dogkatcher

1990 xj laredo 4x4, 4.0l ... 157k ... vacuum engage front drive .. axle shaft u joint got loose, noisy

so ... someone told me I could drive without axle shaft (passenger side), just in case the axle shaft I bought didnt fit, then I could drive & match the part after I pull it out (free swap). made sense unless I needed 4 wheel drive

just so happens, the axle shaft bought has different spline pattern. so put old hub back on, drove around yesterday (-axle shaft), things got noisy

this AM .. found the hub assy is very loose. I figured I messed up the old one using the hub puller on it

bought a new hub assy, installed it very carefully (-axle shaft) .. drove around block a few times to let brakes settle in, turns out new hub is loose now too, very wobbly

I guess the axle shaft needs to be in there? really doubt a brand new hub would go bad

thoughts? thanks

Nor-CalJeeper

on the xj the ONLY safe way to drive the d30 with out in axle in place is to remove the ujoint from the axle and reinstall the axle stub through the hub unit and retorque the nut. driving around like that means that the unit bearing was the only thing holding your wheel on which it isn't made for and is very very dangerous.

You were lucky it didnt break but I am sure the unit bearing is probably no good now.

dogkatcher

thanks .. very good to know .. Im so lucky it didnt break doin 65 yesterday

used parts place wasnt too much help finding the right shaft, he said I could drive around like that too. I'm not going to name them, but their customer svc stinks, at least i get a free swap (if they hold up to it)

and, since the guy who sold me the new 1 said it would be fine, he's gonna swap me out .. time to jump on the mtn bike again

thanks a bunch .. you just relieved my headache .. now gotta install another one, at least I got the routine down

Nor-CalJeeper

The parts guy was wrong about driving an XJ around like that, although there are some axles you can drive around with out a shaft in, like the ford or chevy dana 44 front ends that the axle shafts pass through an actual spindle.

On and vehicle with a hub design like the XJ though you should never ever drive around without an axle stub installed.

I am glad everything ended safely for you and I am sorry to hear about the extra work it caused.

Hope your xj is back in tip top soon

dogkatcher

so .. how do I separate the U-joint ? .. would like to have the shaft for part swap .. its pretty loose (1/2 the bushings are gone), but doesnt feel like its going to snap

planning on photos & measurements .. since the guy will probably just leave me alone to dig thru their shelf of axles

she'll be tip top soon, since i got the routine down up there .. planning on new hub for other side .. thanks for your help

Nor-CalJeeper

Here ya go, This will show you step by step hpw to remove the axle u joints, its fairly easy to do.

http://www.myjeepxj.com/cherokee-rep...nt-replacement

the u joints are easy to replace you can pull them out and put them in as many times as you need to, its a serviceable part so you can definently keep the shaft as a trail spare for future use.

dogkatcher

thank you very much ! now hindsight is telling me to log in here more often ... esp. before taking on fixes I havnt done in the past .. I will be just fixing that joint since the JY didnt have a swap today .. and im stuck with the 1 I bought .. fix looks like a cakewalk, compared to last weekends wrenching .. 4th time may be a charm

this u-joint link may have just saved me wasting another $75-100 on whole shaft .. and wasting time trying to find 1

strangest scary thing .. the guy who sold me that shaft & told me I could drive around without it .. apparantly passed away last weekend .. made me feel Ill when I heard that

Nor-CalJeeper

Your welcome, i'm glad that link helped you out. Ujoints are pretty easy to swap and are pretty common to replace so it is a good skill to learn aswell.

That is pretty crazy that the fella that helped you passed. I hope the best for his family and loved ones.

If you ever need anymore help feel free to shoot me a pm or post up a thread there are a ton of amazing people here willing to help



Matt

Elexwiz

What structural/weight bearing support does the stub shaft offer, or the entire shaft for that matter? The unit bearing takes all the weight and holds the wheel on through the lugs. The axle shaft doesn't support anything.

dogkatcher

must be the side to side (parallel to ground) .. both wheel hubs / bearing assys came apart / loose outward .. scary man ... the outer nut & inner flange on axle shaft hold it together

it seemed without 4wd engaged .. it would be ok just driving .. not so .. BELIEVE ME!

I did it twice in 2 ays.. luckily caught a break on swapping new wrecked hub assy .. since store parts guy thought same thing. I had angels watching over me or something .. saved some $ & me being rolled off highway

Nor-CalJeeper

The reason you have to have a stub shaft installed is to keep the bearing from seperating. The unit bearing was designed on for front to back rolling, not for side to side turning and torsion.

The stub shaft keeps the forces within the operational design of the unit bearings. That is why a 2wd xj uses a standard spindle and hub with standard wheel bearings and races. T

The spindle takes all off the forces that the bearing wasnt designed for, that is why the stubshaft needs to be installed into the unit bearing, as witnessed by dogkatcher ruining his unitbearings by driving with no stub installed.

Research online, i recall a guy accidently crashing and his father dying in the wreck after he decided to drive home on just the unit bearing with no stub installed. I believe he was on naxja

I just want everyone to be and stay safe im not saying i know everything about physics i just know for fact that a stub has to be installed in the unit bearing to safely drive the vehicle.

Nor-CalJeeper

Exactly and im glad that your incident ended well and safely

dogkatcher

amen .. my lesson learned. my old hub assy had enough rust to keep it together a while I assume .. brake rotor shield was red hot after 30 minute drive home that nite .. and brakes went awol prior

new bearing next day came apart driving 10 minutes .. brakes went awol again, pedal hit floor .. rotor align was wacked

is good to be alive

Elexwiz

That makes total sense. Your first post was misleading because it said...

You didn't say anything about lateral support for the bearing. Lesson learned.

Nor-CalJeeper

Lol sorry about that, when i type stuff out i see exactley what i want to say and somehow it gets all jumbled up while im typing it out.