86 XJ Axle Questions

GreatGabriel · Jan 6, 2014

I have a 86 v6 4x4 5spd Ladero and I was wondering what front diff/axle or will fit. i dont know where i can check as the dealership doesn't carry that old of xjs info.

my rear is a dana 35 and from forum posts im assuming that means my front is a dana 30 but i honestly have no clue. if so will any dana 30 front axle fit ?

I hit a dirt bank going way too fast and dent a wheel . when i got home i realized it was leaking and after installing my lift i can feel a wobble from that side. im assuming its bent but is there anything else i need to/should replace ? do i just buy a new axle shaft from the auto parts store and put it in ? will i also need a axle seal ? also the front passanger side so i will need to buy a magnet because its 2 piece ?

thanks any help will be appreciated as i really wanna hit the trail again on tuesday so i have all monday fix it haha .if not i mite go out how she sits although its probably a horrible idea.

thanks,
Gabriel

here are some pictures of when i crashed and how she sits now

JohnX · Jan 6, 2014

I'd replace the whole thing with a later model axle from a Cherokee. Should be a direct bolt in and you can get stronger ujoints and ditch the vacuum disco at the same time. Verify the ratio first and be sure to get one that matches.

There is a article in the frequently asked section that covers all the axles and how they interchange. Also covers how to ID the gear ratios.

GreatGabriel · Jan 6, 2014

JohnX said:
I'd replace the whole thing with a later model axle from a Cherokee. Should be a direct bolt in and you can get stronger ujoints and ditch the vacuum disco at the same time. Verify the ratio first and be sure to get one that matches.

There is a article in the frequently asked section that covers all the axles and how they interchange. Also covers how to ID the gear ratios.

i appreciate the advice, but i would rather not go threw the trouble of having to source the right ratio and swap out everything it would also be more costly. It was working great before,i just want a quick fix so im back on the trails.

thanks i found my answer

Disconnect 30:

This axle uses a vacuum actuator on the passenger side to slide a locking collar between an intermediate shaft and an outer shaft. This feature keeps the driveshaft from spinning on the highway, thereby yielding a vibe free ride. This axle came with 260 sized u-joints (more on that later), and 27 spline shafts, just like all other Dana 30s. You can use a 95 Wrangler ABS shaft to upgrade this axle to 297/760 joints and keep the disconnect feature. Dana part numbers for this are 75589-1x for the right side and 75815-1x for the left. You can also upgrade to 297/760’s with late model non-disconnect shafts by using any TJ or XJ shafts from 95 and up vehicles, but you will need to order a seal from your local parts store in order to seal the diff, since the old seal used to ride on the disconnect portion of the outer shaft.. The CR seal number is 11771, and can be purchased from any parts store for around 7$. Please note that the seal part number is different for alloy shafts, as they are larger in the area where the seal rides. Part number CR 11801 or National 471765 will work for these larger shafts. The weak link of the disconnect axle is rarely the U-joint once it is upgraded to 297/760 size. The intermediate shaft is fairly short in these applications, and it has a large spline section where the actuator rides. This design makes the shaft excessively torsionally stiff, causing it to break the splines on the differential side. The broken part usually sticks in the diff, forcing a complete disassembly on the trail. This axle is a reverse spiral unit, commonly called hi-pinion or reverse cut (more on this below).

The only difference in the two styles is the spacing, but it means you can’t mix and match rotors from the various styles. Axle shaft lengths are the same, so you can plug in late model shafts into your early housing with no problem. Also, if you want to use the late model hub/rotor/knuckle combo, you can bolt them to your early housing without trouble.

JohnX · Jan 6, 2014

Cool. Since you're in Socal....pay up for a membership and there's a set of axle shafts in the karma thread.

GreatGabriel · Jan 7, 2014

JohnX said:
Cool. Since you're in Socal....pay up for a membership and there's a set of axle shafts in the karma thread.

i ended up picking up an outer axle shaft from inland jeep. hopefully i can throw it on tonight so tomorrow i can go 4wheeln. just need to find a spare tire ASAP

they also told me that my dana 30 has 4.10 gears so when i do upgrade ill have to swap over the gears.

sidriptide · Jan 7, 2014

i think you're barking up the wrong tree. it's not likely that you bent the outer axle shaft. the outer in a disconnect axle is huge.
you didnt really explain much about what it is doing. did you crash it and then lift it immediately before driving it again? could be as simple as the spare tire you mounted, if you are still running it, is out of balance.
look at the ball joints, steering linkage, and control arm bushings.. that sounds more like your problem.
an easy and reasonable upgrade for you is to get a complete D30 out of a newer 4 cylinder XJ and swap the entire thing. it's easier than you think.

GreatGabriel · Jan 8, 2014

sidriptide said:
i think you're barking up the wrong tree. it's not likely that you bent the outer axle shaft. the outer in a disconnect axle is huge.
you didnt really explain much about what it is doing. did you crash it and then lift it immediately before driving it again? could be as simple as the spare tire you mounted, if you are still running it, is out of balance.
look at the ball joints, steering linkage, and control arm bushings.. that sounds more like your problem.
an easy and reasonable upgrade for you is to get a complete D30 out of a newer 4 cylinder XJ and swap the entire thing. it's easier than you think.

i swapped it out today and the problem seems to be fixed although when i looked at the axle it seemed fine. it mite of been the U joints that were bent. i plan on getting a newer dana 30 when one pops up for a good price , but i have the 4.10 gearing so im going to have to swap that in there as well which im a complete noob on.

happy i was able to swap out the axle,find a spare get a nice trip in today !

kastein · Jan 8, 2014

You can't just swap gears over, it's a rather precise process and probably won't fix your problem anyways.

Also, I agree that the axleshaft did not fix your problem, nor did the U-joint. If it did, your balljoints would be stressed and your wheel bearing would be stressed as well. The only things that can make a wheel wobble like that are a bent wheel or bent unit bearing lug flange. Probably a bent wheel, I have done really stupid things to XJ unit bearings and the bearings typically get crushed or destroyed far before the flange bends.

86 XJ Axle Questions

GreatGabriel

NAXJA Forum User

JohnX

Sarge

GreatGabriel

NAXJA Forum User

JohnX

Sarge

GreatGabriel

NAXJA Forum User

sidriptide

nobody of any consequence

GreatGabriel

NAXJA Forum User

kastein

NAXJA Member

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