Inc's Trooper Mod Thread

Incusus

Adventurer
What he said... mostly.

The ToD system uses a dozen or so sensors to determine if the rear wheels are spinning faster than the front, how far the throttle body is opened, if the abs is engaged, and a slew of other things and gives it to the transfer case unit to decide what wheel needs torque when. It takes just a bit of time to gather and process that info, and in my opinion in serious conditions that split second seems a bit too late sometimes. Combine that with the fact that it does some things that are odd to me but probably a safety feature for soccer moms; for example disengage the fronts completely when making hard turns to keep from building up spring tension (which is when you need that traction sometimes!) and I decided to opt for a bypass so I could tell the truck when to stay in 4wd, no matter what it thought ;)

I'd say that torque on demand is about like every other variable shift on the fly mechanism, which is to say its fine for moderately slick conditions, starting off from stopsigns in the winter, assisting with braking, that sort of thing. Its good for what it was designed for, which is mediocre road conditions.

On the other hand, I don't want/need lower gears or the drivetrain wear and poor fuel economy of constant 4wd (not to mention the expense of the swap itself), so Bills option is a bit to extreme for me. My trooper gets driven daily, winter or summer, highway, road, and off road, so a set of manual locking hubs and an override switch is the best option for me. I can unlock the front hubs and leave ToD off, effectively making it 2wd for highway use, lock the hubs and opt to use ToD for crappy road conditions when needed, lock the hubs and override ToD to a 50/50 split for heavy snow and ice, off highway use and almost everything else. When I need to get over/through something REALLY hairy, I can always fall back to the transfer case 4lo.

The mod isn't terribly expensive (less than $30), and is simple to do provided you take your time and make sure you get the correct pinout for your year trooper, just in case they made a change. I'd recommend it to anyone who isn't building a rock crawler.
 

SGV

Adventurer
Thanks for the info and sorry for the hijack. I will be following your build. That TOD switch sounds ideal and at this point, no warranty worries. :rockon:
 
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Incusus

Adventurer
SGV said:
... sorry for the hijack....


no sweat. without interaction my mod thread would probably be a dull thread of just me talking about what color floormats and whatnot I'm going to buy. :p

SGV said:
I will be following your build

I hope you're patient ;) as evidenced by this thread, I work slow and am realy cheap :coffeedrink:
 

SGV

Adventurer
Incusus said:
I hope you're patient ;) as evidenced by this thread, I work slow and am realy cheap :coffeedrink:

No worries. I am still researching what to get and I am very intrigued by the Troopers. The difference between a -97 and a 98+ is really a big kicker. -97 has a normal 4wd if I am not mistaken, but the 98+ has the 3.5. The really cheap part is nice cuz if I go the Trooper route, I can see what you do and copy.:peepwall:
 

bigreen505

Expedition Leader
I don't think TOD became standard until 2000. Two members here have owned '98 non-TOD Troopers. TOD was actually a selling point for me as I like the idea of it, especially when combined with the power mod, however the execution of leaves a lot to be desired.

The Trooper may be one of the most boring, plain vanilla SUVs that you can buy, but there is something enticing about a truck that you just don't have to think about that much.
 

SGV

Adventurer
bigreen505 said:
The Trooper may be one of the most boring, plain vanilla SUVs that you can buy, but there is something enticing about a truck that you just don't have to think about that much.
Although not many people would want to change shoes with me at this point, one of the best things about my position is that I like vanilla and I don't have a lot to compare too. I like the looks of the Troopers, even more the built ones, and if they get me to a destination and back, I will be happy. It will be new to me, and I really do like the looks.
bigreen505 said:
I don't think TOD became standard until 2000.
That is nice too know.
Incusus said:
Originally Posted by SGV said:
... sorry for the hijack....
no sweat. without interaction my mod thread would probably be a dull thread of just me talking about what color floormats and whatnot I'm going to buy.
You asked for it. Incusus build/Trooper talk thread! (oh, and I think you should go with all weather black rubber ones)
 

robertdarin

Adventurer
hubs

inc:keep your drive flanges with you, as you know they are not hard to change out and are nice to have laying in your tool box;) btw good luck with the new ones. as for the new rubber, nice upgrade!



sucks to t.o.d. buy a stick if you can find one:victory:
 
