I have a 99 Jeep XJ 2door, Aw4, NP242 140,000 miles, The Dana 35 is the issue, I have anti-lock breaks, Question, can i remove the system all together or if I can't are there any options for budget axles with anti-lock breaks?

The only axle that works with ABS is the dana 35 axle you have now . any other axle does not have any way to have the speed sensor work with them . There is a write up on how to remove your ABS ,

When replacing my 1997 XJ's blown D35 with a 8,25, removing the ABS fuse was all that was needed to deactivate it and not set a CEL.

Nobody likes to think about this, but if you were involved in an accident where someone got seriously hurt (perhaps you)? Intentionally disabling the ABS *could* come back to haunt you in a big way, financially or otherwise. Would you really want to trade your legs for no ABS?

Or put another way, what if you had ABS, and, in the event of an unforseen incident, those few inches of braking or avoiding a stationary obstacle, or another vehicle and prevented a catastrophe?

Again, not wanting to be a naysayer, just something to noodle on before you remove a safety item.

Fair point, though it should be said that ABS doesn't decrease stopping distances. Threshold braking is actually faster than engaging ABS, assuming your brake bias isn't out of whack, of course.

Before I bought it, it was owned by a close friend. Previously the D35 had popped and had been replaced with another D35. The mechanic who installed it removed the rear wheel sensors and pulled the ABS fuse. in the meantime, the 'new' axle had become very noisy. My friend had a lead foot and no desire to install another POS D35,
He found a 8.25 that I regeared, adding a Truetrac and alloy axles, and installed it for him.. I had searched for a 8.25 ABS conversion but found none. The existing 8.25s, with ABS, all had three channel ABS instead of the four channel ABS used in the XJ's D35. For some reason, Jeep never added ABS to the 8.25 used in the XJs.
A few weeks after installing the 8.25, my friend had a heart attack and died. I bought the Jeep from his estate.
None of my other XJs have had ABS, including the newest, my 2001, so I'm very conscious of not having ABS in slippery conditions. This is a very common situation, most owners of built XJs dumps the D35 and exchange it for a 8.25, 8.8 or a D44, something that stands a chance of survival when wheeled.
My 1997 Dodge Dakota had the same ABS system and was dreadful when activated, unlike the much smoother ABS systems in our newer cars .
If someone knows how to modify 8.25 axles to accept the sensor rings, from the D35 axles, I'm all ears. The D35 and 8.25 axles are very different and I have found no way to add the sensors to the 8.25 axles.

Thank You all for the great reply's and I think it's got to go. I've had a lot of XJ's in mt life and never had a problem with my D35 BUT I wheeled in New Jersey in mud now I climb mountians of Rock and Sand. ANybody have a C 8.25 or a D44 for sale.
Thank You Again

ABS actually increases your stopping distance. I can't stand ABS so I get rid of it on any vehicle I own, my XJ came without it since it has the 8.25. Having the Dana 35 axle is more dangerous than not having ABS in my opinion.

You can look up testing where test drivers do indeed beat the ABS systems. But what they don't typically show you is where the test driver (a trained and experienced driver) took multiple practice stops to do so even in dry conditions and knowing when and where to stop, not having someone pull in front of him in bad weather or something to that effect. So while you could conceivably beat the ABS systems the real world has so many variables it's hard to know that you will pull off that perfect stop every time.

The only thing a ABS system does is not lock up the wheels so if you need to make a turn a avoid hitting something you still have control .

He also stated he'd be open to keep the ABS. Anyone know what options he has to get the ABS working on the axle he DOES have? Or was to beef up a Dana 35 for strength moving forward?


(sorry, different jeep axle options aren't my strong point).

A skidding wheel also has far less braking ability than a rolling one.

Has anyone ever tried putting a, for example a 2002 Jeep Liberty C8.25 with ABS in, in place of a D35 with ABS? Now you'll have disc brakes & ABS.