JL axle swap ideas

ErikOffroad

ErikOffroad

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 13, 2018
Messages
701
Location
Rochester N.Y.
So we currently own a 2018 jl Sahara. It came with 3.45 gears from factory. I found on eBay that I can buy new axles with 4.10 gears and e lockers

1979 for the rear

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=333022514982
3100 for the front

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=333073497129
The idea with with jl would be just to put these axles In and run them. I’m looking to run 35 inch tires so I still need to see if that axle ratio would work. But that would leave me with 2 spare jl axles to possibly put In a tj? I know jk axle swaps have been done I don’t see why I couldn’t do this. I also don’t know what the going rate would be to lock them and change the gear ratio right now. It’s just a idea for now.
 
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All I can tell you is that it will be a HUGE project to get those JL axles under your TJ.

In addition, those JL axles have all sorts of electronics in them that won't work with the TJ (I believe they are related to the diff and traction control).

If you are good at fabricating you can make anything work, but if not, you're going to pay a lot of money to have those installed and run into a number of other things along the way.

Your stock suspension won't work, so will you install coilovers? If you install coilovers, you'll need to outboard your shocks and do a lot of fabrication for that as well.

This is a big, big project, not for the faint of heart of light wallet.
 
Chris said:
...

In addition, those JL axles have all sorts of electronics in them that won't work with the TJ (I believe they are related to the diff and traction control).

....
Click to expand...

I'm curious about the electronics.

Unless these have the factory lockers, I would assume only the housings would be used along with new lockers and gears. At this point, any sensors can be removed and ignored.

If the factory lockers are retained, do they require more than the actuator wiring to function?
 
jjvw said:
I'm curious about the electronics.

Unless these have the factory lockers, I would assume only the housings would be used along with new lockers and gears. At this point, any sensors can be removed and ignored.

If the factory lockers are retained, do they require more than the actuator wiring to function?
Click to expand...

Good question. I saw some photos of a JL axle with the diff cover off, and there were some electronics in there that I've never seen in our older TJs. I suspect they have to do with traction control, and potentially the lockers (if it was a Rubicon I saw).

I know the JK axles are far more documented than the JL axles. While I have no doubt you could get the JL axles to work, my guess is that it would be a lot of trial and error, and any electronics they have in place wouldn't be able to work on the TJ. But like you said, you could remove the sensors I'm sure.

I just haven't seen much on JL axles in a TJ yet, so I can only speculate.
 
The big question is still whether or not the JL axles are worth the effort. I'm reasonably familiar with the criticisms of the JK axles at the inner-c's, ball joints and tubes. Where did the JL improve?
 
jjvw said:
The big question is still whether or not the JL axles are worth the effort. I'm reasonably familiar with the criticisms of the JK axles at the inner-c's, ball joints and tubes. Where did the JL improve?
Click to expand...
The axle tube diameter went from 2.5" to 2.75" and the brackets are upgraded from .120" up to .200".
C's are much larger (and aluminum now)..specs I dont know but Dynatrac had good things to say about them so thats a +
 
jjvw said:
The big question is still whether or not the JL axles are worth the effort. I'm reasonably familiar with the criticisms of the JK axles at the inner-c's, ball joints and tubes. Where did the JL improve?
Click to expand...

Supposedly the JK Recon axles fixed those inner-c issues on the JKs. Of course those axles only came on the JK Rubicon "Recon" model.

It's possible that the JL uses a similar design.
 
jjvw said:
I'm curious about the electronics.

Unless these have the factory lockers, I would assume only the housings would be used along with new lockers and gears. At this point, any sensors can be removed and ignored.

If the factory lockers are retained, do they require more than the actuator wiring to function?
Click to expand...
It's an old thread, but It doesn't hurt to keep these things updated.
Its my understanding, that ff the 4 wires that go to the locker, only two are needed. Power and ground. The other two are part of the com system (twisted yellow pair that networks all of the modules) The locker is more than happy to work with just the two power wires. They sell kits on eBay so you could wire the locker to a simple toggle switch.
 
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