Hack and tap SYE... who broke it? who runs it?

[Kejtar]

I want a quick show of hands of who has it and didn't break it... and who has it and broke it, and how!

I know that regular full blown is waaaaaaay better... but it's more of a PITA to put in (difference on the cost is ridiculously low.. .so it doesn't really matter that much in the decision) but the ease of install does sound tempting.....

[Wayne Sihler]

Ok,I put one on at 78,000 miles.Today it has 170,000 on the clock.No problems.No leaks. There is a little looseness in the splines but no vibes at legal speeds.
Wayne

[bill hitchcock]

been running mine for 30.000 miles threw all kinds of stuff. ben working great for me.

[EricsXJ]

I've had mine for over a year now and its been flawless.

[kelly klassen]

I was looking into exactly this a while back and I had a real hard time getting anyone to 'fess up about actual problems with this kit. There were a few, but you really have to hunt for them. Of course quality is in the man holding the tool, so theoretically, (big theoretically) one could produce an equivalent kit to the *real* ones. However in the real world when push comes to shove, it's not a real question.
Which would I choose? Hands down, I'd go with the RE hack & tap, if I didn't make one myself. I have a hard time paying anyone else to do what I can do myself. Plus it's fun!

[ColoCherokees]

I'm running it, no probs. If anything were to break, I'd say the output shaft itself or some other t-case part would go first. I don't see the sense in spending tons of cash to modify a chain driven alum. housing t-case. If the Hack n Tap breaks, you need something beefier than the 231/242.

[Ivan]

I've been running one for about 4 years now without any problems. Really easy to install, and you leave a perfectly good seal alone...

Ivan

[XJRockcrawler]

I've had mine for over 3 yrs, no probs. My rear driveshaft crapped out on me, while I was wheelin recently, but the SYE is fine, just had to get a new driveshaft.

[Fishbulb]

Have had mine in a little over a year now with no problems.

[RCP Phx]

There was someone here just last month with a photo of his broken one.They tend to break at the speedo drive area.Consider that the HD units are stronger,the same price, and you get a much longer driveshaft.Also since you have a 98 its probably even better idea.
http://members.aol.com/rpayne9421/images/jb shaft.jpg

[woody]

Since I already have a double-cardan shaft long enough to work with a short-shaft kit, the Advance Adapters HD kit is where I'll be spending my $ very shortly beforeI get my 6" lift on.

Plus I'll have a spare uncut shaft & tailcone for swappin stock or a spare for other Jeeps

Otherwise I'd be giving Tom Woods a call.

[Lincoln]

http://www.4xshaft.com/

You can get basically the same as the hack and tap for $400 with his premium shaft ($300 on it's own) or the heavy duty for $525 with no core charge.

I put the $400 kit in a wrangler last week. 2 hours.

If your going to break it, it will be at the speadometer gear. I think that just depends on how much stress you put it under over time.

I wouldn't worry about it unless your Bones. Has he ever made a trip without some major problem? I think someone's out to get him.

Later,
Lincoln

[TOZOVR]

You (1998 XJ) can score the RE kit and a nice Spicer CV Shaft from most RE dealers for under $350.

[Lincoln]

Ooop! I wasn't paying attention.

I would still buy it from Woods though.

I also noticed Kejtar was asking about installing. Just get a good set of snap ring pliers and have at it. It's really very simple. Wrap a loop of safety wire around the pump pickup tube and you can pull it right back into position. I think I would still pull the case even if I was doing the hack and tap just so I could work on a bench.

Aslo, on the one's I've done I alway's just call Tom and gave him the measurment from the axle yoke to the stock the stock seal flange. He adjusted my measurement to compensate for the slip yoke. Then there wasn't any down time.

Later,
Lincoln

[Kejtar]

Thanks guys.... I think I will end up going with normal SYE then.... as the more I think about it... it'd be a bear to drill the hole in the proper center :(

Kejtar

[Safari Ary]

Kej, I did my Hack 'n Tap SYE install in 3 hours, in the pouring rain, w/ one halogen lamp for lighting. I was at a friend's house, w/ tools I wasn't familiar with, and it went on without a hitch(for the most part). Anyway, I've been running it without a problem for 8 months now. HTH, Peace

Ary

P.S. The check should be in the mail tomorrow or thurs.

[Kejtar]

Thanks Ary,
How hard was it to do the hole centered? did you have any problems drilling?

