pmbaseball24

I have the 4 gallon rotopax mounted direct to the cab side of my bed. You can see the pictures in my build. I can get you some more pictures if that would be helpful. Pretty happy with how it turned out. Even full of fuel, the bed still tilts up and easily stays in the dump position. Not too much weight to make it collapse back down. Good luck with the project!

Also interested in this topic. On a side note... jimmyjames, where are ya from? Tucson here.

Welcome to the forum. Congrats on the new toy! Bad ass Jeep!!

Interesting read for sure. Don’t worry, no wars will be started here. I personally enjoy wrenching on my stuff and learning as I go through the process. Here is a link to the video from another “bearing greaser” manufacturer that I watched before doing mine. Granted, these guys are trying to sell a product so of course they want you to pack that bearing full! Is it right or wrong?... who knows, I guess time will tell. Jason, maybe you want to hold off on this project. I already went down the rabbit hole so it’s too late for me Anyone else have any thoughts or opinions on this?

Didn’t seem to be. It took about 15-20 pumps each from a battery powered grease gun until it was visible coming out the seals if I’m remembering correctly. Glad I did it. These come very under greased from the factory, which falls in line with videos I have watched online. Does the lack of being packed full increase the wear rate at all? I don’t know the answer but I sure feel better having them full. More grease=less room for water and dirt to hide IMO. Good luck with the project! Let me know how many pumps it takes you to fill yours up.

Yes I had to remove the lower ball joints to slide the axle out far enough. Wasn’t too bad of a job.

I think I found it... there are 11 (I think) total female metal connectors inside that wiring block that clips to the switch. Tried pulling them all out again and 1 of them backed out on me with ease. Must have missed this one when I tugged on them earlier. Pushed the switch back on the wiring block and manually pushed number “3” female on the male connector. So far so good. Engages every time I switch it.

I should note, this video was with the ignition switch to the “on” position but not running. I was trying to take a loose connection/ shaking machine from the engine running out of play. I took the switch apart and all the internals seem to be working fine. Doesn’t seem to be any loose wires going to the black plastic block that clips to the switch. Thanks for your help Andy! Let me know what you think.

I THINK I have it narrowed down to the switch. Take a look at this video and let me know what you think.

Quick update, let the machine sit for a little while. Turned it on and I could hear the actuator engaging in the rear again. Flipped it on and off a few times and it worked fine. Then I switched it on and while the switch was on and engaged on the dash, it disengaged itself and the light went dim on the top. Switch issue? Jiggled the wires and couldn’t get it to recreate the issue again in the “4wd on position”. I’m officially lost at this point.

We have had no issues on trails at all. The defender max isn’t the smallest unit out there and isn’t quite as nimble around corners, but I wouldn’t trade the interior space and comfort for anything. We might have an occasional 3 point turn here and there around tight turns but it’s minimal. I feel like the turning radius is very good on these machines.

Just started this weekend, at a bad time out on the trail (of course). Luckily the rear locker still functioned to get us out. Once we got home, I got it to lock back in once or twice and then it stopped again. Now I can’t get it in at all. Seems to be something electrical to me. Put a volt meter on the switch, pulled the plug on the actuator and am getting power there as well. Does anyone have any ideas where to start with diagnosing this? Is there a relay that could be hanging up? 10 amp fuse by the battery in the rear is good. Any help here is appreciated. Trying to avoid a trip to the dealer if possible!

Hey Jason. This is the one I bought for my 2020 hd10 max. You still have to remove the axle from the hub, but it wasn’t awful to do. Doesn’t show any o rings in the picture for some reason, but mine came with them. Won’t inject grease without them. Great tool! Good luck!

Mark, I never even thought about that scenario. Glad I’m not alone, but wish this wasn’t an issue. I find myself frequently leaving it in neutral and locking the e-brake when in the garage or out in the field. The only time I really attempt to find park is when we are trailering the machine. I’ll probably give my dealer a call on Monday and find out if there is any adjustments that can be done to solve the problem.

Has anyone had any issues getting their machine to shift into park. Shifts out of park just fine, shifts through the gears fine. It seems a little “notchy” when I come out of a gear and put it into park. Almost have to roll it a little to get it to engage. Is this a simple adjustment on the shift cable? Just wanted to see if anyone else had this issue. I should note, this is when I’m parking in the garage on a flat surface, or anywhere for that matter. Happens 3 out of 4 times I would say. Any help is appreciated!

🤣 she isn’t so clean any more. It was fun while it lasted though!

Very happy with them! We don’t get into much heavy mud/ snow riding out here in the desert, so these suit my needs perfectly. I’m very happy with the look of them too.

I did a custom radio that I have posted in my build section. Check that out and let me know if you have any questions. I’m very happy with the quality and sound of the wet sounds products I used.

Good find right there!!!

Welcome!!

How many miles/ hours do you currently have on your defender? Include your year, model and engine! Have you ran into any major mechanical problems other than routine maintenance? I’ll kick it off! I won’t win this challenge, but you can’t beat hearing stories on these machines proving their durability and dependability through the test of time. 2020 Defender Max Lonestar HD10 267 miles/ 19.4 hours No issues at all!

Thanks Dragoon!

Thanks JDK. I got all the switches from a guy on eBay. His name on there is nelson6184. He sells all the matching switches with the correct color backlight. Went for another ride today and I have to say I’m happy with the new ride and handling. The only reason I even entertained removing the bars was because I have the stiff springs. The increase in suspension articulation in rough terrain is much improved which makes the ride significantly better. I can tell there is a little more body roll on flat roads but it doesn’t seem to be much different from stock. As these springs get broken in, I’ll keep you posted. If the handling deteriorates, the back one will go back on. I think the front one has found itself a permanent home on my garage shelf.

Mossy, I put new 14” wheels on my Defender. I went with “5+2” offset and added 1” spacers on the rear. My rear wheels are 1/4” closer together than the fronts. Hope this helps!

Build update: Replaced the brake pads with Race Driven pads. Amazing difference. Brakes are silent, the way you would figure they should be from the factory. Brooke over at race driven was great to deal with. She explained the factory pads do not have much (if any?) brass content. The add this In their pad formula and it makes a huge difference. Took it for a spin and they seem to perform the same as the factory pads as far as stopping power. Great product for sure! Also finished the high beam Auxito led headlight project. Added the rear KC backup lights and factory backup switch in the dash. Great idea started by Stapleton! Installed a wireless remote kit for the winch. Works great! Re-spooling the winch is now a 1 man job! While I was changing the brakes I also decided to remove the front sway bar to get a little more articulation from the front end. The new springs from S3 are more firm so I didn’t imagine I would notice a huge difference in body roll/ cornering from just removing the front. Took it for a ride after removal and it was barely noticeable. Off-road, it seemed to smooth out on rough terrain. Took it a step further and removed the rear sway bar. We use our defender very light and really never hit any high speeds or high speed corners. It is more noticeable with the rear removed, but I am going to leave it this way and see how it performs when we go riding tomorrow.