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Need a source for 297-type D30 axles...

WrenchMonkey

WrenchMonkey

NAXJA Member #771
NAXJA Member
Location
East of Cincinnati
I understand that I need the shafts out of a 95 YJ (to keep the disco), but I can't find a cheap source.

DriveTrainDirect says they're backordered three months, and Quadratec wants like $350 for the pair.

I've heard (around here) that I might get em as cheap as $200. Anybody know where?

Thanks much,
Robert
 
Buy the two inner shafts you need and then just buy a set of stubs out of a XJ for the outers.

Sounds like Quadratec is trying to sell you all three inner shafts and the stubs.

Lincoln
 
Well, the Q-tec price is for the whole assemblies - inner, outer and u-joint (but no intermediate shaft).

Driver's side w/ABS is $210, w/o is $158.
Pass side with is $163, w/o is also $158.

Not sure if I need the ABS type or not. They list them as fitting 91-95, and I thought the non-ABS only got the 297 in 95, but I may very well be wrong...

Thanks again...
Robert
 
You need the '95 wrangler with ABS. If I remember correctly Jeep only offered the 297's in conjuction with ABS in the 96 and down erra. From Quad's website:
U-Joint Assembly 297X, with ABS: 1991-95 - 52302 02

Also, I believe Randy's only sells a replacement one piece shaft. The only place I know you can get the disco 297's is the wrecking yard or new.

Quad's prices have gone wayyyy up.
52400 07 - $104.95
52400 09 - $ 209.95

Those two used to be around $95 and $110. For the price they're asking you might was well scrap the disco and run Warn inners. I bet you could get them cheaper at the dealer. If you get junk yard outers you can get the bearings with them and put them back on your old shafts and use them for spares.

Call around and find someone that orders from Crown Autoparts. Crown has a website and a number so they could probably tell you who is a dealer close. Those are the shafts the Quad is selling.

Good Luck.
Lincoln
 
Called Randy's, the sales guy (who at least SEEMED to have a clue :) ) said the disco axle with ABS was no longer available, but assured me that the non-ABS was in fact still a 297 unit.

$117, be here Tuesday.

I'll update then whether it's the right part or not, and post a part number. (Didn't think to get one on the phone.)

btw, Lincoln, that pass part number, 52400.07, lists at $162.96. Ouch.

$104.95 will get you the intermediate shaft ('tween the diff and the disco) p/n 52402.01, or the pass side outer stub, p/n 52433.00...

But really, guys, big thanks to all!
 
Randy's Ring and Pinion numbers for D30 axles:
DAN75588-1X Right hand disconect 297 axle
DAN75814-1X Left hand 297 axle
DAN 75814-2X Right hand one piece 297 axle

These are all complete Spicer axle assemblies at prices that give no excuse to be breaking 260 u-joints.
 
BTW, the only difference on the Dana/Spicer axles (297 equipped, obviously) between ABS and non-ABS is the tone ring. The non-ABS yoke is even machined for it.
 
Crap. (need help please...)

Well, good news is I got my axle, and it appears to be a quality unit. Thanks for the contact!

The bad news is the classic snowball effect...

The output shaft is bigger on this than on my old 260. I'm sure this is stronger, and that'd be a good thing, but it also means the $140 hub/bearing I bought a month ago won't fit. So I get another, bigger one.

But now my brand new $50 rotor won't fit over the bigger hub. And, near as I can tell, the $40 pads to go with that rotor wont fit on the bigger rotor I now need...

Which brings me up the foodchain to the caliper. If I go get another disc and corresponding pads, does anybody know if they'll fit the caliper?

If not, changing the caliper may be one step further than I really wanna go. I may just pull all the crap back out and go back to the 260... God I'd hate to do that...

Please help! (Thanks in advance!)

Robert
 
WAIT! Something ain't right here. I don't remember anyone having trouble doing a straight swap.

Check the outer stub against the hub again. I swapped in a set of 297 axles on my 94 (originally had 260s) with ZERO trouble.
 
That may be my problem... Mine's an 89.

All the parts books are saying 84-89 and 90-01...

Robert
 
"The output shaft is bigger on this than on my old 260." ?????????? Explain what you are calling the output shaft.

Something definately doesn't sound right. As far as I know all of the stubs have the same demensions except for the joint. The hub needs to match the rotor but that shouldn't apply here.

Does the new stub have threads on the end like the old one? Did they happen to sell you a stub for a D30 with the hub conversion?

The date range is for the axle joint size. Doesn't apply alway's. Using my old 260 shafts ('89) for a '95 YJ. They fit fine.

Can you post a picture. Can you e-mail me one? PM if you need me to post it.
 
Sorry, no pix...

The very outer end of the axle is threaded like the old one, where the hub nut goes on...

Inboard of those threads, the splined section the hub itself engages on, is a hair bigger around...

Thanks guys,
Robert
 
Last edited:
Haven't ever seen that. Did you call Randy's? You might still be able to catch someone there. ~5:30 there.

I have had them go on tight before. How much bigger? Could it be dirty splines in the hub or is it much more than that?
 
Well, maybe, I mean I hope...

I test fit my old, crusty hub onto it, but only because the splines on the two axles looked different sitting side-by-side, and it didn't wanna go on. Maybe it was just hub-crud. The new hub (For a 90+) slid on like silk, but I never did try the new 89 hub.

Tomorrow night I'll pull the hub back out and try the other...

Thanks!
 
The 89 and lower front axles are quite different from the 90 and up axles, aside from the u-joints. I swapped an 88 axle into my 90 and had to use the calipers from the 88 to make it work. The axle stub, unit bearing, rotor, and calipers are all different. You can put the 90 and up axle shafts into the 89 and lower housing along with the unit bearing and rotor from the 90, I think, but I don't know if you can take the 90 caliper and put it on the early axle and the whole thing work. The question to ask is whether or not the earlier year stub axle can be modified to use the 297 u-joint. If so, you could use the old stub axle on the new inners with the 297 u-joint. Is the difference, just the size of the bearing caps? If so, it should be possible to machine the outer stub ears for the 297 joints.

Let me know, I was about to do the same thing. Completely spaced out the difference in the unit bearings and stub axles. Duh!

Fred
 
XJeff n Lincoln, you guys were right, I'm just an f'n idiot. :dunce:

The 89 style hub assy wouldn't go on cause it had (apparently) fifteen years and 160k miles of crud n corrosion in it. The new one slid right on. All is now happy!

Oh, and gearwhine, thanks a lot to you too. I was feelin pretty damn good about getting my axle for $117. Now you show me I overpaid $40.... :doh: Thanks anyway...

Thanks again guys,
Robert
 
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