front driveshaft

[grantikal]

true that!

Who knew? I guess there's advantages to having the weirdly shaped front bumper!

 

[Stoned06]

pulling fuse 104 will do the same thing.

I know this works for the Auto 4WD, but will this also work with AWD?

 

[tonydiv]

The reason that guys started removing the front drive shaft was to reduce the parasitic drag from turning a drive shaft and some transfer case gears. Granted, you're still turning axle shafts, CV or u-joints and the front diff, but it's the best you can do if you don't have locking hubs and/or a center axle disconnect.
While pulling a fuse may stop the transfer case from sending power to the front when the rear slips, it does nothing about the drag.

Since you're not removing the front axle shafts, you still may feel some "binding" in tight turns.

If you have the time, why not give it a shot? Keep track of your mileage and see if it makes a difference.

 

[99-4wd]

thx alot Tonydiv, i will give it shot.
i'll keep u guiys posted.

thx

 

[zenplacefour]

Removing front drive shaft: Better gas mileage...

tonydiv...
...Since you're not removing the front axle shafts, you still may feel some "binding" in tight turns.

If you have the time, why not give it a shot? Keep track of your mileage and see if it makes a difference.

---------------------------------

Responding to tonydiv comment... specifically gas mileage: I have a 2000 Eddie Bauer 5.4 which, until recently, was stuck in 4WD-H. I couldn't afford to fix it, so I drove it for many, many miles on dry pavement. BAD. The truck eventually developed a "wobble" in the front end. Finally, after replacing a faulty GEM Module, the truck could switch to A4WD, but the "wobble" was still there, as was the "binding" in tight turns (mentioned above.) CV axles were OK, tie rods were OK, ball joints were OK, wheels were OK... so, the cheapest and fastest solution I could think of to possibly remedy this problem was to remove the front drive shaft to see what would happen. The "wobble" disappeared, although I suspect there may still be issues with the transfer case.

NOW... regarding gas mileage / fuel economy: After removing the drive shaft, I reset my fuel economy calculator. I've now been driving in 2WD for almost a week.

As of April 2014
Gas mileage in 4WD-H: 10.4 mpg / ave.
Previous gas mileage in A4WD: 11.2 - 12.2 mpg / ave
Gas mileage in 2WD - no front drive shaft: 12.4 mpg / ave.

If, after a few more weeks, the gas mileage rises to the high 12's or 13 mpg, I'll be more convinced that the drive shaft removal played a part in the improvement. ... Zen

June 28, 2014 UPDATE:
Final average fuel economy without the front drive shaft: 13.1/mpg

 

[Copper93]

Look up the Brown Wire Mod. You can install a switch that does the same as pulling the fuse. It gives you a on/off option for AWD.