I have a 98, 3 inch lift, 31 inch tires. I just started wheeling and I have been keeping my eye on the front axle because I bent my LP dana 30 on my daily jumping it over a dune. I know jumping is one thing, but when I'm bashing into rocks and bouncing through ditches I feel like I'm at the dunes again with respect to the forces I'm feeling. Has anyone else had any issues with there front axle? I am considering a truss kit as I want to prevent any bending from occuring, I am pretty rough on my jeeps. I am getting concerned as after my first test run it looks like the wheels are already slanted in!!

 

Are you sure yours is low pinion those didnt start tell 99 yours should be high pinion.And if the housing is bent a truss is kinda too late you need to bend it back or a new straight housing them truss it.

 

If the wheels look 'slanted in' (I assume you mean cambered in?), it may be ball joints. I just did them on my 90 this past weekend. The passenger front tire was cambered in about 4 degrees (put an angle finder on the wheel to measure).

 

The HP D30 like yours are much stronger than the LP model and have better angles when lifted on the driveshaft. The LPD30 were installed in all of the 00/01 XJ's the 99's has a HP in them.


If your worried about it then truss it for more strength I have beat on mine for 5 yrs. mostly on logging trails and old fire roads from long ago. Stock and no issues so far but it could happen I guess, I tend to pick my line and easy on the skinny peddle.

 

He is saying that he had bent a low pinion one before. He knows what he has just asking if his being a stronger high pinion would hold up.

The hp vs low pinion housing strength would be no differnt as it's the internals of the hp that are stronger (except when reversing)

Any one jumping a jeep should do whatever they can to strengthen the housing. Gusset your C's, sleeve it, upper truss that goes across entire axle housing.

(I'd first make sure your axle is strait before investing time and $$$)

Again the op is talking not just trails but jumping

 

Okay, I never thought of that! Is there any way to check for bad ball joints?

 

Right I was referring to the LPD30 on my daily driver from 2000. I bent it and am worried about the same thing happening to my 98 HPD30!

So noone else had had problems bending there HPD30 or LPD30?

Thanks!

 

Honestly, if you're THAT hard on your rig, you need to learn how to drive within the limits of your components. There's no way to even insure that after trussing you wouldn't destroy a d30. And let's entertain you jumping and beating hard on your rig, you do realize it's a unibody right? What have you done to strengthen the most important part of your rig? I'd be worried about that before making the axle stronger.

 

Jack the front end up just a few inches off the ground... take a pipe or something and place under the tire. Lifting up and down as you check for movement between the outter knuckle and the inner showing a bad balljoint. Basically, you are trying to lift the tire off of the ground. If the outer knuckle moves up and down, ball joints need to be replaced.