Tevett Goad

So I have a bent lower control arm bracket that needs replaced, so i found a replacement assembly. The only problem is i noticed a slight difference between the two. Can someone explain what it is, and what to do about it?
Its on the passenger side of the axle.



The Original



The replacement

Bmoney

It is the center axle disconnect (CAD)
Your original looks like it has been bypassed.

What to do about it... Bypass it or hook it back up.

F1Addict

Yep, your original D35 has an intact vacuum disconnect while the replacement appears to have been bypassed somewhere underneath all of that rust. Folks bypass them because they are [allegedly] unreliable and failure-prone. I have an '89 and I've never had a problem with my vacuum disco.

cruiser54

You have been fortunate.

F1Addict

Indeed, but also prepared and vigilant. Reinforced vacuum lines and connections, etc. Either I've been extremely lucky or there's something to all of this maintenance nonsense.

My $28 Duralast CPS with 70,000 miles on it is a completely different story. That is fortune... or magic... something.

cruiser54

There's the difference. Maintenance and the mods you made.

don't know if you saw this or not:

CAD STINKS


The big issue is that the CAD system only fails when you need it the most.

Kinda like when you don't realize your wiper blades need replacing until it rains....

I know somebody’s system works and he advocates keeping it stock, but my exposure to the failures is probably hundreds of times greater than his, as a result of being Service Manager at a Jeep dealership from 1980 through 1992, and being a current XJ and MJ owner.

CAD stinks. Every Jeep I work on with it, I eliminate it. Guess what I find in the process? 25 year old busted vacuum lines, bloated vacuum line connectors, bad vacuum reservoirs and piping, bad transfer case vacuum switches. In other words, had the person gotten into a sticky situation and needed 4WD, they would have been screwed!!!

That's the tip of the iceberg. The factory went through 3 revisions of the shift fork also. The fork issue is non-existent if you just slide it over and leave it.

See the link below for complete instructions. Takes less than 1/2 hour.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/fre...ss-91-a-38629/
,

Tevett Goad

Thanks everyone for the input. Cruiser, thanks for the link to the bypass instructions, i was about to ask if anyone knew a writeup.

cruiser54

welcome to Cherokee forum!!!!!!

jedijeb

Yes thanks Cruiser, I need to do the bypass myself. So far my 85 has actuated every time I have used it and everything is completely original, but I know it can't last forever. Before I bought it in 2013 I doubt it had been in 4x4 more than a dozen times in its original 142k miles. It is rather amazing just how durable this one has been.