297 axles ?'s

jeepmj_tj · Dec 11, 2003

what year xj's got the 297's joints? and were they still a disco axle or not?

How many of the older xj guys on here still run the 260's and go wheeling often?

I'm trying to decide if i wanna take my chances and just wait to upgrade untill mine "goes boom", or upgrade now and not worry as much.

everyones thoughts welcome, Ill be sitting with the d30 for a while. unless someone misteriously throws a d44 hp already set up for coils in the back of the truck one night!!!!!

XJEEPER · Dec 11, 2003

jeepmj_tj said:
what year xj's got the 297's joints? and were they still a disco axle or not?

How many of the older xj guys on here still run the 260's and go wheeling often?

Not sure the year that 297's first appeared in XJ's......thinking 96? YJ's had disco D30's and 297's in 96, which will swap into the XJ disco D30. You can buy these shafts new for about $200/set, or find them used.

I have an 89 XJ with a disco 30 and still run 260 joints and after 6 years, have yet to have one fail. My wheeling is done mainly in Moab and the Wasatch Mtns.
Here is my theory as to why.......32" tires, no front locker, easy on the throttle. Plus I installed new Spicerr 260's 6 years ago, the type with the zerk in the end of the cap instead of the web.

If you run a 33"+tire or a front locker or use a lot of throttle with your type of wheeling, then the 297 joints are a better choice, but I see folks break these too so they aren't a guarantee against breakage. Alloy shafts and 297/760 joints seem to be the setup for bigger tires and lockers up front, but there are many variables to this as well.

IntrepidXJ · Dec 12, 2003

XJEEPER said:
Not sure the year that 297's first appeared in XJ's......thinking 96?

My 92 has the 297's, but that's because I have ABS. All XJ's with ABS that I have seen, have the 297's

jeepmj_tj · Dec 12, 2003

is your axle a straight tube, or disco axle.

IntrepidXJ said:
My 92 has the 297's, but that's because I have ABS. All XJ's with ABS that I have seen, have the 297's

IntrepidXJ · Dec 12, 2003

non-disco

jeepmj_tj · Dec 12, 2003

so that means, that xj's with selectrac 242 with abs had 297's... would any of the disco axles have 297's?

Renegade Jpr · Dec 12, 2003

297x's appered in the last year production run of YJ's, 1995. All TJ's have them too. Notice, there is no such thing as a 96' Wrangler

. They had to stop the production line due to some much new re-tooling to start the TJ's. There were lots of 95' YJ being sold new in the year of 1996 though. Im not sure what years the XJ's came with 297x's, I have 4wheeled the hell out of my XJ with the stock 260's and havent broke them yet...but I was not running a locker. I just got a Detroit EZ locker up front installed and also up graded to 297x joints/shafts and will be keeping my 260's for spares just incase.

xj92 · Dec 12, 2003

Search:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13019&highlight=297+years+options

LOCKED UP · Dec 12, 2003

Pulled this from JF....

Front Axles
Dana 30 high pinion - reverse cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear - used 84-99 (some axles through 91 are vacuum disconnect, 92+ are non-disconnect, 89-95 with ABS have 5-297x u-joints, all 95+ have 5-297x u-joints, all others have 5-260x u-joints)

Dana 30 low pinion - standard cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear, 5-297x u-joints - used 00-01

......

Question of my own..... will 00 XJ, non dissconnect shafts fit a dissconnect axle out of a YJ?

Renegade Jpr · Dec 12, 2003

LOCKED UP said:
Pulled this from JF....

Front Axles
Dana 30 high pinion - reverse cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear - used 84-99 (some axles through 91 are vacuum disconnect, 92+ are non-disconnect, 89-95 with ABS have 5-297x u-joints, all 95+ have 5-297x u-joints, all others have 5-260x u-joints)

Dana 30 low pinion - standard cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear, 5-297x u-joints - used 00-01

......

Question of my own..... will 00 XJ, non dissconnect shafts fit a dissconnect axle out of a YJ?

They should...dont see why not.

jeepmj_tj · Dec 13, 2003

LOCKED UP said:
Pulled this from JF....

Front Axles
Dana 30 high pinion - reverse cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear - used 84-99 (some axles through 91 are vacuum disconnect, 92+ are non-disconnect, 89-95 with ABS have 5-297x u-joints, all 95+ have 5-297x u-joints, all others have 5-260x u-joints)

Dana 30 low pinion - standard cut - 27 spline, 1.16" diameter shafts, 7.13" ring gear, 5-297x u-joints - used 00-01

......

Question of my own..... will 00 XJ, non dissconnect shafts fit a dissconnect axle out of a YJ?

thanks for the info. and for your question. yes the non disco shafts will go into a disco axle, but you will need to buy a passenger side diff seal and take out the seal in the vac housing.

RobertF · Dec 13, 2003

The disco housing doesn't accept the passenger side seal that a non-disco uses when you replace the two-piece axle with a one-piece. It takes a special seal you can get from Warn's or Randy's Ring and Pinion's conversion kit that comes with a block-off plate as well.

jeepmj_tj · Dec 14, 2003

i was searching on car-parts.com and they dont list an xj d30 vac disco having abs. only axles they list with abs are non disco axle that would have came in xj's with selectrak. is this true? car-parts data base is usually pretty acurate.

granitecrawler · Dec 15, 2003

Both the ABS shafts for disco and non-disco axles are available in the 297 joint size. www.lmt4x4outfitters.com has them, as well as the block-off plate kit with seal for the disco axles.

Tracy

Amund2 · Dec 15, 2003

If swapping to 297-joints, you have to swap out the axle piece in the hub as well, right? To get a yoke that fits the 297-joint?

granitecrawler · Dec 16, 2003

yes, you will need the outer stub shaft that matches the 297 u-joint. They usually come as a complete set that include the inner, outer, and u-joint pre assembled per side.

Tracy

297 axles ?'s

jeepmj_tj

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XJEEPER

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IntrepidXJ

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jeepmj_tj

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Renegade Jpr

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LOCKED UP

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Renegade Jpr

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jeepmj_tj

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RobertF

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