project flying xj

My xjs 4wd went out on me and it's a orrery bad mess up in the barring in the front differential. I couldn't fix it so I brought it too my 4wd mechanic. He said it would cost 800 to fix. Is that worth it or should I go to the junk yard and pull an axle and drive shaft and put it in myself.



A little more in depth about wats going on. The barring is broken and so my driveshaft is very wiggly as well as it's leaking transfer case fluid. I had it in 4wd and the gears started grinding so I put it in 2 and it's been fine lik that obviously but idk which route I should take on this. Please help!!

project flying xj

My 4wd went out on me and i found that it is the barring in the front differential. My 4wd mechanic said it's an 800 fix. I'm wondering if I should go to the junk yard pull a front axle and drive shaft and put that in myself.


More in depth, I was in 4hi and I heard the gears start grinding do I put it in 2 and it has Been fine to drive obviously but the drive shaft is very wiggly and unstable. Please help what should i do!

Evil Drew M

The "barring" isn't expensive BUT when the "barring" goes it will usually kick the pinion sideways which will then shred your pinion and ring gears.

So you are looking at a bearing, new gears and the stupid amount of time it takes to set up the gear mesh (unless you don't care and just throw it all back together).

project flying xj

That's exactly what my mechanic said. So should i pay the 800 or would swapping my front axle and driveshaft fix it all? Because I can do that. But idk if that fixs everything you just stated.

opake

Easiest bet is probably to get a JY axle out of a 96-99 Cherokee with the same transmission and xfer case you have. throw that in with any wear parts that need replacing (U joints on the DS and steering parts, brakes) and you should be ok I'd imagine.

sneekeepete

I'd got find a new axle. Around here you can find Dana 44's for under $300 easily not sure about where your at though. That would be an upgrade worth spending money on anyways. It is in my list of things to do eventually.

Evil Drew M

$300 will get you a D44 - but how much more will it cost to get it modified to fit the Jeep.

OP - A front axle swap is your cheapest bet. XJ D30s are pretty standard. You don't necessarily need to find the same year but you do need to find one with the right disconnect setup and the right gear ratio.

There are differences such as axle spline count and u-joints BUT if you are swapping the complete axle in that stuff is irrelevant as it is all self-contained.

Evil Drew M

There is nothing wrong with his transmission and transfer case. That is only relevant if he was swapping one of those as well.

Assuming he didn't bend his driveshaft (which I doubt) he can re-use it.

Axles didn't change depending on trans/TC - just driveshafts.

I do agree with you that 96-99 is the year he wants to find given the options.

PingPong

OK.. lets get back to OP's original post and what happened. sounds like he wasnt in 4hi all the way.


Normally when a bearing goes bad in an axle it creates a "roaring", or a "whinining" sound.


OK as what to do.. find you a trust worthy mechanic. By what you described it sounded like you were not all the way in 4wd, or it slipped out of gear.


As for the info you get on here.. There are some ppl who post on here that are totally effin clueless when it comes to fixing and diagnosing problems.

Evil Drew M

Dude - his pinion/yoke is wiggling. That is a bearing.

He had a mechanic look at it who told him it was a bearing and it tore up the gears.

That is all from his first post.

PingPong

DUDE.. BEARINGS do Not GRIND. it soundls like his pinion nut might need to be tightened...

Evil Drew M

No bearings don't grind - but when a bearing goes and the pinion is loose it jacks up the gear mesh which WILL GRIND.

Calm down ace.

And being half in gear via the TC doesn't cause the pinion/yoke to wobble.

PingPong

This sentence right here tells you waht the problem really is.


I beleive if he tightens up his pinion nut to proper spec... and replces the possibly worn parts in the driveshaft he will have no issues.

Evil Drew M

Unless the loose pinion screwed up something down at that end as well.

I agree with you that he has problems at BOTH ends of the front DS.

project flying xj

My mechanic said I need to replace a barring which isn't exspensive but takes forever to do and that's why it costs so much.