Front Driveshaft Length

[Eagle]

2001 Cherokee -- The never-ending saga thereof.

 

This is the XJ the seller of which really saw me coming. Every time I think I have one issue resolved, two more crop up. (Not the vehicle's fault. It has been through multiple owners and multiple auctions in multiple states, and has apparently been thoroughly abused before I got it. Lesson learned -- run CarFax before you buy, not after.)

 

One problem is a heavy vibration that starts to kick in above 50 MPH and gets significantly worse and louder around 60 to 65 MPH. There seems to be a lot of play in the front driveshaft, at the slip joint. I'll pull the driveshaft this weekend to verify.

 

The 2001 XJ has a LOW pinion D30. I have several older XJs for parts, with the high pinion D30. Does anyone know how much (if any) difference there is in the driveshaft length? Is there any reason I can't try a front drive shaft from an older XJ?

 

What about ZJ front drive shafts? Are they the same length as the 2001 XJ?

[ParadiseMJ]

I know that I had to snag the driveshaft off the t-case, at the JY (actually I was too tired/lazy to pull it off) when I swapped from 5 speed to AW4.  There was about a 3-4" difference in the front shaft length.  So I would think if you're going from the same engine, t-case, tranny combination...then yes the shafts are likely the same length.

[mvusse]

I do not believe low pinion vs high pinion make any real difference in length. Transmission length does, though. I believe you have an AW4 which should be right around 25-3/8". ZJs use either the 42re, 44re or 46re depending on engine (4.0, 5.2, 5.9) all of which measure 27-1/2" or bit over 2" longer.

 

I would get one off an older XJ.