front diff

i am going to be getting a front diff used geared but the guy said it only needs a posilock cable just the cable (i think thats what it was to engage the locks replaces the vacum lock ) is that hard to replace and what am i looking at in cost can i buy just the cable or do i need a whole new set?????

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

i am going to be getting a front diff used geared but the guy said it only needs a posilock cable just the cable (i think thats what it was to engage the locks replaces the vacum lock ) is that hard to replace and what am i looking at in cost can i buy just the cable or do i need a whole new set?????

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What year is your XJ and what tcase do you have?

i have a 90 i think the new one i am getting is going to be a 94 I think

just get rid of the disconnect altogether and get some of the newer shafts with 297/760 u-joints.

what do those run Price??? how are they better ??? i have neva herd of what you said (newbie)

older XJs came with small 260x u joints which are weak with larger tires. newer XJs came with 297x u joints in the shafts, which are much stronger.

your XJ may be stock now and not need the extra strength, but if you hang around here long it won't be. I used to think my buddies XJ on 31s was pretty big, now my 35s look kinda small.

use the Search button, it's your friend. search for "297 shafts"

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

what do those run Price??? how are they better ??? i have neva herd of what you said (newbie)

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Used around $50-75 per axle, new $125-150 per axle. Or you can do a WARN conversion for around $800. If it's a 94, you do not ahve a disconnect axle, and if it had ABS, you may already have 297 U-joints.

If they are the 297's, just compare them to what you have now. You can see the difference.

what am i looking at the acual axel like in the housing and even if i go to the 297 dont i still need a way to lock it??/

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

what am i looking at the acual axel like in the housing and even if i go to the 297 dont i still need a way to lock it??/

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Lock what, if your new D30 is a 94'. It doesn't have the disconnect axle, no vacuum motor, nothing to lock except the differential and that's a totally different question.

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

what am i looking at the acual axel like in the housing and even if i go to the 297 dont i still need a way to lock it??/

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Is the locking mechanism on the axle tube, or the diff cover? If the locking mech is on the tube, replace the axle shaft from a newer xj w/297 joints and do not worry about a cable any more. If the locking mech is on the diff cover, than you may have an ox-loc, and yes you should get a new cable. Then check into OX-Lock for routing details. good luck and have fun.

sorry if i am getting anoying with asking these questions but with the 297s i would just have to put the transfercase into 4 and go then and nothing could fell less weak points right???? is puting the new axels in easy can i do it my self with just basic tools?? because thats the reason i am buying this diff i cant aford to get my geared at a shop. so would it be a easy change . One more question i herd you guys say the warn 297 i look in a catolog and that was to change it to the front locking hubs right ?????


I might be way lost

Anyone???????????/

Sorry haven't had time at the internet.

Your questions are fine, just trying to clarify what your going after and the forums can seem kinda cold. :loveu: Is that make it better.


Anyway, yeas the Warn kit makes it so that you have locking hubs and they also have Chromo axles, inners and outers. This makes it more expensive but a lot stronger.

As far as weak points go. The D30 can be a total weak point, it depends heavily on your driving style, where you wheel and how big your tires are. Guys get away with 35's and the warn kit or even stock axles. They know how to drive and have the propper gearing for thier tire size.

You need a 12 point 13mm socket for the three bolts behind the outer knuckle. You can then remove the hub and shaft. To remove just the shaft you need a 36mm socket. Get some heat, POB blaster, breaker bar, cheeater bar. You need them, unless your luck and can break that 36mm nut off.

Then be careful of the inner seals when removing and installing the new shafts. Otherwise you'll be cracking the cover and replacing the seals which can be a major PITA.

HTH

The posi lock is a conversion to eliminate the vaccume disc. on the axle to a cable activated system. Basicaly you pull a handle and then shift into 4wd. If the axle you are getting has that on it then just get a hold of posi lock and order the cable. Or you can eliminate all of that and get the stock 297 axle shafts from the dealer or a junck yard which would be a stronger set up. If you have a posi lock then you have the smaller 260 joints. The warn kit is a full manual hub conversion that you would have to purchase the Warn inner shafts to convert to the 297 joints.

You can find 95 YJ axles and still keep your vacuum disconnet and have the 297's to boot.

