4th Gen Smartbar Locker Bypass Review Thread

[myoung84]

Now that I've got 12 kits out there, I would appreciate some feedback from you guys. Let me know how you like the kit, how was the install process, what could be changed, what you didn't like, etc.

[jeep_boy02]

I posted in the other thread but will here also. I think drilling a pilot hole for the self tapping screw is a nice idea, was way easier after I did that. The ground wire would be nice to exit the loom about 6" further back(towards the main unit) in the harness I think. What about shrink wrapping or sealing the ends of the plugs for the original ends, so that they are completely sealed from the elements? Noticed a cut off or missing sentence in the installation instructions too, top of page 2 I believe, not totally sure on that... other wise it's an awsome product.

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[myoung84]

The self tapping screw can be a pain, but there wasn't much else I could do with this big box. I'll make a note on the future instructions that a pilot hole helps.

If the ground wire exists the loom 6" back, should it be the same length as it is now of should it be 6" shorter? I made the 12V and ground wire 6" longer on these last kits based on a previous review, but it sounds like I need to take that 6" back off of the ground wire.

In the future, I will shoot some silicone into the 4 cavities on the dummy plug. There are already seals inside to keep out the elements but this wouldn't be a bad measure. While I'm at it, a little silicone in the two empty cavities on the locker plugs wouldn't hurt either.

Not sure what happened with the instructions, I didn't look through them after printing. Here's a link to the PDF. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/323 ... uction.pdf

Thanks for the feedback!

[jeep_boy02]

Well I'm not sure if it's that big a deal as it still worked and not everyone's install and routing will be the exact same.

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[blathrop99]

I just installed my kit today. Easy install and it works perfectly. I agree that pre-drilling a 1/8 inch hole for the self tapping screws makes those steps a bit easier but otherwise, everything was excellent. We're supposed to get 18" of snow tomorrow so I'll be testing it out at that time.

Thanks again for taking the time to engineer and build this for us.

[myoung84]

Glad everything is working great!

[Will]

I know I've bragged about this on other threads but for the review here it goes... Very easy to install, the self tapping screws were no issue to me. I work with sheet metal and I used a drill motor with a 5/16 hex head chuck and zipped them right in. Put good pressure on them and don't spin them too fast to burn up the tip. The kit works flawlessly. I took extra time taking apart the original factory plugs so I wouldn't break the fitting going into the differential itself. I found that a little shot of Corrosion X made them much easier to take apart. I suppose Wd40 or something similar would work also. One other tip I can mention is I plugged the fittings that you use to plug the old switches into the new ones to keep them clean inside while routing them to their final location.

[blindsquirrel33]

I posted my review of the kit in another thread but I will say it works great! I took the truck to my camp last Friday and went trail riding. Tried/ used the lockers several times. The lockers engaged and disengaged immediately when I used the factory knob. The bypass kit is money well spent! Thanks to myoung84 for all of his research and hard work!

[myoung84]

Glad to see happy customers! That makes all this hard work worth it!

[Will]

OK, finally went into the differentials. I wanted to try the bypass before cleaning the magnets. The lockers have worked perfectly since I installed this bypass. I have over 95k miles so I finally cleaned it all up and put fresh Amsoil Severe Duty Synthetic in. The magnets were covered with an 1/8" thick layer of metallic sludge yet they still worked flawlessly bypassing that not so smart bar. [attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1399136639232.jpg[/attachment][attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1399136667291.jpg[/attachment][attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1399136689976.jpg[/attachment][attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1399136705380.jpg[/attachment]

[Bestul360]

How and where do I order one of these kits for a 2012 wagon

Thank you
Rick

[Will]

Bump for the recent increase in happy lockers Mines still working absolutely flawlessly.

[jeep_boy02]

Yep! 76k on the odometer without a cleaning yet and instant engagement every time for me also. I have used the rear lock in 2wd about every other day for past 3 weeks cleaning up property. Best mod by far!

[2wagons1driveway]

Dammit I want one....


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[05PWrockcrawler]

Very nice.


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[JBM Power Wagon]

The kit is working GREAT in my 2014!!!! Used it hunting today and it worked like a charm getting me through a greasy mud hole in 4 hi with both diffs locked. Here are a couple more pictures of where I had to mount it behind the air box.

[myoung84]

Looks crammed in there! LOL. So you were able to just remove the two bolts holding the airbox mount to the inner fender and squeeze it back there?

[JBM Power Wagon]

Looks crammed in there! LOL. So you were able to just remove the two bolts holding the airbox mount to the inner fender and squeeze it back there?

That's exactly what I did. It is a tight fit!

[AKPW]

IM LOOKING AT DOING THE BYPASS KIT ALSO. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET A HOLD OF ONE OF THE KITS. BE GREAT LET ME NO. SOME CRAZY STUFF UP HERE IN ALASKA AND IT WOULD BE GREAT IF I HAD POWER TO ALL THE TIRES HAHA. THANKS GUYS

[2wagons1driveway]

Just pm myoung84 there! He'll hook ya up


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[Longbomber]

Got my kit installed the other day. No issues at all, went in very smoothly. The hardest part was taking the connector apart at eash diff, I didn't want to break the tabs off the factory connector and with the metal guards in place its a tight fit in there.

Lockers work awesome, now if I could get rid of the stability control in high range. Sure sucks to be cross rutted and the electronics start applying the brakes.

[2wagons1driveway]

Got my kit installed the other day. No issues at all, went in very smoothly. The hardest part was taking the connector apart at eash diff, I didn't want to break the tabs off the factory connector and with the metal guards in place its a tight fit in there.

Lockers work awesome, now if I could get rid of the stability control in high range. Sure sucks to be cross rutted and the electronics start applying the brakes.

pull your abs fuse. Lockers and swaybar still work you should just have to lamps every time you pull it on the dash. That's what I do cause I hate that esp crap. Fact that you can turn it off but not really really blows.


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[Juday]

Installed the kit yesterday and it works great! Absolutely worth the money I spent on this!

BTW, when I was adjusting the relays, that buzzing sound when they make contact scared the shit out of me! Also, one thing I did notice, I made the contact with the key in the "ON' position and everything worked great. After I buckled everything up and turned the truck on to see if they work, the rear locker relay had a buzzing sound coming from the relay. So, I had to take a few things back off and re-adjust the relay until the sound went away. That might be something you might want to mention in the instructions?

Otherwise, AWESOME product! Thanks Morgan!

[jeep_boy02]

Whats this "adjusting" you speak of? Did you change something up Morgan? I do not remember that at all in my installation.

[Juday]

Whats this "adjusting" you speak of? Did you change something up Morgan? I do not remember that at all in my installation.

You probably purchased yours when he still had his Power Wagon and could adjust the relays himself. I believe, now that he doesn't have the PW anymore, the customer has to adjust the relays themselves.

If you unscrew the black control box (4 small screws), you will see the inner workings of how it works. In order for the knob in the truck to make the black box work, you have to adjust the relays until they make solid contact. It's a piece of cake and not a big deal at all.