Hi all,

I'm removing my front drive shaft because there's quite a bit of play at the slip joint, causing some annoying vibrations at certain speeds. My question is this: Is there anything special I need to do to drive without the shaft in? I've seen lots of stuff on XJ's with the NP231, but not much on the NP242 and don't know if it makes a difference.

I'm planning on driving it at least a week without the front shaft in, daily commute ~25 miles both ways on the freeway.

Thanks in advance

 

Nope, nothing to worry about, unbolt and go.

 

That's what I figured. Thanks for the confirmation.

This was my first time removing the front DS...can't believe how simple it was. I read that you should jack the car up and shift the T-case into neutral, but I didn't see the need. Did I miss something there? With the front jacked up, it actually made it more difficult because when trying to remove the DS from the front pinion yoke, it just made my tires spin

 

I did mine on the ground, but with the lift its plenty easy to work under there...

 

Just took it out for a test drive, and go figure...vibrations are still there! I know it's off topic, but what could be causing vibrations at ~50 mph and when turning left at lower speeds (~30 mph)? Front axle u-joints are good. I've already replaced the driver's side hub assembly, but not the passenger side. Could this be it?

 

Its more than likely the other hub assembly. make sure you torque the axle nut to spec's. Also a little play coming out of the transfercase is normal. But the u joints in the drive shafts should be tight

 

Guess I'll be changing the other hub! At $100 a pop, I just really didn't want to do another one. Only takes like 30 minutes, so time isn't an issue.

I wasn't so concerned about the u joints, it was the slip joint (or whatever it's called that had the seal and little grease fitting) that concerned me. It had lateral movement, and I didn't think it should. Maybe it shouldn't, but I can say that the lateral movement definitely isn't the source of my vibrations.