You can pick up a replacement vacuum actuator at most junk yards for aournd $20. The YJ axles that are the same as yours except with the larger 297 joints will be your cheapest upgrade path. They can be a bit hard to find but well worth the wait. Lots of guys will say trash the vacuum disco axles, but I've never seen a set break at the disco point. A cable disco unit is nice. You can buy the kit for $175, or I built mine for about $30 worth of parts and an hour of work. You can find the instructions on building your own cable unit by doing a search. The problem with the vacuum disco is that many people have vacuum leaks that they haven't fixed and in that case, the axle never engages. I ran a vacuum disco for 3 years with no problems.

the warn seems like allot to invest into a d30 wouldnt it be better to just fix the posi cable and wait 8-12 months run and use the 800 to invest in a 44 Or something bigger ???? because even after i put the new lift tires and front and rear ends in i will be tapped out of $ for a while it just seems like a better investment Right, Wrong???

This has to be one of the more confusing threads I've seen for quite some time. Nobody's fault, but the answers don't seem to quite mesh with the questions, and the basic information may not be correct.

Back up. Front axle basics: In the Cherokee, the vacuum disconnect was used from 1984 through 1990. If the axle you're getting is from a '94, it does not have a disconnect. A "Posi-Lock" is a cable actuated mechanical substitute for the vacuum disconnect motor. Therefore, if the axle is really from a '94 it cannot have a Posi-Lock. Conversely, if it has a Posi-Lock, it isn't a '94 axle.

If the axle has a cable actuated locker in the differential, that's an Ox Locker, not a Posi-Lock. Totally different animal, totally different function.

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

with the 297s i would just have to put the transfercase into 4 and go then and nothing could fell less weak points right????

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Ummm ... yes, I guess. The right side axle would be one piece, with no sliding slip spline disconnect. To give you the complete answer, this is not a function of the 297 u-joints. The earlier XJs with the Selec-Trac transfer case used the smaller 260 u-joints but didn't have disconnect axles. If the goal is simply to eliminate the disconnect, you could also use the right side axle from an early Selec-Trac XJ. Regardless of which axle you choose (260 or 297), be advised that there is a bit of an issue with the right side axle seal. With the disconnect, the seal on the right side is out at the shift motor. When you eliminate the shift motor, you need to find a seal that will install at the diff housing. There have been reports that the seal for the Warn hub conversion works, but I can't verify that. I believe our own President Woody simply used a Dremel to grind a seat in the diff housing that accepts a standard seal to match the left side. However, that requires removing the carrier. If you're not ready for that kind of work, don't be carried away by the siren song of a one-piece axle shaft.

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

is puting the new axels in easy can i do it my self with just basic tools??

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No. See above. You have to find a way to adapt a seal if you eliminate the disconnect.

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

One more question i herd you guys say the warn 297 i look in a catolog and that was to change it to the front locking hubs right ?????

Click to expand...

No. The 297 is a standard u-joint. It's the same as the 260 but slightly larger in diameter. The 297 was the standard u-joint used by the factory in the newer XJs. This is completely unrelated to the Warn conversion for locking hubs. Axle shafts with the 297 u-joints will function exactly the same as your stock axle shafts. Fixed hubs ... no unlocking feature.

There is some terminally incomplete info above- the only OEM axle shafts with 297 u-joints that will fit in a disconnect-equipped axle are the 1995 TJ axles. These are made to work with the disconnect. If you try sticking 297-equipped axles from a non-disconnect axle into a disconnect axle, then the seals don't work due to different size axles. This means swapping in some special conversion seals.....maybe stock 1995 YJ seals would work? There was a rumpus on this board quite some while back concerning what seals to use if stuffing non-disco axles into a disco axle housing. I didn't save it since I like the disconnect feature. I haven't had any trouble with it, and I will fix it to keep it if necessary.
Oops! Eagle beat me to it! I'm a slow typer!

cherokee Wheeler10 said:

the warn seems like allot to invest into a d30 wouldnt it be better to just fix the posi cable and wait 8-12 months run and use the 800 to invest in a 44 Or something bigger ???? because even after i put the new lift tires and front and rear ends in i will be tapped out of $ for a while it just seems like a better investment Right, Wrong???

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Your right, some build up there D30, some save up for a D44. It's your choice, mainly you can decide what's best for your rig. I was just answering your questions directly.

I truely :loveu: ! Everybody has thier own twist to things.