H E L P me please. Front D30 axle halfshafts, where to find or how to fix!!

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

I tried to replace the u-joints in these stupid halfshafts earlier and the ears bent. WTF kinda u joints are these!

I removed all four inner rings on the u-joint following the haynes manual.
I tried pressing out one side @ a time with a large socket on one side and a smaller one on the opposite side. a few seconds later I noticed the stupid pos u-joint wasnt moving at all, the ears started bending inwards.

I have only started the drivers side and now I guess these are no longer fixable. I think i have to replace the entire axle shaft now. is this correct??????

If so where the hell can i find them? I have tried napa, the zone, rockauto, quadratec, and nobody lists them. I'm not trying to havta spend three or four hundred dollars a piece on shafts just because of a freaking u-joint.

Now I'm afraid of even attempting to replace the passenger side u-joint. and honestly that is the one with over an inch of play in the joint.

somebody please help me figure this out fast, im loosing daylight and if also you can tell me why in the hell these u joints didnt even budge i'd really like to know.

I have done drive shaft u-joints before and they come right out. but these are different, they even have a snap ring on the inside. I'm so mad and frustrated right now i just want to ahhhhh

 

[WB9YZU]

The stock shafts are around $150-175 each if you buy them from a Spicer dealer. I recomend you go to your local salvage yard and pull a set for yourself instead.

Depending on the year of your Jeep, you either have a Spicer 260, or 297 joint. These joints have "C" clips on the inside ears and are pressed in. If you bent the ears, there is a real good chance you did not give the u-joint a place to go whilst you were pounding the crap out of it. That is why I recomend folks get a HF 4WD set to press out the u-joints.

Why won't it come out after you removed the clips? I duno, maybe it's rusted in. I don't even bother jumping all over the u-joints on any shaft unless it's got a good soaking first. Sometimes heat is needed to get things initially broken loose. I had to do that with a ball joint recently. Put it under pressure with the "C" tool, then hit it with a propane torch for a good 2 minutes. I heard one big "SNAP" and the thing was moving.

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

i have a 90 jaredo. i'm pretty sure the joints are 260 since its a 231 case and d30 front. automatic trans.

i cannot pull this from the yard. it is currently not an option. besides i need NEW u joints.

i removed the u joints; however i did remove very much rust nor heat the part up because i saw rubber on the joints and dint think i should be doing that.

I'm using a 12Ton shop press. but when i look at the joint, the outer caps on all 4 sides, does not look like it would be able to push through the ears of the shaft. the caps have a larger diameter than the inside and certainly they can slide out, but if im pushing them out from the opposite side, that opposite side has nowhere to go, thus the ear bent!

 

[Tim_MN]

If you are replacing the u-joints why would you care if they get heat damaged ? A 12 ton press is over kill. Soak the u-joints and caps with penetrating oil and use some heat on the ears. The D30 axle shaft u-joints can and do press out from either direction.

If you re-install the stubby part of the axle shaft in the unit hub/bearing you can drive around like that until you locate new parts. Never, ever, never, remove a front D30 axle shaft and drive even a few feet. The Dana 30 unit hub/bearing must have at least the stub shaft installed or it will collapse and the tire will fall off.

 

[lawsoncl]

The ear may be fine after you get the joint out. Once the ears start flexing, the u-joint binds up and if you keep going you'll break the ears.

My technique is to put a piece of u-channel underneath, supporting the ears (sides). You could use blocks or plates if you have them too. Looking sideways from the end of the axleshaft, you're supporting the u-joint caps at 3 and 9 o'clock. Then I stick a big socket over the u-joint cap on top (12 o'clock) and press on that. This pushes the u-joint upwards, forcing the upper cap into the socket. The cap on the bottom stays put. The trick is that this places no bending force on the ear at all, and you're only pushing out one side at a time.

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

wait. tim are you saying i can drive with just the small side of the axle shaft?!? why would i do that? wouldnt the diff gears/spider come apart since there would be no axle teeth for them to ride on?