Kejtar
P.S. Let me know how the shackles work out :)

[RCP Phx]

The hole doesnt need to be perfect unless your concerned about the weight of a 10gram bolt spinning a little of center(a few thou from dead center) at 5000rpm(LOL).Its only purpose is to hold the yoke on,the splines do all the centering.For the money involved I still recommend the HD kit,no more vibes and a setup that will take you there (and into the future) and bring you back!

[RCP Phx]

Btw:I did the tap style at first!Drilling/tapping that hole took ALLDAY and wasnt any fun at all!

[Ivan]

Originally posted by RCP Phx
Btw:I did the tap style at first!Drilling/tapping that hole took ALLDAY and wasnt any fun at all!

What the heck did you do to take so long? I did my install from start to finish in about an hour and half, taking my time; including shimming the axle to spec. Cutting the shaft took less than 45 seconds. Drilling & tapping took about 15 minutes as I was extra careful for that step. Spent a good part of the time mostly scoping out what other things I could do while I layed under my Jeep :)

[RCP Phx]

That shaft was hardened WELL.I bought cobalt and titanium bits,it would hardly scratch the thing,ended up putting some heat to it to anneal the area!

[Safari Ary]

you must've gotten an oddball shaft, drilling and tapping mine was the easy part. Used the drill bit and tap that came with the stuff and still use them today. I admit my hole is slightly off-center, but it hasn't caused any vibes yet.

When I cut the shaft, I put the jeep in gear(can't remember if it was drive or reverse) and just held the angle grinder up to the mark I had measured. I took it slow, doing a 3rd of the shaft every 20 mins or so(taking breaks for it to cool some). That's what took so long, waiting for the damned thing to cool. BTW, there's a GREAT write-up at www.dpgoffroad.com that Dirk wrote. It's what I followed and I couldn't have asked for a better instruction sheet. BTW, if you do decide to get this kit, make sure you clean up the splines REAL WELL, maybe even file them a little. I ended up taking the dremel to the very ends of the splines to "sharpen" them so that the flange would line up. Anyhow, best of luck. Peace

Ary

[EricsXJ]

Originally posted by Ivan
...Cutting the shaft took less than 45 seconds...
:eek: 45 seconds? Dang! Cutting my shaft took an hour mostly due to having an awkward saw (skill saw) and being nervous about it. I think an angle grinder would have been easier to handle. My cut was dead straight though! Didn't even need to file it down. I also tried a practice cut with the shaft spinning. I didn't like that so I did it stationary.

True the hole doesn't need to be dead center - mine is off a tad and I have no vibes. Whats more important is making sure the hole is drilled deep enough. If its too shallow, you can't tap enough threads in and the bolt will bottom out and not hold the flange on tightly.

My install time took between 2-3 hours in the middle of the night. I like to take things real slow.

[FarmerMatt]

The RE kit has handle my abuse so far.

Matt

[TOZOVR]

Originally posted by FarmerMatt
The RE kit has handle my abuse so far.

Matt

Matt...could you post some pics of your rig on the trail with that kit? I too run it but when I tell them I'm running it with 31" Swampers here in the East, I still get doubting Thomas's...

I've see what you put your rig through LOL! As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words.

[WayneXJ]

I've had the RE hack'n'tap for 2 years now with no problems.

http://www.stoverplatinumfiles.com/pics/stuff/rattlesnake/8.jpg

[Greg Nauman]

if woods knows you are using re hack n tap he will not sell you a drive shaft

[Ralph]

I installed a Advanced Adapters HD SYE about 2 1/2 years ago. It's not a big deal. Just make sure to have some good snap ring pliers and a 12 point 10mm socket.

RR3

[BigNutt]

Originally posted by Ralph
I installed a Advanced Adapters HD SYE about 2 1/2 years ago. It's not a big deal. Just make sure to have some good snap ring pliers and a 12 point 10mm socket.

RR3

Same here on my 2000. Heck people are saying $350 for hack 'n tap w/ driveshaft. Well I paid less than $500 for my AA HD SYE and Tom Woods ds. Also if you do decide to go all out get the AA model for your Jeep. Some reason the AA works better for the newer Jeeps than the JB, but them look exactly the same.

Ohh, yeah I did have alittle trouble installing, but Its been a year now and I am sooo glad I spent the extra $$. :)