HELP! Different gear ratios in same vehicle

[GJarrett]

It's a LONG story but the short version is that my gear swap got stretched out and the d@m# Foothills4x4 local "expert" shop here in SC got my rear gears in so I'm 4.88 in rear now instead of 4.10. However, even after repeated assurances that they can do my front (even after I explained everything to them and they looked at it a week ago) and personally consulting at length with the gear man who showed me his wall of boxes from completed front ends IFS and he knows how to do everything blahblahblah, NOW the b*st!rds say they are not sure just what it really will cost to R&R my front end, but lots more, and they really don't want to touch it, blahblahblah They already charged me $125 more to do my rear than they promised so, no way in hell am I letting them R&R my front now

So I picked my Explorer back up and right now I am running a 4.88 rear and a 4.10 front. I have disabled my 4auto so there's no worry of grenading axles, but I noticed that my speedometer seems to be reading differently, but not differently enough, like the VSS or other computer is "averaging" the front and rear speeds through the ABS or something(?)

I cannot remove my front end to give to them until Tuesday, which means I am driving like this for another 200 miles or so until then, with half of my transfer case spinning at one speed and half at the other. I assume the GEM is now thinking that the rear is slipping since it is rotating faster and who knows what else it or the ABS or VSS or etc may be adjusting or trying to do. I have no blinking light warnings on the dash though.

Anyone have any idea if I can screw up the computer or something else while driving it this way, or am I fine and have no worry since I have disabled the 4auto?


So much for yet another highly-touted 4x4 shop that can't do crap when they get something to work on besides a Jeep

 

[410Fortune]

You have got to be kidding me???

What happened to the days when if you go over your estimate you eat the extra costs...

So are you saying they cant fit 4.88's into the front or your are going to take them the carrier instead of letting them touch it?
They were probably expecting to see a TTB under your Explorer

Why dont you take out your front driveshaft?

Shouldnt hurt anything driving that way that I can think of....you can always re-set the computer later.


Unless its running rich or something, you could disable the VSS so it goes into "default" mode..

 

[Nate1]

Originally posted by 410Fortune
Unless its running rich or something, you could disable the VSS so it goes into "default" mode..

What is default mode?

I would also remove the front D/S .... other than that I dont see any damage to the computer systems of your car... other than they may be a little freaked out.

 

[410Fortune]

put 31's back on the front


I dont know about the later systems but withteh EEC-IV if you disable a ensor it just uses the default current for that sensor, so if your TPS quits working it will still run fine, with a CEL and it replaces the TPS readng with teh middle current, 0.97 I believe

 

[NOTAJP]

I don't know anything about newer computers but I'd remove the front driveshaft.

Boy, that shop owner and I would be having a long chat.

 

[Alec]

Removing the front shaft may be a decent solution, except things would still be turning at different speeds and you may still have the same problem.

 

[NOTAJP]

Removing the front drive shaft guarentee's no mechanical problems.

I'm trying to understand the rest. Does the VSS use the ABS sensors in the front and rear?

 

[Nate1]

Yes.

 

[Nate1]

I was thinking about solivng this in the event that I SASed my 2nd gen, and have always wondered.... what if you spliced together the front left with the rear left, and the front right with the rear right? (IE rear right sends signal to front and back, left. ... same)

That way, your speedo and computer would be happy, as would your nonexistant ABS system.... in this case... your TC wouldn't blow up if your auto switch accidently failed...

It is worth a try....

 

[JDraper]

As said above, I'd pull the front driveshaft out to save on xfer case wear and tear, but you won't screw up your computer. You might confuse it, but you won't damage it.

 

[GJarrett]

Thanks guys, you're mostly thinking what I am. I'll disconnect the driveshaft to be safe, but I think that will only save the transfer case from churning; I don't think it will make much difference otherwise.

What a pain. At least the idiot admitted he didn't know what he was getting in to before he tore my front end apart, instead of calling me up midway through and really screwing me up.

I would LOVE to take my front somewhere else after what has happened, but they've agreed to do a complete install including carrier bearings along with setting the gears for $200-250 and that commits me to taking it back to them because that is a full $100 cheaper than I can find anywhere else in this area - but you can be dang sure that I am going to get that price in writing when I bring them my front end next week, before I leave it with them to work on.

BTW, I can confirm that the VSS does use the ABS sensors instead of gears..... I had thought that it changed a little, but was wrong, the speedometer has not changed.