Lawson, the drivers side u joint was fine, only there was a lot of gear lube coming from the axle tube and i didnt know why, my passenger side u joint is beyond limits and needs replaced. I decided to do the driver side first for 3 simple reasons.
1. the wheel hub/bearing is only a few months old so i kenw it would pop right out no problem(oem took hours of heat and BFH)
2.as per the haynes manual, i ddint need to drain the gear lube and remove a c-clip to remove drivers axle shaft
and
3.If i was going to do a u joint, i might as well do both u joints, besides it would give me chance to replace dr. side upper ball joint.

tomorrow i will turn that entire assembly cherry red, remove all rust and try pressing out the joint with a simple ball joint press.
after i get it out i'll use 6000F heat and bend it back in place. it really is not bent like i guess everyone is thinking. at most may 1/16th of an inch. visually it looks fine but i noticed the joint wasnt moving so i stopped what i was doing immediatly.
thats why i was asking in case i was doing something wrong. usually if i end i pressing out something, doesnt matter how rusty it is, if it went in it comes out. i guess in this case the oem ears are weaker than the 18 years of rust build up!

BTW. i said the drivers side is leaking gear oil out of the axle housing tube. after i pulled the axle shaft, I can clearly see through the tube a small pool of gear oil. and a few minutes later while the axle shaft is out, the lube will come dripping out of the tube.
There are no seals at the end of the tube. is this normal or is something broken and how can i repair it?

 

[n1ywb]

There are no seals at the end of the tube. is this normal or is something broken and how can i repair it?

That's normal, the seals and bearings are in the pumpkin and they are a royal PITA to replace just FYI. From the factory there are little plastic things in the tube ends to keep crud out. There are aftermarket ones that are waterproof.

When I replaced my 16 year old joints they came out fine, and I live in roadsaltville. Try PB Blaster and a torch I guess.

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

so then if thats normal n1ywb should i just let it leak? it gets on my tires and the driveway. I dont wanna remove the gears inside or spend any more time on this jeep, i have a 94 that i bought a lift kit for and want to start working on.

After this winter, this 90 laredo is up for sale. the nickels, dimes, and quarter its stealing from me i could have got the brand new grand cherokee overland.

it's a shame tho. i have soo many aftermarket parts i wont be able to recover or get near as much invested, and I know if i trade it in some punk is gonna get it for a steal, never put a penny into it and one day its gonna wreck, break, down or get junked.

 

[cherokee chuck]

FYI Q-tec has your axles unless you have a disco . If it's a disco 4WDParts has axles. The Q-tec replacement axles have 297 U-joints also. 2X on junkyard axles if you can't reuse yours though.

 

[lawsoncl]

wait. tim are you saying i can drive with just the small side of the axle shaft?!? why would i do that? wouldnt the diff gears/spider come apart since there would be no axle teeth for them to ride on?

Yes, if you really need to. It's an option if you break a shaft or u-joint and still need to drive out of the woods. Pulling both sides and the drive shaft would be cleanest though. You absolutely must have the short stub installed and torqued, though as that is what holds the unit bearing together.

As for how to replace the leaky seal, heres a good writeup. http://www.stu-offroad.com/axle/d30seals/seal-1.htm

An alternative is to install an aftermarket outer seal that goes in the end of the axle. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380059601427
The cost might offset the time savings, since you already have the shaft out and installation of these is pretty simple. http://www.jeepin.com/features/axleseals/index.shtml

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

what are the difference between disco and non-disco axles?

i like those axle tube seals. but really is this not masking the problem still allowing the lube in the tube! lol. now if i follow stus write up(yes i read entire thing) on inner axle seal and then axle tube seals, it would be perfect.

 

[iwannadie]

I ran into the same problem, I decided to replace the shafts with AlloyUSA shafts/ujoints. It wasnt too much more money than buying new stock replacements and they seem like they will last(plus the warranty).

