Well I tore into my disconnect. My find was surprising.

[clickscrazy]

This is a continuation of a thread from the offroad board. Thought it was better here.

I got my disconnect out. It WAS NOT easy because the CV was stuck inside the disconnect. I had to remove the entire housing, and disassemble the disconnect into the 2 halves to get it out.

After it was out I had to beat the CV directly with a hammer to get it out.

ANYWAY. I examined the disconnect and could not find any obvious issue.

No bearings broken. Shift fork looked good. Plenty of grease.

So maybe this is not my problem diagnosed by the 4wd problems chart...OR the actuator was not working though it did make the sound with now 4WD service light.

I will install the new disconnect soon and will update the post.

Man I hope the disconnect is the problem and not the front diff.

[TBYODA]

This is a continuation of a thread from the offroad board. Thought it was better here.

I got my disconnect out. It WAS NOT easy because the CV was stuck inside the disconnect. I had to remove the entire housing, and disassemble the disconnect into the 2 halves to get it out.

After it was out I had to beat the CV directly with a hammer to get it out.

ANYWAY. I examined the disconnect and could not find any obvious issue.

No bearings broken. Shift fork looked good. Plenty of grease.

So maybe this is not my problem diagnosed by the 4wd problems chart...OR the actuator was not working though it did make the sound with now 4WD service light.

I will install the new disconnect soon and will update the post.

Man I hope the disconnect is the problem and not the front diff.

Pictures would help us help you.

[clickscrazy]

The new disconnect fixed everything. I finished up at mid night.

So who knows what the problem was inside the disconnect.

[Trail X]

Any wear inside the disconnect will sometimes prevent alignment of the side gears. Their operation is dependent on precise alignment. Normally the culprit is the outside bearings wearing down a bit and allowing the outside gear to wiggle a little. The clearance between the outside gear and the outside bearings need to be very tight. Sometimes the wear isn't entirely obvious without comparing it to an unworn disconnect. Glad your 4wd system is working well now, and I'm glad the flowchart didn't fail you. I hope that the upgraded disconnect you purchased will wear better than the stock one.