jeep93

The rear u-joint has gone in my cherokee xj 1998.. drive shafts not too great either. Ive got to wait 2-3 weeks for replacement parts (in the uk - cant find one in a junkyard).. my question is, would it be possible to simply remove the drive shaft and stick the jeeps transfercase into 4Hi, and drive it as a front wheel drive for a couple of weeks?. I dont want to screw up my front diff, so I thought id ask for advice. All comments welcome - thanks for reading guys.

tannerp89

ummm.... NO
DO NOT drive it in 4 hi for a couple weeks, youll trash your transfer case

95THORxj

the fluids would leak all over. then t-case would be shot. unless u
have a hack-n-tap i wouldnt do it to long. also you would have to
find a way for fluid not to leak? duct tape a pop bottle cut in half
to case?

bobvalli

Ummm on my 98, no fluid came out (at all) when I pulled the rear DS. I know on my 91 it did but not this one.

95THORxj

no fluid will come out till u start driving it.
then sling all over.

bobvalli

Interesting.

Thanks

BTW where would it sling from? The seal around the shaft or from the center of the shaft? And if that's true, why would the slip yoke need to be lubricated? I'm not doubting you or being a wise guy, I'm truly interested in the in and outs of this because I want to pull the rear DS to eliminate it as a vibe source?

gpXJ

No it won't. The 96+ XJ's have a flange seal on the rear output built in. Your tcase rear output should look like the below. If it does, then you won't get any fluid slinging all over.



If you don't have a 242 transfer case with full time though, I would advise against driving in 4Hi. However, with the rear DS removed, it would be much easier on your tcase than driving in 4HI with both axles pushing.

freegdr

see if the front drive shaft takes the same ujoint if it dos pull the front remove the ujoint and pu in rear shaft im running a front shaft in the rear of mine it come with the hack and tap kit i bought

bobvalli

I know this isn't what the OP asked, but with a 231 would it be OK to remove the rear DS and drive it at highway speed for an exit or two without doing damage?

gpXJ

You gotta do what you gotta do, right? The problem with driving on the highway with 4PT Hi is that power is distributed 50/50, so when you're going around a corner, if the turning tires can't slip then it binds up your Tcase. In 4 FullTime, power is distributed 48/52, thus allowing it's safe use on dry pavement.

In the scenario you mentioned, you will get binding on the front inside tire if you are turning a sharp corner and the tire can't slip. So I would be ok driving it in 4Hi with only the front DS hooked up, so long as I didn't have to do any tight turning.

freegdr

if the drive shaft slip in the rear of the tc no if it bolts to a yoke then yes but no highway sppeds limp down the shoulder

gpXJ

bobvalli

OK thanks

If I decide to do it, I'll pick a straight stretch of highway and won't remove the DS until right before I do the test.

bobvalli

Yeah it slips in

thanks freegdr

jeep93

Thanks guys, this is all good info.. looks like you just stopped me doing something Id end up regretting!. I appreciate the feedback.