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????
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??
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 ?????
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.