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Shop Now for 1985-1993 Dodge and Plymouth 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton 4x4 Dana 44 Front Axle parts, tools, & manuals. In stock for quick shipping.
In the United States, Dodge introduced a new Dana 44 front axle with a Vacuum Controlled Central Axle Disconnect (CAD) system instead of lock out hubs for the 1985 model year. The newly introduced CAD axle used a linear vacuum motor to shift a sliding collar between the differential output shaft and left inner axle shaft. The first version, which was built for the 1985-1987 model years, features a large needle bearing pressed into the end of the left axle tube to support the inner shaft next to the u-joint yoke. 1988-1993 axles use a smaller needle bearing inside the left axle tube adjacent to the CAD system to support the inner axle shaft. Other than the left side CAD related parts, many of the axle components used in these 1985-1993 axles are identical to those used in 1980-1984 non-CAD axles (non CAD axles were still built for export into the late 1980's). The CAD system did allow shift-on-the-fly 4x4 engagement, but vacuum operated CAD systems can get unreliable with age due to component wear and vacuum loss issues. The last year for this generation of CAD axle was 1993. For 1994, Dodge retained a vacuum CAD system, but the 1993 and prior, dead spindle/serviceable wheel bearing configuration was replaced by a live spindle/unitized wheel hub.
