Any way to modify A AWD to 2WD or 4WD

[camelman]

I have a 96 XLT AWD 5.0 And I was wondering is there a way to make it 2WD or 4WD. I thought about just removing the front drive shaft. But what effects might this have, or what damage may this cause to anything?

I am having no problems with it, when I had first bought this 5 1/2 years ago, I was skeptical about AWD, I had 3 V6 4WD Explorers before this one which were great, but I actually I like the Awd better. Its better in the snow, it has less body roll, and tire wear is better, In fact this is my all time most favorite vehicle out of over 50 and I just hate to part with it.

But 5 1/2 years ago I believe gas was around or under $1.50 a gallon, so fuel mileage wasn,t a big concern, but at $4.00 a gallon, in the warmer season I see no need for All wheels driving. And I believe it would make a big difference in mileage.
Thanks for any input on this.
Jim.

 

[90ranajo]

These should get you pointed in the right direction for the popular BW4406 t-case swap to convert from AWD to 4WD.

Convert V8 AWD to BW 4406 Manual Shift- A how to thread

Yet another T-Cases to mount to the V8 Thread

Flyboycoe's AWD 5.0 to 4WD Conversion

SparkyXplorer-BW4406 Swap

The Turdle gets a 4406!

 

[5.0]

Don't remove your front driveshaft. You need it for "Park" to work, otherwise your X may roll down a hill.

I've been thinking of converting my AWD to a 2wd, but the cost of the parts is quite high.

What kinda mileage are you getting? I'm at 18.6 with mine.

 

[camelman]

Don't remove your front driveshaft. You need it for "Park" to work, otherwise your X may roll down a hill.

I've been thinking of converting my AWD to a 2wd, but the cost of the parts is quite high.

What kinda mileage are you getting? I'm at 18.6 with mine.

Most of the traveling I do with this is local, and I only get 12-13, but on longer trips between 17-19.
What do you think about the 4wd conversions? And do you know any figures on how much the milage would increase, on the long runs this AWD is better than the 4WD V6's I had.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Don't remove your front driveshaft. You need it for "Park" to work, otherwise your X may roll down a hill.

I've been thinking of converting my AWD to a 2wd, but the cost of the parts is quite high.

What kinda mileage are you getting? I'm at 18.6 with mine.

Oh

Really? Is this because of the open differential inside of the AWD transfer case?

I don't understand fully why park would not keep the vehicle from not moving with the front drive shaft removed.

 

[ZBlackBeast]

GOD i hate you.. Getting passed by old ladies in d series hondas im getting 13-14.5 MABY. It sucks. Im replacing the fuel filter tomorrow and see if that helps.

 

[gijoecam]

Most of the traveling I do with this is local, and I only get 12-13, but on longer trips between 17-19.
What do you think about the 4wd conversions? And do you know any figures on how much the milage would increase, on the long runs this AWD is better than the 4WD V6's I had.

There's no tangible fuel savings to be had by doing the swap. The second-gen Explorers have a live front end, so any time the vehicle is moving, so is the front drivetrain. By swapping in a manual case, or removing the front driveshaft, you stop putting power to the front end, but the parasitic losses are still there. To truly make it 2wd, you need to remove the transfer case all together, remove the front drivetrain, and swap out the front suspension with 2wd knuckles/spindles, and brake rotors.

Oh, and the trans? IIRC, the 2wd trans needs a different output shaft... You might be better off swapping a 2wd trans for the 4x4 trans and t-case.

Oh

Really? Is this because of the open differential inside of the AWD transfer case?

I don't understand fully why park would not keep the vehicle from not moving with the front drive shaft removed.

It's not an open diff, it's a viscous coupling. The trans output shaft locks the viscous coupling when it's in park. However, the VC does not lock itself. The resistance of the two driveshafts against each other is what holds it in place (kind of like a differential mounted sideways in the middle of the truck). If you remove one driveshaft, the other can move (albeit, slowly) through the VC. If parked on an incline, it'll creep downhill. Additionally, removing one shaft forces constant slippage of the VC when driving... That's not good for it.