 

[cherokee chuck]

You probably have a disco in your 90. They have a 2 piece rt axle with a sliding disconect sleeve operated by a vacuum motor. Look underneath the passenger side on the back of the axle & you will see it if it's there. It'll have vacuum lines & electrical wires attached to it. Renix era XJs with the 242 don't have a disco but with a 231 yours should.

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

are you reffering to that stupid motor thing the haynes manual was talking about? If so I looked and there is no such thing on my 90 xj. just an axle and brackets for the control arms...
so does this mean i have a non-disco axle shaft? aside from the JY where is the cheapest place to find replacements? I would rather not spend too much money on parts for this jeep.
I'd rather be spending the $$ on my 94xj, hey could the shafts be interchangbale?

 

[Rob Mayercik]

so then if thats normal n1ywb should i just let it leak? it gets on my tires and the driveway. I dont wanna remove the gears inside or spend any more time on this jeep, i have a 94 that i bought a lift kit for and want to start working on.

Hang on a sec - he's saying that it's normal for a D30 to have open tubes, not that it's normal for lube to be dribbling out onto the ground.

If you have that, the actual seals (which as N1YWB said are all the way in at the pumpkin itself) are leaking, and need to be replaced. The little plastic bits at the knuckle ends of the tubes are barely dust shields. The aftermarket tube seals (from such manufacturers as Superior) are still a good idea because it keeps the mud and crud from going up your tubes and chewing up the real axle seals. I just had a set of the Superior brand installed on my '92 when I had the balljoints done two weeks ago (they had to pull the shafts anyway to do that, so I elected to have kill two birds with one shot).

Now, if you didn't see anything resembling the disco assembly on your front axle, you have a non-disco unit - that "feature" (and I use the term lightly) came and went a couple of times before finally going away for good. My '92 with 231 is also non-disco.

As to interchangeability with the '94, the only caveat would be which joint size each uses. There's a couple of good stickies in the Mod Tech forum on axles that you should probably read through.

Rob

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

ok so let me get this straight. i will need to replace:

1.both inner seals inside the differential. can anyone please post part# & source?

2.both spicer u joints. How do i make sure i order the correct size? i hear 260 or 297anybody have part# & source for the stock axleshaft?? I prefer greasable

3.If I end up having to replace the halfshafts I need NON-DISCO axleshafts. correct?

4.axletube seals for added insurance.

So besides 4wd.com and quadratec, are there any places cheaper for these parts listed? I noticed q-tec has them but chromoly, and expensive. I think i'm just going to bend the ear back, it is only a sixteenth of an inch outa wack

 

[cherokee chuck]

If the 94 is non ABS & has the original axles, they are the same as a non disco 1990, that is 260 U-joints but all non disco rt. axles & all left axles interchange regardless of U-joint size

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

can anyone give me a link or a website source to find the correct spicer u joints i need?

I tried napa and autozone and neither can order them for me.


I finally got the u joint removed, however i cannot bend the ear back. there is a slight bend thats barely noticed. Mapp gas is just not hot enough

 

[cherokee chuck]

www.quadratec.com & www.4wd.com have your U-joints. I find it hard to believe that NAPA can't find your parts though. Remember Autozone is the Macdonalds of auto parts stores.

 

[ItZaJeePThiNG]

update. today i went to NAPA for u-joints since i had the time today and didnt want to wait on shipping.
they told me over the phone that the ujoints were part number 378. when i got there that part was huge, way to big for my half shafts. sucks to because those were the greasable joints.
the other part number listed was the cheaper napa brand joints. fit lika charm and non greasable. i bought those.

before coming home i stopped at a welding shop had my man walley heat up the ears and i bent them back into correct position. went home and installed the joints.

yes there was a little trouble but i came out with them installed and again the ear bent when trying to press the cap in. the cap seated correctly but ear bent so there was no way to install the c clip.
Thus i weld the cap, inside and out! it will never come back out now! lol