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Insane driveline slack - possible axle wrap?

mattbred

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Canada
Specs: 89 XJ, 4.0, AX15, Np242, Dana 35

The springs have almost 400,000 KM's on them. They were the optional HD springs from the factory. Brand new poly motor & OEM tranny mounts. New U-joints.

Here are my symptoms: when accelerating or letting off the throttle, the jeep 'hops' until it catches up with itself. Basically its like having hydraulics. If I quickly get on the gas and let go, I get TERRIBLE clunking and hopping and feel like something underneath is going to explode. By hopping I mean the body of the jeep - the tires don't break traction.

It's very unsmoothe.. I can't really describe it better than that. You know how most manual transmission equipped vehicles feel more rigid and are clunkier when getting on/off the gas? Mine feels like that but magnified 10 fold. It just seems excessive and I have to be really careful when getting on or off the gas, otherwise it can be really uncomfortable.

Could it be excess play in the axle? Or maybe axle wrap from the old springs?
 
sounds like axle wrap to me. its probably the reason you just replaced your u-joints as well. ive got the same thing going on with my AAL'd oem pack @200k miles. new leaf packs are ready to go in ASAP!
 
sounds like axle wrap to me. its probably the reason you just replaced your u-joints as well. ive got the same thing going on with my AAL'd oem pack @200k miles. new leaf packs are ready to go in ASAP!

Let me know if this fixes your problem. I noticed that when I put a bunch of stuff in the back, the rear end sinks quite a bit.
 
Dealt with the same problem here and New leaf packs are on the to-do list before its back on the road. my bastard pack didnt work out!..
 
sure.. the idea is fine, but just doing new leaf packs is a better idea IMO..
 
I think I might stick a camera underneath and drive around. It would give for-sure evidence on what's happening.

New spring packs may help, but I bet a properly built traction bar would remove it completley.
 
I think I might stick a camera underneath and drive around. It would give for-sure evidence on what's happening.

New spring packs may help, but I bet a properly built traction bar would remove it completley.
okay..

if it is axle wrap. its due to the springs... why throw expensive band-aids on a problem that is somewhat common?

Dont get me wrong i HAVE seen traction bars used. but normally i like to fix/replace the actual item that is causing the problem. and then go from there...

no offense:cheers:
 
I don't think a traction bar is a band-aid.

Wouldn't axle wrap still exist in new springs? It's just nature of the design, that's what I'm getting at. I've never driven an XJ with new springs though so I don't know how different it feels.
 
I don't think a traction bar is a band-aid.

Wouldn't axle wrap still exist in new springs? It's just nature of the design, that's what I'm getting at.
No, a properly set-up spring pack should not allow Axle wrap. the problem your having (in my opinion) is the springpack has gotten old and its not ridgid anymore.

I can only speak from my experiance.. my spring pack was built wrong (by no other then.. myself) and it has caused extra strain on the top leaf, witch is not strong enough to support the axle from shifting.. there for i am buying new packs..


but to really make sure you dont waste money before pin-pointing your problem, I advise find out IF that really is your problem? is the axle shifting around under load.

If you really do have bad leafs and a case of axle-wrap, then the FIX is new leafs.. new u-bolts and u-bolt plates and it wont happen anymore! now the idea of a traction bar has been used on huge lifted rigs, and i suspect its due to tire-size..

Leafs do go bad, they are just like everything else on the vehicle, after time they will fail.. weather it be 2 years/24k miles.. or 20 years/400k miles.. everything will fail at some point.
 
Interesting.. Well I think I'll go with the camera and see if it is actually axle wrap. If it is, maybe some springs are in my future.

Edit: I swear I'm not refreshing this like mad, even though we replied within a minute of eachother. That's creepy. Stop being creepy.
 
TRACTION bar would be a band aid in your situation, obviously you need new leafs FIRST. if you still got wrap, consider a traction bar. a leaf sprung vehicle is basically the complete opposite of a 'rigid' suspension, a traction bar can only help! especially if youre locked and drive like an ass! (me)
 
Agreed - replace the leafs. The two best ways to get axle wrap are using lift blocks (especially anything over an inch or so) and using old, worn out springs.
 
I was getting the 'thunk' upon accelerating after a stop. I figured axle wrap to some degree. The stock, no lift springs are tired, and the fronts of the leaves were spreading due to braking rolling the axle, top to front, bottom to rear. Let off the brake, and everything would klunk back into position. I looked around and found leaf spring clamps at NAPA, and installed them where the original spring-steel clamps USED to be. Tighten them enough so they stay where they need to, but allow the leaves to slide no one another. No more thunk!
 
how are the motor mounts? trans mount?


could this be something with the clutch? My scout had a chatter with a bad clutch similar to what you describe....
 
I'd like to see the video you get from hanging a camera underneath the Jeep. If I did that in my MJ, the lens would get covered in oil after 30'.
 
I've heard about clutch chatter. It could be.. Not much I can do about it if it is.

Motor mounts are all good & new.

Also I've got 12,000 KM's on my synthetic oil (yikes, I didn't realise this until yesterday, I'm terrible I know) and it's still yellow and in between the lines. No leaky leaky here to spray the camera!
 
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