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datrupr

Expedition Leader
SGV said:
No worries. I am still researching what to get and I am very intrigued by the Troopers. The difference between a -97 and a 98+ is really a big kicker. -97 has a normal 4wd if I am not mistaken, but the 98+ has the 3.5. The really cheap part is nice cuz if I go the Trooper route, I can see what you do and copy.:peepwall:


Really not much of a difference between the 2 model years other than appearance. The 3.5 is more powerful and is ditributorless. I had a 98 S model that did not have T.O.D. If you are looking for a non T.O.D. model look for a 98 or 99 S model, they are more likely to not have T.O.D., depending on what package the truck came with form the factory. Also, it is more common to find a 98 or 99 with a manual, none of the manual models came with T.O.D. I know what you mean about the looks of the Trooper. I was very sad when I traded mine in. I am now in search of another exploration rig and the Trooper is back on the top of my list. I loved it, and it was just ritual to put a quart of oil in it every other Friday. You will not be dissapointed if you decide to go with a Trooper. Oh, and in your search look under the hood on the plaque to see if it has the G-80 option. I think it became standard in 2000 but was available throughout the 2nd gen model run though. Just to confuse you even more.
 

Incusus

Adventurer
:violent-smiley-031:
robertdarin said:
inc:keep your drive flanges with you, as you know they are not hard to change out and are nice to have laying in your tool box;)


Ya, I'm glad I kept them... especially since I managed to break the superwinch hubs 3 months after I got them and had to put them back on. :violent-smiley-031:
 

Incusus

Adventurer
datrupr said:
*snip* Oh, and in your search look under the hood on the plaque to see if it has the G-80 option. I think it became standard in 2000 but was available throughout the 2nd gen model run though. Just to confuse you even more.

Just to clarify, the G80 option code means it has a limited slip differential ;)
 

bootzilla

Adventurer
Incusus said:
Just to clarify, the G80 option code means it has a limited slip differential ;)

Yup!

I wanted TOD for the exact same reason as Bill, and ended up with the same opinion. It is ok for wet roads and light snow, but get it into some soft sand, and it just gets confused and bothersome (can't imagine how it might tackle some slippery rocks). I have all the parts to do the TOD mod, and I'm sure it will prove very valuable.
 

Incusus

Adventurer
added Hella 550FF driving lights
added Optima yellow top battery (finally...)
upgraded battery clamps


Now that spring's on its way and its warming up, camping season's coming! I think its time to get started on the sleeping compartment. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.
 
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Incusus

Adventurer
Photo update!

I figured it was about time to update the photos of the truck. I'll take some better ones on trail, but for now it gives you an idea of how she currently looks.

side shot...
IMG_0101.jpg


Yes, those lights are level! I have no idea why they look so weird in this pic...
IMG_0104.jpg


I took the dedicated roof rack off and went with the clip-ons again so I can take them off in the winter and get better mileage. I kept the fixed mount in the rear for stability. The setup allows 1 kayak, 3 bikes, and the hi-lift or 2 kayaks, 2 bikes & hi-lift.
IMG_0106.jpg


Engine bay, in all its sloppy wiring glory. Looms, shrink wrap and zip ties are going in this weekend to clean up that mess.
IMG_0107.jpg


Dash. Pioneer cd player, scanner, cb.
IMG_0099.jpg


Center console needs a good bath :)
The switchbox on the right runs the lights, etc with two blanks for future needs. The safety switch controlls the TOD override so I don't accidentaly trip it. It help me remember the order in which it should be switched on as well. The plastic here for acc. switches was tacky and fragile, so in this went.
IMG_0100.jpg
 

robertdarin

Adventurer
hmm... so that is what the folding mirror button looks like. i have the heated ones that fold in but no motor. can i see a picture of your rear flood and how it is mounted. i have been thinking about one but i am not sure where i would mount it ect. looking good inc.
 

Incusus

Adventurer
hmm... so that is what the folding mirror button looks like. i have the heated ones that fold in but no motor. can i see a picture of your rear flood and how it is mounted. i have been thinking about one but i am not sure where i would mount it ect. looking good inc.

Thanks for the compliment!

I actually have a bunch of pictures from the install, I was going to write something up and post it, but I never did. Let me hunt those down and I'll get them up someplace!
 

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