I just bought a 96 zj limited with the 4.0L and the 249 w/ 160k miles. I want to keep the 249 but I also want to put a 2inch OME suspension lift on it as well. I'm having a hard time finding threads where someone actually wants to keep the 249 instead of swapping it for 231 or 242. Will there be a problem having a viscous coupling if I get bad vibrations after the lift such as wearing out the coupling at a stupid fast rate? It seems there isn't an aftermarket drive shaft with viscous coupling designed for lift. It's a daily driver that I plan on taking down some dirt trails and a little offroad exploring but no rock crawling or anything hardcore. Also, light or heavy load ome? I assume a heavy duty lift will sit higher without armor (which I don't really plan on buying) but how much higher and will I get any extra travel with heavy as opposed to light? I'm trying to minimize drive shaft angle to preserve the viscous coupling so if the heavy load sits at 3" that could be a no go.
Your worries are irrelevant to the 249. It's fine. That is not at all how a viscous coupling works. The drive shaft is not specific to a viscous coupling. Vibrations from the front suspension do not have any effect on it.
I have a 2 inch lift and the 249. I like the 249, so I'm keeping it in there too. When/if it comes time to replace your VC, it's not that expensive of a part to replace and there are some excellent "how to"s on here for the repair. Not that the lift is going to speed the break down of your VC, but just saying.
That reminds me... my '97 Orvis had a donut for a spare tire, and I had to use it one day. I got up to about 20 mph and that poor donut started screaming lol, the t-case was trying to force it to spin at the same speed as the other 3.
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