What gives and what should I carry. 3.0: Front Drive shaft

Part 3 of my series. Trying to get the XJ reasonably reliable for 2-3 day trail runs. Driving style is light on skinny, crawl over or go around. Sitting on 33's, ected lockers, 4:56 gears. About 5" total lift

This post focuses on front drive shaft.

Currently running stock shaft.

Questions:
- is the front shaft a common trail failure or damage item?
- is there an upgrade that reduces the chance of damage or failure? (Keep stock for back up)
- is best back up/spare just a JY/OEM shaft?

- anything else to consider regarding the front shaft?

Of all the threads you have started, you could have used one, or just searched as every question you have asked has been covered. In the time it took to type all the questions you could have looked up all the answers.
Too much to look through? That's because people keep posting instead of searching.

Im not trying to be a dick, but these are very non involved very basic things.

Just carry a junkyard spare, make sure it came from an auto if you have an auto or a manual if you have a manual.

Only way they break is if you get ultra stupid on the throttle or drop it on a rock. Or if your control arms fail and the pinion angle goes out of whack, but that usually just blows up the ujoint and/or pinion yoke.

Tools to swap it out and spare parts to carry other than the shaft itself I covered in the rear driveshaft thread, they're the same spares/tools.

On my 96 trail rig(4.0/NP231/AW4) I have the Advance Adapters SYE which alloys me to run a stock front shaft on the front or rear(with 6" lift). I carry one stock front shaft as a spare since it will fit front or rear.

I have wheeled the **** out of my rig for 5 years and still haven't killed either shaft!

Did some full throttle assaults yesterday on a snow covered, rock laden trail in the mountains of VA. I should have broken something but the old girl got me home again!

88trailcrawler said:

Questions:
- is the front shaft a common trail failure or damage item?

No, I don't think so.

- is there an upgrade that reduces the chance of damage or failure? (Keep stock for back up)

Don't drop or spin it on any rocks

- is best back up/spare just a JY/OEM shaft?

Since that is what you are using now, yes. I don't even carry a spare. All I need is the Jeep filled up with junk I never use

- anything else to consider regarding the front shaft?

Keep it lubricated. The most common failure of a front DS is a worn slip joint, and the joints wearing out.

Click to expand...

-Ron

Convert the yoke to u bolt strap style and carry a rebuilt spare. I changed mine front and rear to u bolt style after I broke a rear and had to easy out 3 bolts on the trail.

I have a SYE on my XJ and both driveshafts are OEM auto XJ front shafts. One spare covers both ends. :cheers:

on my old rig that was also my DD i never carried a spare ds, just frt axle shafts and 1 axle shaft for the rear(8.25), current rig has spare driveshafts that sit in the tow rig, i see no need to carry all that extra wieght

But you have the rear seat delete option, your COG won't suffer from carrying a few shafts dude...

Aren't 8.25 axleshafts different lengths? I could swear they are, 29.something on one side and 30.something on the other.

EDIT: nope, d35 shafts are different lengths but 8.25 shafts are the same size left and right.

That's good to know! I'll have to look at picking up some spares on those.

Carry a spare front shaft and U joints as well. Ive rebuilt a CV shaft and all u joints in the middle of the slabs on the con at 2am and it sucks. would have been way nicer to have an entire rear shaft. now i carry an entire spare rear shaft. and stick and DOM to sleeve in case I break the spare.

I just realized that you have like 4 of these threads. dude stop stressing about trail spares, there are a ton of thread on this. just carry spares of everything you think youll break. you probably wont break much more than rear DS u joints and front axle shafts on 35s+ .

axle shafts
front and rear DS
bunch of u joints
unit bearing
tie rod( probably x2)
drag link
motor mount
alternator
some brake parts
vacuum lines, heater hose, and brakeline
all fluids
misc steel, DOM,and welding rod, gloves, and mask, power inverter, disc grinder, other cutting tools, sand paper, wire brush,
penetrating oil
tools for everything
pitman arm
all bolts/nuts you can muster in the suspension/steering
sensors (tps, cps, 02, coil, plug wires , MAp, etc)
hi lift
ball joints
JB weld, epoxy, RTV
brake hard and soft lines


and call it done
thats what i carry, and more. we break it all, and we have to fix it all.

Jon always impresses me with his list of spares. I have probably broken most of the stuff on his list, but I've also nuked a turbo400 in a wagoneer, thrown 2 rods in a grand cherokee, and snapped the sector shaft clean off my cherokee. You will never have a spare for everything. Bring the common failure items, recovery gear, and most importantly basic survival gear. You may have to walk out some day.