AWD to 2wd Conversion?

[whitestang04gt]

Anyone attempted a AWD to 2WD conversion? Anyone know if they are different transmissions 5r55w? Any info is appreciated. Thanks

 

[rhyno]

Wouldnt you get the same results much cheaper from simply taking out the front drive shaft? Thats what i did when my truck got stuck in 4x4. Seemed to work fine.

 

[whitestang04gt]

Wouldnt you get the same results much cheaper from simply taking out the front drive shaft? Thats what i did when my truck got stuck in 4x4. Seemed to work fine.

Not sure, I was looking to pull transfer case & maybe put in a better tranny, get rid of some weight. Trying to make a street sleeper, Built motor possible s/c.

 

[410Fortune]

What truck do you have?

awd to 2wd conversion requires ALOT of work to do it RIGHT
Swapping the entire front end, removing the transmission and having it rebuilt using the tailhousing and oputput shaft from a 2wd version, then the 2wd rear driveshaft.
Also the trucks Gem module and 4x4 shift systems should be removed

If you are looking to put a "built" engine into your explorer and get a better transmission, as well as go 2wd, my advice is to sell it and get yourself a different truck....dont start with a V6 drivetrain. My favorite explorer is the 98.5-2001 Gen II 5.0L pushrod V8 personally, great engine, great transmission...bad AWD but you want 2wd so that doesnt matter...

What year is your truck? What is your background with working on these things?
Anything is possible with enough $$$ and time, but this is not a simple thing to do

 

[whitestang04gt]

What truck do you have?

awd to 2wd conversion requires ALOT of work to do it RIGHT
Swapping the entire front end, removing the transmission and having it rebuilt using the tailhousing and oputput shaft from a 2wd version, then the 2wd rear driveshaft.
Also the trucks Gem module and 4x4 shift systems should be removed

If you are looking to put a "built" engine into your explorer and get a better transmission, as well as go 2wd, my advice is to sell it and get yourself a different truck....dont start with a V6 drivetrain. My favorite explorer is the 98.5-2001 Gen II 5.0L pushrod V8 personally, great engine, great transmission...bad AWD but you want 2wd so that doesnt matter...

What year is your truck? What is your background with working on these things?
Anything is possible with enough $$$ and time, but this is not a simple thing to do

No its a 2002 Mercury Mounty 4.6L w/AWD. Motor & Built tranny isn't a problem, I may leave it AWD, just curious if anyone had done it.

 

[JCUZ]

Is the mercury full time AWD, or is it like the explorers which have the Auto 4WD option? If it's auto 4wd, then the Brown Wire Mod (BWM) is your friend. If it's AWD, then you may be the guinea pig for the BWM on a Mercury!? the BWM lets you switch between 4WD and 2WD (best of both worlds).

 

[whitestang04gt]

Is the mercury full time AWD, or is it like the explorers which have the Auto 4WD option? If it's auto 4wd, then the Brown Wire Mod (BWM) is your friend. If it's AWD, then you may be the guinea pig for the BWM on a Mercury!? the BWM lets you switch between 4WD and 2WD (best of both worlds).

I'm sure i could probably disable it in the tune, i was looking more to drop weight & components in the front to do more with long tube headers & other things.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

i know it's been doen before, not exactly sure who did it though. what are you looking to gain from it?

 

[JCUZ]

I'm sure i could probably disable it in the tune, i was looking more to drop weight & components in the front to do more with long tube headers & other things.

To change the power/weight ration, you can drop weight as you have suggested, or just up the power. Remember, too much power is never enough!

 

[410Fortune]

You cannot disable it with a tune, you have to perform the brown wire mod, try a search!

May be just what you are looking for

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

You cannot disable it with a tune, you have to perform the brown wire mod, try a search!

May be just what you are looking for

oh yeah! i remember reading that

 

[whitestang04gt]

You cannot disable it with a tune, you have to perform the brown wire mod, try a search!

May be just what you are looking for

Yeah, I would just leave it AWD or convert it, I wanted a 2wd but couldn't pass up the deal on this particular AWD, & since I have to do some tranny work, thought I might just convert it. I'll keep you posted on what I end up doing. I wanted to go 2wd so I could change out the diff & torque converter to be at a particular power range after building the motor, just not sure how well the AWD would hold up to 400-550rwhp, not to mention dyno tuning would be alot easier with just the 2wd...lol..

