Okay...whew...was about to get worried. Not sure I'm ready to dive that deep just yet. I looked at a youtube video and replacing the u-joints doesn't look to bad. But, I'll check them first. I don't want to throw more parts at it and not fix the problem.

 

Ok what the he**, my 97 xj has cv joints in the front.

 

Ahh. The axle shafts aren't secured to anything. Inside the diff the splined shafts just slide into some gears. The shafts are fastened into the hub with a massive wheel nut. Once that comes out the whole thing is floppy.

Here's one of my favourite writeups on how to change your U joints. If you have a U joint press (a lot are also suitable for ball joints) it makes the job a snap. http://www.stu-offroad.com/axle/ujoint1/u-joint-1.htm

Little Red XJ, some folks actually swap their OE U joint shafts for a CV assembly. Performs a little nicer if you have 4WD Full Time.

 

Ok, was a little confused there for a moment.
I know i have the high pinion front 30 so previous owner must have swapped shafts. I do have the np242 T-case.