• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Driveline backlash?

ccsp

NAXJA Forum User
Location
St Louis, MO
When slowing down from a speed of over 40 mph or so, I feel a little kick in the azz. Like the driveline is clunking before I come to a stop. I had a 96 that did it AT a stop but this 94 sometimes does it when slowing to a stop. Not real bad or anything just wondering what to look for. Its a 94 4x4 with 129K
 
check the universal joints on the rear drive shaft. to do so leave your jeep in park and crawl under it. grab the rear drive shaft and try to rotate it. there should be little to no play in it. if there is, the u joint is the most likely culprit from my experiences.

hth
stewie
 
i don't think you can wiggle the rear shaft with it on the ground but if you jack up the back so the wheels are off the ground and put it in drive and check for some runout. If the u-joint/s are shot you will see the driveshaft wobble
 
I agree...put in park...get under and try to rotate the drive shaft...you will see play in your joints if they are really bad.

Steve
 
I gotta do something about my D35 that has a lockright locker in it. I get the cluck but its not from u-joints. If I park on level ground and put the t-case in neutral I can turn the driveshaft about 1/8 a turn. The rearend has some slack in it from the locker I'm guessing. I didnt install the locker and that makes me even more nervous than if i did install it. Im just gonna replace the rear axle with a chry8.25 29spl and be done with it.
 
savage1978 said:
I gotta do something about my D35 that has a lockright locker in it. I get the cluck but its not from u-joints. If I park on level ground and put the t-case in neutral I can turn the driveshaft about 1/8 a turn. The rearend has some slack in it from the locker I'm guessing. I didnt install the locker and that makes me even more nervous than if i did install it. Im just gonna replace the rear axle with a chry8.25 29spl and be done with it.

There is always going to be slack between the gearset, transfer case, and transmission, you don't have to worry about that. What you are looking for is DRIVELINE slop. As in if the driveshaft moves WITHOUT moving the yoke one the axle nor the transfer case.
 
GSequoia said:
There is always going to be slack between the gearset, transfer case, and transmission, you don't have to worry about that. What you are looking for is DRIVELINE slop. As in if the driveshaft moves WITHOUT moving the yoke one the axle nor the transfer case.
No....THE WHOLE, ENTIRE, COMPLETE, driveshaft including the pinion flange on the rear end FREELY turns 1/8 rotation OR MORE when the transfer case is in NEUTRAL. There is most definitely, positively, irrefutably slack in the REAR differential as stated above.
 
GSequoia said:
That's exactly what I'm saying Savage. There is always a certain amount of play in differentials. I'm pointing out the difference between that and U-Joint slop.

Oh ok...I was just making sure that I accuritely described what was going on in my D35. The guy I bought my rig from told tole me that lockers (of the lunchbox variety) add a certain amount of play/slop in the rear diff. Suposedly this locker is a lockrite.... Do lunchbox lockers add slop to the diff??. Which ones dont? Im definitely swapping in a chrysler 8.25" before that D35-Locker combo puts me afoot.
 
savage1978 said:
Oh ok...I was just making sure that I accuritely described what was going on in my D35. The guy I bought my rig from told tole me that lockers (of the lunchbox variety) add a certain amount of play/slop in the rear diff. Suposedly this locker is a lockrite.... Do lunchbox lockers add slop to the diff??. Which ones dont? Im definitely swapping in a chrysler 8.25" before that D35-Locker combo puts me afoot.
spool :D
 
I had the same problem on my 99 xj now im not sure if this is the fix but i used a special grease for drive shafts i used it on the output shaft on the t-case to the driveshave i greased the spline because it seamed to be very dry after i did this it seemed to stop i geuss alowing the drive shaft to move without binding it seems to go into gear with less bump and it seems to be a smoother stop this is only a suggestion im not even sure this is a fix or even related to your problem
 
savage1978 said:
Oh ok...I was just making sure that I accuritely described what was going on in my D35. The guy I bought my rig from told tole me that lockers (of the lunchbox variety) add a certain amount of play/slop in the rear diff. Suposedly this locker is a lockrite.... Do lunchbox lockers add slop to the diff??. Which ones dont? Im definitely swapping in a chrysler 8.25" before that D35-Locker combo puts me afoot.
my full detroit certainly did, sometimes it unloads and scare the bejebus out of me. It's particularly foul since I have a five speed. Anyway, yes, I can see a lunchbox that operates like a detroit having that problem.
 
wantedu2cme said:
I had the same problem on my 99 xj now im not sure if this is the fix but i used a special grease for drive shafts i used it on the output shaft on the t-case to the driveshave i greased the spline because it seamed to be very dry after i did this it seemed to stop i geuss alowing the drive shaft to move without binding it seems to go into gear with less bump and it seems to be a smoother stop this is only a suggestion im not even sure this is a fix or even related to your problem

I think that all the 96+ XJ, ZJ and WJs do that.
The sealed TC output shaft they use runs out of lube and doesn't move in and out as it should. Drove me crazy for a while trying to figure it out.
Now I use synthetic grease on the splines and no more problems.
 
Back
Top