 

[JCUZ]

Yeah, I would just leave it AWD or convert it, I wanted a 2wd but couldn't pass up the deal on this particular AWD, & since I have to do some tranny work, thought I might just convert it. I'll keep you posted on what I end up doing. I wanted to go 2wd so I could change out the diff & torque converter to be at a particular power range after building the motor, just not sure how well the AWD would hold up to 400-550rwhp, not to mention dyno tuning would be alot easier with just the 2wd...lol..

If you do the brown wire mod, you will be able to select 2WD for dyno tuning etc.

I would say the 4WD would handle the power better than straight 2WD.

 

[CDW6212R]

No its a 2002 Mercury Mounty 4.6L w/AWD. Motor & Built tranny isn't a problem, I may leave it AWD, just curious if anyone had done it.

Those 2002+ transmissions are the same in 2WD/4WD/AWD models. Before then the output shaft would be different. You can simply buy a 2WD rear trans cover and yank the transfer case. Obviously all of the front end 4WD parts can be swapped with 2WD spindles etc. If that is AWD you should not have to change the GEM module. In older AWD's the GEM module is a 2WD GEM because the AWD has no electronics.

No one has really broken a transfer case yet with too much power. Many have regretted losing the AWD though. I'm going to a stronger BW4406 TC to keep the auto 4WD. Good luck,

 

[whitestang04gt]

Those 2002+ transmissions are the same in 2WD/4WD/AWD models. Before then the output shaft would be different. You can simply buy a 2WD rear trans cover and yank the transfer case. Obviously all of the front end 4WD parts can be swapped with 2WD spindles etc. If that is AWD you should not have to change the GEM module. In older AWD's the GEM module is a 2WD GEM because the AWD has no electronics.

No one has really broken a transfer case yet with too much power. Many have regretted losing the AWD though. I'm going to a stronger BW4406 TC to keep the auto 4WD. Good luck,

Thats what my understanding was from reading about the 02 5r55. I may stick with the AWD & do the mod, I just didn't know what the power level would be that the AWD would withstand. I am definately going to a built converter, probably a 3000-3400 stall, still doing some powerband calculations whether I'm just doing an all out N/A stroker, or the Stroker with roots style setup. After i beef up the drivetrain & suspension. Doing a custom complete dual exhaust system first. Will start a new thread once i start on the build with pics to keep everyone posted. Thanks for everyone's help in input.

 

[CDW6212R]

I was eying the BW4410 that you have, for my 5R55E. It took me a while to learn that in 2002 the whole trans case changed, and that BW4410 has to be used with a 2002+ trans, and a 2002+ PCM. Good luck with that,

 

[whitestang04gt]

So what do you think the power limitations are of the AWD?

 

[CDW6212R]

There have not been many trucks on here with AWD that had more than about 350hp. Jon has been right about there for a long time, and he just swapped to the 4WD BW4406 case.

Someone who has been inside one may know better. I had asked a rebuilder a few years ago, they don't know. If the weak link is the viscous clutch than I'd say that just the lifespan would decrease, not a catastrophic failure of that. But like any transfer case there are other parts there which will be weaker than a simple 2WD output shaft.

I'm betting that the BW4406 will be strong enough for me, because a friend here has had success with his 2003 Explorer(auto 4WD) and a strong supercharger. Alex has been likely over 450hp with that, and he is moving towards a turbo if things are still the same.

 

[whitestang04gt]

Since none of this is computer controlled by gems or pcm, & the front on the 02's have no spindles, it has hubs that the axle shafts just slide into & bolt & are part of the knuckle assembly, I would think that just removing the entire front axle, front axle shafts, front driveshaft, transfer case would be no problem & not require any other modifications other than the 2wd transmission tailshaft assembly & driveshaft. I know the oil pan is notched around the front axle, not sure if the 2wd has a full pan like a normal mustang 4.6L. I could just sell this as a complete AWD system on ebay or something.

 

[whitestang04gt]

Yes, but note that you have to change the spindles to 2WD spindles, plus 2WD rotors. The axles are required in those 4WD hubs, the spindle nut pulls the axle through, holding the inner bearings inboard. Without the axles the hubs will come apart. Some have broken their front axles to leave the outer stub in place. The best way is to swap to 2WD spindles and rotors. Regards,

Are you sure about the hubs assembly on a 2002? When I look up timken wheel bearings for the front it lists the exact same part number for the 4wd, AWD, & 2wd versions. & the same brake rotor for ALL 2002-2005 mountaineers, I don't think there are spindles on 02-05's. & I just replaced the wheel hub bearings like 2 weeks ago, there a pressed in fit, I didn't see a need for the axles to hold anything into place the way they were designed.