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Dana 300 w/ FWD Low capability?

9K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  BootsntheJeep 
#1 ·
I have a D300 schematic sitting in front of me, and I cant seem to figure out how pulling the interlock pill between the two shift rails would enable it to hit FWD Low. Has anyone tried this, and if so, how does it work. Do you have any problems with accidently getting a two gear t-case lockup like a transmission with detent and interlock problems would?

Thanks,

Ryan
 
#3 ·
I assume you're using a twin stick setup.

Its easy. The left lever is the rear wheels. The right lever is the front wheels. All the way forward is low, in the middle is neutral, all the way back is hi.

Put both in neutral, then slide the front one up into low.

You can do this WITHOUT taking out the interlock pill.

If you do take out the interlock pills, then you can also put it in front wheel drive high, but I don't really see the need for that, and also, having taken out the interlocks, you can now put one axle in high and one axle in low and at the very least blow your u-joints, will actually probably grenade the case.

Just FYI, I talked to a guy who had done the twin stick and took out the interlock pill. Curiosity got the better of him, and he just had to find out what it would do if you put one in low and one in high. He said as soon as you started to let the clutch out then the whole rig felt like it was gonna shake apart and made sounds from hell. You'd have to be really inattentive or popping the clutch to do any damage before you caught your error. I dunno.

Oh yeah. And use the "Search" button. I just explained all of this like a month ago.

Boots
 
#4 ·
BootsntheJeep,

The two shift rails in the Dana 300 are actually a "Mode" rail and a "Range" rail. The mode rail determines 2 wheel drive, four wheel drive or Neutral. The Range rail is low range or high range. With my transfercase sitting in the vice right now, I dont see a way to shift the rails that will engage a FWD low. I dont know if you have ever had a D300 apart, but every time I build one at work, I try to figure this out and never have any luck.

Oh, I did read the thread you talked about before I wrote this....

Ryan
 
#5 · (Edited)
YeeP said:
BootsntheJeep,

The two shift rails in the Dana 300 are actually a "Mode" rail and a "Range" rail. The mode rail determines 2 wheel drive, four wheel drive or Neutral. The Range rail is low range or high range. With my transfercase sitting in the vice right now, I dont see a way to shift the rails that will engage a FWD low. I dont know if you have ever had a D300 apart, but every time I build one at work, I try to figure this out and never have any luck.

Oh, I did read the thread you talked about before I wrote this....

Ryan
Nope...one is the front, one is the rear......not range and mode.....

So, you say you "build them at work" and you don't know this?
 
#6 · (Edited)
YeeP said:
The two shift rails in the Dana 300 are actually a "Mode" rail and a "Range" rail.
Actually, its not.

I think there is that Mode and Range set up on a Spicer 18 t-case (unless I'm mistaken) but the way I described it is the way it works. One is the rear axle, one is the front axle.

Maybe that's why you can't figure it out, because you've got your head on backward about it.

If I'm wrong, then it must be some miracle that I can operate my axles independently, and that every other person with twin sticks on their 300 can do the same thing. Hmmm....

And people wonder why I rebuild all my own stuff and refuse to send it out to a "shop" where it can get "proffesionally" rebuilt. :rolleyes:
 
#7 ·
BootsntheJeep said:


Actually, its not.

I think there is that Mode and Range set up on a Spicer 18 t-case (unless I'm mistaken)
You're not mistaken, that's how it works with the D18. Just the way it goes due to the offset output. All the straight output gear drive cases I know of (D20, D300, NP205) have one lever for FWD and one for RWD.
 
#8 ·
You're not mistaken, that's how it works with the D18. Just the way it goes due to the offset output
Ahhh, that was it. I knew there was a reason it was different, couldn't think of it.

Also with the stock driveline e-brake. Can't figure for the life of me why that didn't catch on. :confused: Wish I had me one on the 300.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
Right. Allow me to clarify.

I wish my 300 had one. Not one I'll have to shell out $300 for. :flipoff2:
 
#13 ·
BootsntheJeep said:
I assume you're using a twin stick setup.

If you do take out the interlock pills, then you can also put it in front wheel drive high, but I don't really see the need for that, and also, having taken out the interlocks, you can now put one axle in high and one axle in low and at the very least blow your u-joints, will actually probably grenade the case.


sorry I am bringing this back up again, but you are saying if I take out the interlock pin I can use front wheel drive in high range??? I have a dana 300 with currie twin sticks in my YJ. I always thought it would be useful to have FWD HI just in case I gernade my read diff, or my rear drive shaft (and spares) that way I could just take out the rear driveshaft and still be able to drive it to a hotel or home or something.

any one have a picture or something of this interlocking pin? I want to remove mine. a write up or something that showed the pin would be great!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Well, for starters, if you grenaded your rear shaft, then I assume you'd take it out and hence you would have front wheel drive high range, as you'd be in 4wd hi range, but the rear output wouldn't be turning anything.

Beyond that case of basic semantics, i get what you're saying.

I was trying to figure this out on the last 300 I took apart. I didn't bother worrying about the pill with mine. In the Dana 20 for example, I think the pill is actually easily removed, like thru an access hole or something. But the interlock pills in the 300 are captured, and I'm not sure what would be the best way to get them out.

If you take the shifting mechanism off the front (the aluminum thing where your front output comes out and your shift lever(s) attach), and then lock it down somehow in a vice (gotta mind you don't marr it up in the vice) and then take the shift rails out (helps if you get them into neutral and then rotate them 90 degrees) then you can rock the assembly back and forth, and see those two interlock pills slide back and forth in their chambers between the shift rails.

On the passenger side of this assembly, there are two divots in the casting, where it looks like plugs have been inserted. These corespond with the placement of the interlock pills. So that's how they get IN there, I don't have the damndest idea how to get them OUT, cause its not a plug, its actually part of teh casting.

I think (Just THINK mind you, I haven't tried this) you could drill out those caps and the interlock pills would slide right out, and then you could have the full range of motion of the sticks.

But lets think about this realistically. Having the "full range of motion" gives you a whopping grand total of ONE more position, which as far as I'm concerned isn't worth the effort. When would you want front wheel drive hi range, unless you'd blown out a rear shaft, in which case you can just unbolt the rear shaft anyway and presto chango, front wheel high. I don't forsee and advantage to using it on the road (especially if you had a locker :eek:) or if you wanted the advantages of front wheel drive in, for example, snow, but if its that bad, just put it in 4hi and be done with it.

Just to recap: It can be done. But I don't think its worth the effort, and you'd have to figure out some way to recap the holes you opened to get the pills out to keep foreign matter from getting in there, marring the rods and possibly traveling into your case and wreaking havoc in there.

Any more questions? :flipoff2:

Boots
 
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