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Replacing a bad front wheel u-joint

xj88superjeep

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NJ
Hi everyone,
Been out of the office for a while... heart surgery... all better now...

On to my question...
I need to have a u-joint replaced in my cherokee, and the shop said that they replace the whole axle when replacing the u-joint because it's part of the axle... SO, should I find a different shop? I can't really fight with it to do myself right now...

Thanks!
 
When you replace a u-joint at home or on the trails, you remove the old u-joint from the axle shaft and install a new one.

If a shop is doing the work, their hourly shop rate may make it cheaper to just drop in a refurbished or even a new axle shaft. They probably work that way to increase the flow through of vehicles in their shop and maximize their weekly $$ performance numbers. 98.5% percent of 4x4 owners probably have no clue what the shop is doing, or should do, and just pay the bill.

This would be similar to spending $250-350 to have a shop install new brake rotors and rebuilt calipers, no technical wizards are needed here.
 
HAHA! Thanks, guys... Thanks for the vote of confidence... I think I will just do it myself, I can't stand letting other people work on my Jeep anyway...
 
Yes, Dana 30... I'm thinking they just used file photos not specific photos, as all the copy says it is for my year make and model... Hmmm...
 
Some shops will install a CV axle into the D30 and try and save you money. When I bought my 93 it had the pass side long shaft replaced with a CV shaft and it worked fine for a few years, but I eventually replaced it with new shafts and 291's. The CV shafts will work in a D30 b/c ZJ's run the same D30 and have the CV shafts in them w/ the ABS tone rings.
 
6
This look better?
 
the one on the bottom is identical to the one that I ran, so yeah, those pics look right.
 
CV is cheaper and has less strength since your 97 had the big joints in the shafts
 
Keep looking, you can find complete D30 axle shaft assemblies with u-joints.

When you go to all the effort of pulling the Unit Hub/Bearing, changing a u-joint is the easy part. The first one takes about 20-30 minutes, after that, you can do one in less than 10 minutes.
 
Big Secret: for shops labor is labor, most shops use the flat rate manuals, but parts are marked up and that is where the "free" money is--"free" as in not earned with sweat.
 
Quote Tim_MN:When you go to all the effort of pulling the Unit Hub/Bearing . Hallo. It was very difficult to remove the hubs on my jeep.
I used two steel wedges between the steeringknuckle and U-joint to loose the axle/hub assembly. :explosion



You can't use a hubpuller, because you will pull the hub assembly in two parts. LOL

'92 XJ
 
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I think CV is the way to go for me at this point then, since my 97 never sees any trails!

in my opinion you should stick with the u-joint, you dont have to get the "super" u-joints if you are going to be on the street anyways. u-joints are usually pretty cheep $25 at the most. both sides would cost you around $50
then if you dont want to press them out yourself a drivetrain place will do it for a few bucks. also if you pull the shaft out and the inner seals are "worn to the seal" if you put a new shaft in there it will probably leak diff oil until you replace the inner seals...
Google some write ups there is some slick tricks out there that make the job easy.
 
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