Running an AWD in 2wd mode--

[Turdle]

Ok, let's say a guy wants to pull the front drive shaft from an awd and run in 2wd mode. To fully gain a weight advantage-pulling the front diff would help also-

Do you need to have the cv axle bolted in thru the hub, or, can the hub be driven with no cv axle in place?

In the past I have witnessed cut axle stubs locked in with the hub nut-but as I think about it more, is this really necessary?

 

[IZwack]

Yeah its necessary because the unitary bearing will fall apart w/o the axle shaft holding it together in a sandwhich. But after thinking this through a long time ago, I think a large washer/bolt/nut setup would probably also work to keep the bearings from coming apart.

 

[corkey]

but if a guy had some broken cvs, he could take the ends apart and use them too ,
but was or was it not established that the vehicle would drift in park, as it uses the whole drivetrain to lock up ???

 

[techieman33]

but if a guy had some broken cvs, he could take the ends apart and use them too ,
but was or was it not established that the vehicle would drift in park, as it uses the whole drivetrain to lock up ???

Yes it will drift in park unless your parked on a flat surface, so you MUST set the e-brake to keep it from rolling away on you.

 

[gavin]

there is also the possibility of the VC in the BW4404 dying.
this could cause either a constant slip so the vehicle won't move, or it could just freeze up, which would make no noticeable difference unless the front driveline was re-assembled.

 

[gijoecam]

Ditto on both counts. It was postulated (by me at one point in time) that in a bind, a piece of hardened threaded rod with a couple of nuts or a rather large bolt with some hardened washers could be used as a substitute for the outer CV in a pinch. It simply needs to be able to withstand the 200 lb*ft of torque needed to generate the necessary clamping force to clamp the bearing assembly together and prevent the flange from walking out of the inner race.

Here's a pic that might make the assembly more clear. The outer CV holds the whole thing together. Out of the box, it's simply pressed together. The inner end of the outer flange/bearing is pressed through the inner race of the inner bearing with the 'outer races' sandwiched in between (which are machined right into the mounting flange).

Make sense?

-Joe