oledummy

98 xj, 4.0 6cyl. My front driveshaft has some wobble in it (I had it up on lift this morning). The mechanic said that the only place he know of nearby would probably charge around $400.00 to rebuild it.
I just looked at rockauto.com and they have one for about $260.00 already remanufactured. My question: Has anyone here have experience with buying something like this from rockauto. I really dislike the idea of buying junk at any price.
Also I ready as to how they measured the drivshaft and I am not sure what they are saying.
What are they speaking of when they say "the collapsed prop shaft"?
As follows:

Measurement is taken from the centerline of the U-Joint located at the slip yoke end to the centerline of the furthest U-Joint on the opposite end of the collapsed Prop Shaft.

00t444e

I would hesitate to buy one from Rock Auto but you can find them in a junkyard for cheaper. The collapsed length means the driveshaft is all the way compressed.

PatHenry

Meaning push the front part (the axle side) ALL the way in.

If you get the parts catalog for your year, you can find the exact Mopar part number for the driveshaft for your configuration (Auto vs. Manual transmission typically) and cross-reference.

I would not balk at buying a complete driveshaft from RockAuto. The advantages of a new driveshaft are that the slip yoke, Double cardan joint and axle side U joints are all brand new, and you don't have to deal with pressing out stubborn u-joint caps. Also a new shaft will be guaranteed to be balanced. The disadvantages of the aftermarket shaft are that it's not Dana/Spicer, so the quality of the components may be questionable and, of course, the cost.
You'd be in good shape to get a decent used shaft. You can find a complete shaft on eBay with some level of consumer protection over the junkyard option at a pretty reasonable price.

jordan96xj

Can you be more specific about the "wobble". Where did you see the wobble? You may not need a new shaft at all. Figuring that out is step one.

BwanaBob

I got a shaft from a junkyard for about $70. It served me 2 years and now
needs to be rebuilt.

The three u-joints and the centering yoke (or just the ball) can all be rebuilt for
about $100 in original quality parts.

It is when the slip yoke gets sloppy that the driveshaft needs to be replaced.

If your Jeep is a daily driver only and you never use 4wd, then you can just
take off the front driveshaft and drive it like that. Enjoy the smooth ride for a
while and then just replace it when you have the money or fix it when you
have the time.

lawsoncl

Gratuitously copied from https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1118885

Model/Year/Engine/Trans/Collapsed Length/Part #
XJ 87/88 2.5 Automatic 27.950 53003912
XJ 89/93 2.5 Automatic 27.970 53005540
XJ 89/01 2.5 Manual 25.310 53005541
XJ 89/01 4.0 Automatic 30.660 53005542
XJ 89/01 4.0 Manual 29.250 53005543
XJ 89/00 4.0 Manual 27.080 Export 53005544
XJ 89/00 4.0 Automatic 28.620 Export 53005545
XJ 87/88 4.0 Automatic Export 53005260 *
XJ 95/01 Diesel 27.640 Export 52098208

ZJ 1993 4.0 Automatic 30.530 52098341
ZJ 93/95 5.2 Automatic 32.870 w/o CV 53008427
ZJ 94/95 5.2 A500 30.625 w/o CV 52087805
ZJ 94/95 4.0 A500 w/o CV 52098790
ZJ 93/96 4.0 Manual 52098344
ZJ 93/96 4.0, 5.2 31.875 w/ 231, 242 52087805
ZJ 93/95 4.0 Manual 30.000 w/231 52088090
ZJ 93/96 5.2 33.000 w/ 231 53008427
ZJ 96/98 5.2, 5.9 31.250 w/ 249 & Model 30 52098379
ZJ 1996 5.2 Automatic 32.875 w/ 249 & Model 30 52098501
ZJ 96/98 4.0 33.000 w/ 242 52098707
ZJ 96/97 4.0 Automatic 31.250 52098850
ZJ 1996 5.2 Automatic 30.750 w/ 249 & Model 30 52099246
ZJ 96/98 4.0 33.500 w/ 249 52099260

If lifted, you might want slightly longer. Just beware that too long you risk it bottoming out and hammering the xfer case.

mcmopar

Try Dennysdriveshaft.com , they are excellent and have everything you need to rebuild or replace what you have.