U Joint help!!!!!

Well i broke a u joint by the front passenger side wheel. Ive got it off and now i need a good replacement. I have 97 4Liter and apparently just brought the wrong joint at autozone. I looked it up on the net before going there and got the u joint for the "wheel joints" is that correct. The one I took off the pass side say spicer...guess the 297 x but autozone only had brute force 1-01747bf and the damn thing is way too small. Where did i go wrong? this is the joints on the wheels not the shaft.
Can u help? What and where do i need to go?
Thanks

Well, imo, and dont take it to heart you hardcore Autozone fans, but your first mistake was Autozone :laugh3: Not sure if you have yet, but try a Napa, it has been my experience, many, many times, that the guys and gals at Napa are the ones to see. Autozone is great if you need off the shelf items, but the parts knowledge at a Napa just cant be beat. Have them take out the book on U-joints and it will show you the diagram of where it goes and if you have it off, take the old one with you.

first of all Autozone is the wrong place to start. The hire numnut people that have no idea about the difference between a wheel bearing to a water pump. they just see its next in alphabetical order. I dont know if you have a auto parts store that hires knowledgeable people but a dealer will do. get your specifications right and head into someone that knows!!!

jeepbme said:

Well i broke a u joint by the front passenger side wheel. Ive got it off and now i need a good replacement. I have 97 4Liter and apparently just brought the wrong joint at autozone. I looked it up on the net before going there and got the u joint for the "wheel joints" is that correct. The one I took off the pass side say spicer...guess the 297 x but autozone only had brute force 1-01747bf and the damn thing is way too small. Where did i go wrong? this is the joints on the wheels not the shaft.
Can u help? What and where do i need to go?
Thanks

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I bought an alternator from Auto Zone last week that had the right part # on it but the casing around the brushes was machined too big. The maufacturer's that supply Auto Zone are also not dependable. It was the right Alt, just built wrong.....LOL
I was pissed. When I went to take it back to the store, the sales representitve gave me some shit about it. He insisted that I must have been installing it wrong. I strongly urged him to try it himself. LT1 is a mechanic and lives about 40 yds away from me. I could literally throw a stone and hit his house. I might do that if he keeps playing games steeling crap out of my garage while im not home ( Just Playing)LOL.......He helped me try to get it in and confirmed that it just was built wrong. Everything looked exactly like a XJ alternator on it except for thfact that it just was too big. Auto Zone is good for cleaners and crap, but stay away from there parts division. I would rather buy a part with no warranty from another place than to buy a part with a lifetime warranty from them.

Brian

Brian

A piece of S**T with a lifetime warranty is still just a piece of S**T ... :laugh3: Imo, its worth paying an extra 20 bucks to not have to replace the part 3 times a year .....

go spicer or go home the napa around here carries them there are two part numbers they should be able to find it under one of the 5-297x and 5-760x both are the same part and everything. Those are stock spicer part numbers.

head for the local drive shaft shop, the one with the spicer sign hanging out front.

The later model XJs with anti-lock brakes have larger u-joints in the front axles. They are usually one of the first thing to go from the junkyard as an upgrade. I would suspect that you have these axles. Take the u-joints back and exchange for the right ones or go to NAPA and get some good greasable ones.

HossHoffer said:

The later model XJs with anti-lock brakes have larger u-joints in the front axles. They are usually one of the first thing to go from the junkyard as an upgrade. I would suspect that you have these axles. Take the u-joints back and exchange for the right ones or go to NAPA and get some good greasable ones.

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ALL later model XJ's (maybe 95+? or 96+? but definately 97+) have 297 joints (same as 760 in size of the cap). The abs thing holds true though for 93+ (or someplace in that neighbourhood).

Anyways if you broke the ujoint in the axle, make sure that you didn't damage the shafts: look and make sure that the hole for the ujoint cap is not egged out.

Went with advanceauto bruteforce w/lifetime free replace. Just had to get the ones for abs.
Wouldve went with Napa but those lazy bast_ds close after they eat breakfast in the morning. While advance is open till 10pm.
Thx for all the help.. it works fine now

jeepbme said:

Went with advanceauto bruteforce w/lifetime free replace. Just had to get the ones for abs.
Wouldve went with Napa but those lazy bast_ds close after they eat breakfast in the morning. While advance is open till 10pm.
Thx for all the help.. it works fine now

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amen on that one them and their banking hours so no one can go there. oh and keep your reciept.

Nice to hear something works right!

Thats my beef with napa, they cater to the business shops not the consumer. Same with the local hardware stores and lumber yards and they all bitch when a new home depot opens. Heck, when they, the locals, are open I'm out working.
Want my business then be open otherwise don't complain..not going to get on another tyrade again on this. Already had it out with a lumberyard/hardware owner at a chamber of commerce card exchange...

yeah really, plus I go to advance so often that they give me a discount now, it's like family.

Although I'd probably go on lunch to get a spicer ujoint from napa.

we'll see. Its Nepco brand. Did some research. Made in the USA on the caps

my experience is that the boys at napa and car quest can usually find the parts, but that autozone and advance have the parts for cheaper.

hint: if you're ever looking for drum hardware for an xj with the 8.25" corporate axle, if they can't find it under cherokee, ask them to look for the parts under dodge dakota with a v6. same axle, same parts, they just don't know it because they aren't mechanics, they're desk jockeys. just tell them that's what you want. after a while, you begin to learn all the little inefficiencies and they're all okay stores as long as you know what they don't.

i had to go to firestone to get 1-piece cast rotors for me 93, because all the parts stores kept finding me things they thought were one-piece cast. just look at the !@#$% things. one color, no weld marks. piece of cake.

Yep, that is the main thing. Know more then they know. I usually do my research online along with getting the correct part number and then go to the store and hand them the part # needed. Most of them can read #'s so if they do me that much, ill do the rest.