BoulderXJ

Just replaced my D35 with an 8.8 in my 2001 Cherokee. I wanted to keep the ABS (yea yea I know many of you don't want ABS) and did a bunch of research on how to make this work.

There are a few folks who have transferred all the ABS components from the D35 over to the 8.8. Basically remove the tone rings from the D35 axle shafts and machine down the shafts on the 8.8 to mount them and then rig up a bracket to mount the ABS sensor above the tone ring. This can totally be done, but it is a lot of work. The advantage is that you have maintained the complete stock ABS system.

The other way to do it is to tap into the existing ABS on the 8.8. Ford implemented the ABS sensor quite differently on the 8.8 than the D35, they put the tone ring in the differential. Here's a write up that I referenced to do this.
http://mallcrawlin.com/forum/showthr...-in-a-ZJ/page3

The basic idea is that you grind every other tooth off the tone ring in the 8.8 differential and then combine the ABS wires from each wheel on the Jeep and connect them to the ABS sensor on the 8.8. The wiring diagram on the above link was incorrect for my vehicle and axle. The 8.8 had a red and green wire and the Jeep had a brown and black wire for each wheel. I connected the red wire to both brown wires and the green wire to both black wires. My guess is that the polarity actually doesn't matter and you could reverse it and it would still work.

Anyway I can attest that without the wires connected the ABS system shuts down and won't work since it doesn't get any signal from the rear wheels. As soon as I connected these wires up the ABS light went out. I took the jeep over to a dirt road and did some hard stops and the ABS system worked as expected. I also tested the ABS on asphalt and the ABS worked there as well.

As a side note, I got my 8.8 from East Coast Gear Supply (ECGS) and they did the tone ring modification for me and left the ABS sensor in place with a pig tail coming off of it. Overall this was really really easy and basically cost nothing (I don't think ECGS even charged me for the tone ring mod) and my ABS still works.

Just in case the link breaks, I'm copying the text from the link above below:
From DJJordach @ Mallcrawlin:
hey guys I got something more to add you can keep ABS with the 8.8!
the Jeep system is 4 sensor but is still 3 hydraulic (front L&R and ONE rear)

I have done it myself on my brothers 90XJ with a 8.8 and the ABS does still work and will do it again on my ZJ. I was going to go the route of the tone rings on each wheel (like Z did) but that is a pain and costly once you get bushings for the 8.8 shafts since the OD area on the 8.8 shafts is smaller in that spot than the d35.

how I KEPT the ABS working on his XJ and will do the same on my ZJ:
my ZJ tone rings are 54 tooth per side and the 8.8 has 108 teeth on the ring gear 54x2=108!
his 90 XJ tone rings are 51 tooth but we decided to try it this way anyway. and later found out that the sensor does not count the teeth but just either sees a tooth or not.

I took the angle grinder and ground down EVERY OTHER TOOTH on the 8.8 ring gear tone ring making it 54 teeth.
We then wired both the Jeep rear sensors together left and right reds together and the ford sensor red all together and then if I remember correctly the left and right Jeep wires were yellow and wire those to the other ford sensor wire.
finished the install and bleed the brakes, then took it for a spin. the ABS light came on at startup like usual and then went off like usual! and didnt come back on as if there was a problem. I then slammed on the brakes and YES the ABS was STILL WORKING without the ABS light comming on! and it has worked perfectly since we finished the install 2 weeks ago and the 8.8 with disks is a real nice upgrade in braking. The 8.8 was installed b/c with his stroker it blew up the D35 (broken spider gears, chewed ring and pinion, bent the cross-shaft and more)

as far as I know I'm the first to be able to CONFIRM that this way works for sure. at least it did on his Bendix ABS brake system. I will later do this again on my ZJ when I find the right 8.8 with 4.10's in the yards.