99 xj 4x4
Can anyone walk me through replacing the intermediate shaft. U-joints are shot. I've done a little research and dont want to be doing a clock spring replacement. Thanks

 

Taken from a post on Jeep Forum:

On a '97-01, the intermediate shaft telescopes easily, so you don't have to loosen or remove the steering gear as on earlier XJs. With the steering wheel straight ahead, remove the lock bolt at the coupler to the steering gear input stub shaft. You'll need to rotate the steering wheel 180 degrees to get access to the lock bolt on the coupler under the dash to the steering column. Be CAREFUL with the intermediate shaft disconnected, you don't want to spin the steering wheel or you'll be learning about replacing a broken clockspring. With the intermediate shaft disconnected at both ends, separate the shaft by pulling it apart from each end. Withdraw each half from under the hood or under the dash respectively. Remember when you replace the shaft that the lock bolts on each end are out of phase, otherwise you won't get it to line up properly.

The intermediate shaft itself is pretty simple and the areas to check out are the universal joints at each end and the vibration isolation damper at the column end. The damper has a friction fit between the shaft and an outer collar separated by rubber. This set up has a pin that extends through the entire assembly as a fail safe if the rubber isolator wears out. If the isolator no longer transfers torque from the column to the intermediate shaft, the pin can wear a slot into the outer collar, resulting in excessive rotation of the column before any motion is passed to the intermediate shaft. Last I checked, there is no aftermarket OEM-type intermediate shaft available for '97-01 XJs, if yours is worn out, you'll need to find a used one in decent condition or spring for big $$$ for a Borgeson shaft.

 

To keep the steering wheel from spinning while the shaft is disconnected, you can use bungee cords, or whatever. Hook one end over or thru a spoke on the steering wheel, and the other on the door handles. They dont need to be super tight. Just enough to keep the steering wheel from spinning. You could hook the bungees or whatever to the pedals instead. Whatever works.

 

Awesome, thanks for the tips.

 

And before I need a new clock spring let me just make sure I have this right.

1. Loosen collar bolt at steering gear ( now do I disconnect shaft or still leave connected?)
2. Spin wheel 180 degrees to access bolt under dash (now do I secure wheel while turned upside down?)
3. Remove shaft and install back same way.