Why the huge range of prices for 4WD axle disconnect assembly?
- Thread starter AdsoYo
- Start date
Biggest difference is the name brand. There are some Chinese "weird alphabet name" knock-offs that I have read online that have poor quality actuators (the electrical part of the disco) that are probably the cheapest. A-Premium is an American company that imports parts from China and may be of better quality. Dorman is a known name brand that may or may not be any better than the Chinese parts. Whichever one you choose, look for one that says that has an improved or reinforced shift fork as that was a common failure point on the original part. The electrical actuator is less failure prone and could be reused on a cheap Chinese disco that has a bad one, which I have read some people do. Read reviews, if there are any available, for indications of early failures.
Axles are a pretty hard part that should be OK to get on the cheap. Read reviews.
Axles are a pretty hard part that should be OK to get on the cheap. Read reviews.
When I replaced the unit on my '06 TB I went with the Dorman part. They do have the reinforced shift fork. No problems after 3 years with the disconnect itself, but the OEM actuator itself died about a year ago. Replaced it with another GM unit. Back to happy land! 
One other thing I wanted to mention: When you replace the disconnect, do not try to simply pry it out the differential! Bad things will happen, like breaking off the collar of the disconnect in the differential. 
Jack up the vehicle, put it on jackstands, remove the plastic skid plate. After removing the bolts holding the disconnect to the differential and working underneath the truck tap the front of the disconnect up towards the fender until it stops. It won't move far. Now do the same to the rear of the disconnect. Repeat a couple of times. Now tap the disconnect outwards towards the hub just a bit. Tap it back in. Repeat the process going a bit farther out each time until the disconnect pops free.
The disconnect tends to become corrosion bonded to the differential, and tapping it up and down and back and forth breaks that bond. Trying to force it out with a crowbar will result in you saying words you didn't know you knew!
And parts can be purchased to rebuild the old one so you'll have a spare.They're not really all that complicated. Your Saab is AWD, IIRC.
offroadtb.com
Jack up the vehicle, put it on jackstands, remove the plastic skid plate. After removing the bolts holding the disconnect to the differential and working underneath the truck tap the front of the disconnect up towards the fender until it stops. It won't move far. Now do the same to the rear of the disconnect. Repeat a couple of times. Now tap the disconnect outwards towards the hub just a bit. Tap it back in. Repeat the process going a bit farther out each time until the disconnect pops free.
The disconnect tends to become corrosion bonded to the differential, and tapping it up and down and back and forth breaks that bond. Trying to force it out with a crowbar will result in you saying words you didn't know you knew!
And parts can be purchased to rebuild the old one so you'll have a spare.They're not really all that complicated. Your Saab is AWD, IIRC.
Front Axle 4WD Disconnect Rebuild | offroadTB.com
offroadtb.com
Wow sounds like a huge ordeal. Luckily my disconnect popped out with no effort. I spent an hour hammering on the cv axle and trying to pry it and it never budged. That's when I decided to unbolt the disconnect and remove them both as one. Yes the Saab has the automatic AWD system.
If it's a Saab with the non-switchable AWD, make sure the disconnect you get is the one without the electrical actuator. A lot of people think the one for the switchable 4x4 from the TB and Envoy are interchageable with the AWD system or they are sometimes wrongly listed on Amazon and eBay. They're not.
What I mentioned regarding the shift fork doesn't matter as there is none in these. I'm sorry for missing what vehicle you have in your signature.
What I mentioned regarding the shift fork doesn't matter as there is none in these. I'm sorry for missing what vehicle you have in your signature.
Got it installed, it was a very snug fit. Had to coat it with ceramlub 2800 to get it fully seated. Did a bunch of other stuff too but I'm gonna start a separate cam swap/dod delete/diff swap thread for that.
