I've done my research and know(think!) the actuator failed because it filled with water. My question is how did the water get inside the unit? The big seals look ok, yet there was a significant amount of water that I assume shorted the circuit board.
There is a little hole inside the multi-pin plug on the actuator. That's where the water was coming out. Do you guys think that's the only place?
If so, how would I prevent that from happening again ifn I put a new unit on my Rubi? Mopar sells just the actuator for almost $900. I don't want to repair and have it flood out again!
Seems like a poor design since this seems to be a common problem. Mine filled with water while driving on the interstate during an all day rain storm a few months ago.
If the motor is not out you could bypass the circuit board. Watched a youtube vid where a guy gutted the electrical stuff in there and just put in a simple switch, worked no problem
I've been playing with the stock actuator motor for months for a project I'm working on. There is no real simple switch operaton for the stock Rubicon sway bar.
Those looking to keep the electric motor and modify it will find these links helpful...
Near the bottome of the second link is the best modification info I think there is available.
For those of you trying this, be careful! It's easy to hook up 12v to "test" the motor movement and spin off the actuator plunger... PIA to get back on!
Yes, I've seen this video and sent emails. No reply yet.
I think the water is getting in through the small hole inside that plug connector. In general, it's a poor design. That plug faces to the front of my Jeep and tilted upward, so the hole is more than half way up the centerline of the actuator. As a result, the actuator fills more than half up with water, probably from tire splash.
It seems after 10 years on the market, Jeep, or AAM, the manufacturer of the Smart Bar unit itself, would take enough pride in their engineering to permanently fix this basic design flaw.
Thanks for posting this. I was aware of the manual EVO Rubicon disconnect but I had not heard of this one.
It looks pretty cool. I do have an onboard Viair compressor mounted under the hood but I will have to check with EVO to see if it would be sufficient to operate the disconnect.
Fortunately I do not need it yet but I had already been looking for options since this is a known design flaw and this looks affordable if it will work with my current air compressor.
John, no I don't, but will do something ifn I simply get a new actuator. The dielectric grease should work, but do it whenever the actuator is installed and dry inside. I would think a drop of superglue in the hole would work (in addition to the grease.) Mopar sells a new actuator for $1,200 or so. Had it on sale last month for $900.
900$ for that waaaay over complicated board..I wish engineers would stop trying to save us from our own stupid. All of that work on the ECU speed control and maglock functions..then design a housing that fills with water as well as the "waterproof plug" that shorts out driving through the rain lol. Mine literally shorted, didn't blow a fuse and began melting..while sending a massive surge and grounded out my ECU killing my jeep. I saw the plug dripping plastic and ripped the damn wires out..jeep started right up..
Hey all - based on exactly what others have said above, I am talking to people who've had their swaybar motor or gearbox fail in hope of getting Jeep to make good on repairs via recall, TSB, etc.
Personally, my dealer diagnosed a bad motor board and connectors on mine a couple months ago after it failed to unlock on a trip. Mopar lifetime warranty refused to cover it due to "corrosion," which of course was due to water getting where it shouldn't be. No warranty relief even after a LOT of phone calls and emails with Mopar. My argument was (and still is) that this part is exposed to rain/snow/puddles so it should be fully waterproof or water-tolerant. If the connector seal failed causing damage then that should be warranty.
In addition, my swaybar gearcase was so full of water, rust, and bad grease that it failed to work even manually w/ the Evo kit. Just like above, if the gearcase is full of water then something is wrong there w/ the part as well.
So anyway, PLEASE PM ME if you've had an issue w/ this POS part, especially if you've had to pay for repairs. Thanks and feel free to cross-post or share w/ people you may know.
MOPAR would not fix since I didn't have the all encompassing warranty. So I sent a letter directly to the manufacturer who first replaced the actuator then followed up by replacing the whole thing. They also paid for shipping. My dealer didn't charge for installation of the actuator but wanted me to pay for the full sway bar replacement. I saved about $150 doing it myself, although it was a pain in the butt to do so.
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