etc. However there are always people trying to make it do things it wasn't meant to do, and then they get discouraged or turned off or upset about it when these mods don't work out so much. And you know my answer to all of that (buy a Jeep, cough, cough). But again, all the power to ya.

On the contrary, got my VX front end back together, and removed the ABS speed sensors, tone rings, ABS fuse and the wiring, and she runs just fine!!

Bart

[MSHardeman]

The VX wasn't meant to run without ABS.....

Sorry Bart, had to do it.

Now, sort of, back on topic; from my understanding of the TOD system, it's not supposed to send sustained power to the front wheels. It's only supposed to throw power forward in little spurts to get everything moving again. It's not like an all wheel drive system in an Audi. I know the TOD has saved my butt many times in the Colorado snow and ice. I've tried to get her sideways before, but the little power blips to the front end just straighten her right back out.

[nfpgasmask]

The VX wasn't meant to run without ABS.....

Sorry Bart, had to do it.

I know, I know, that's why I said, "On the contrary". My VX isn't 100% stock either, I just try to keep it clean and simple. And yeah, I have TRIED VERY HARD to do donuts in the snow and I can't. Now, the Trooper can spin like a merry-go-round in the snow.

Bart

[Ebenezr]

In this experiment the reason for "surging" to my thinking is this. You excellerate and the TOD senses slipping in the rear by comparing the rear and front driveshaft speeds. The TOD kicks in and moves the vehicle to a point where suddenly the drive shaft rotational speeds match and then the TOD kicks off. When it cuts off there is suddenly a mismatch in speeds so it cuts on. The speeds match again so the TOD cuts off. then on then off then on then off because of continuous mismatch in driveshaft RPM. IT is impossible to get smooth operation with TOD only because with smooth continuous operation the driveshaft speeds agree and the TOD must then kick off.

[Marlin]

All that aside, I see what you are saying about wanting a "normal" 4WD transfer case, but then I have no choice to go back and tell you that you bought the wrong vehicle to begin with.

I personally don't understand some folks extreme desire to turn the VX into something that it is not. The VX was not meant to be lifted 4"s, it was not meant to have a SAS, it was not meant to have a winch bumper up front, it was not meant to run 35"s, it was not meant to etc etc etc. However there are always people trying to make it do things it wasn't meant to do, and then they get discouraged or turned off or upset about it when these mods don't work out so much. And you know my answer to all of that (buy a Jeep, cough, cough). But again, all the power to ya.
Bart

By that logic, no one would ever have a modded street legal offroad vehicle as NO vehicle was meant to do these things.

Anyway, the next step in the experiment would be to do the TOD mod where I can adjust power manually via rheostat. I would think that the TOD software would have a feedback loop built into it to prevent the surging/thunking effect.

No worries, the shaft is back in, and she is back to normal.

On a side note, I figured out what my squeaking sound was!! The rear lower link mounts have the edges bent over just enough that the moving portion rubs on the fixed portion. It is always loudest in reverse, which generally means I am riding my brakes a bit when backing out of the driveway, which compresses the rear suspension backwards and at an angle, also the engine is quiet. That makes the squeak seem louder as the vehicle tends to bounce at an angle. Just need to bend that steel back a bit....

[nfpgasmask]

By that logic, no one would ever have a modded street legal offroad vehicle as NO vehicle was meant to do these things.

I dunno, I think Jeeps in general are built knowing that there is a huge offroad aftermarket for them. True, once you start modding in any way, you are doing something to a vehicle that was not originally intended, but that isn't my point. I'm not knocking anyone's attempt to turn their VX into something that it was not meant to be, I am just always confused when people do this and then get disappointed/discouraged/upset when the end result isn't so great or still doesn't do what they want it to. It's like taking a boat and turning it into a car. Sure, it can be done, but it might not look so good, and it might not handle so good, etc, etc, because after all, it's a boat. But, if you have the skill, drive and desire, by all means turn that boat into a car!

Bart

[Triathlete]

Bart, Bart, Bart...a jeep off the showroom floor is no more offroad capable than a VX off the showroom floor. You will rarely see a jeep on the trail that is not modded also...none of tem come with 35's
Of course all this "non-modded keep it simple" stuff coming from the giant spikes roof rack front.

[nfpgasmask]

Bart, Bart, Bart...a jeep off the showroom floor is no more offroad capable than a VX off the showroom floor. You will rarely see a jeep on the trail that is not modded also...none of tem come with 35's
Of course all this "non-modded keep it simple" stuff coming from the giant spikes roof rack front.

You guys are COMPLETELY missing my point. I'm not saying I have anything against modding (obviously). Look at my 1st gen, I am constantly trying to make it do things it was never meant to do. I did a freakin' engine swap!!!! I'm just saying that Jeeps, off the showroom floor, are more readily modded with lift kits, winch bumpers, etc. Afterwards they still look good and perform well when done because they were designed with this HUGE 4x4 aftermarket in mind. Our IFS VXes were never built with any of that in mind. And when people try to give a VX a Jeep like aftermarket treatment, things don't always play so nice. And if you think Jeep makes new Wranglers with modding not even part of the thought process, I think you are wrong. Jeep is the only company left making a vehicle that was MEANT to be driven offroad and not just to the grocery store. Know what I mean?

And the spikes come off with 3 little wingnuts, btw.

Bart

[Ebenezr]

If your talking about ugly modified vehicles only 1 out of 20 or so pickups or jeeps actually look good afterward. Most in my opinion do not have a tire size-offset-lift configuration that looks good. That is what I like about my VX. It has all 3 in perfection. I like to just stand around looking at my own truck.

[Triathlete]

Bart, you were missing my point...I was just yanking your chain!