4x4 Components

[Warren99]

I was visiting pull-a-part and found a 1986 xj. It was a 4x4, but had a v6. I'm pretty sure it has an ax-5(correct me if needed), so that's no good to me. I know the axle should be fine, but would the transfer case or driveshaft be any different from what I need for an mj? The vin is "1jcwl772xgt175333" according to the sticker.

[Pete M]

I've got the seats out of that XJ      

 

the front shaft will technically work, but I highly suggest an 87+ because before the 84-86 shafts were puny.   

 

the t-case is likely a 21 spline np-207.  also not desirable.

 

the front axle might have some decent gears though.   or it may not.   lots of weird gear ratios were used in 86.  only way to know for sure is to pull the cover and count teeth.  

 

car-part.com can also help with junkyard searches.

 

also check craigslist.  be wary of Jeeps that seem too good to be true.

[DirtyComanche]

Personally I wouldn't use any of it.  As Pete said, the driveshaft and tcase are not desirable.  The front axle also is of the early design and uses the smaller ujoints and different brakes and unit bearings.  I'd find a later Jeep to pull everything from, 95ish and up will get you an external slave AX-15.

[Warren99]

Alright, well thanks for the input. I'll probably just keep on searching.

[HOrnbrod]

22 minutes ago, Pete M said:

I've got the seats out of that XJ    

 

Were they leather Pete?

[yxmj]

Check the rear end.......just in case someone stuck a 44 or a 20 in at some point?

[Warren99]

I don't really know much about the axles, or many other things for that matter, but I also don't think that they would have swapped one in, and then sold it to a salvage yard. I'll try to do some research and next time I swing by, I'll check.

[Pete M]

27 minutes ago, yxmj said:

Check the rear end.......just in case someone stuck a 44 or a 20 in at some point?

 

 

if the XJ in question is a 2dr with a trashed black interior, it's a dana 35.   

 

45 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

Were they leather Pete?

 

in 86?  nah.  cloth and vinyl.  

 

[HOrnbrod]

Ah, okay. They look pretty good. 

[Warren99]

Also, at the same yard as the xj we are talking about, there was an 1989 Mj on the same row. It had ONLY 89,000 miles on it. Seats and most of interior was gone, I took the parking release handle for my missing one. It said it came in at the beginning of April. I just can't believe that it only had 89,000 miles.

[Pete M]

they were some hard miles though.  seems every body panel had something wrong with it.    even the tailgate (which I snagged anyway  )  

[jeeppapa]

I don't really know much about the axles, or many other things for that matter, but I also don't think that they would have swapped one in, and then sold it to a salvage yard. I'll try to do some research and next time I swing by, I'll check.

I’ve noticed that a lot of peaple have no idea what axles are under their XJs especially if they are the third or forth owner. They just know it gets them where they want to go.


88 Pioneer 4x4 auto LB D30/D44
88 Eliminator 4x2 5sp SB D35

[DirtyComanche]

12 hours ago, jeeppapa said:

I’ve noticed that a lot of peaple have no idea what axles are under their XJs especially if they are the third or forth owner. They just know it gets them where they want to go.

 

Most people have no idea because it doesn't matter to them, and why should it?  Get the quick lube to check the gear oil and forget about it.

 

And rarely do they get swapped out unless there is other mods.  You MAY see the odd XJ in a boneyard with an 8.8 in it since it is such a popular mod, but that's about the extent of what I've seen for non-factory stuff.  Most people with modded vehicles don't send them to the boneyard.

[bigmistake]

On 5/29/2018 at 1:02 PM, Pete M said:

the front axle might have some decent gears though.   or it may not.   lots of weird gear ratios were used in 86.  only way to know for sure is to pull the cover and count teeth.  

 

I was going to start a new thread, but I think piggy-backing on this one might work...

 

What considerations need to go into picking parts from multiple vehicles when planning for a 4wd swap, or when thinking about updating/replacing components?  Will front axles and drive shafts from all years work with one another?  For example, if I buy a front axle from an 89, would that bolt straight up to an 01 drive shaft?  And would all front drive shafts mount to all transfer cases?

 

I ask because I often see pieces of what I need, but almost never _everything_ I need.  So, what parts are safe to pull solo, and which would be best to get all at once?  Transmission + transfer case is obvious to me, but everything else gets confusing.  (I spent hours reading through spline counts for different components but could never figure out how everything relates to one another).

[DirtyComanche]

7 hours ago, bigmistake said:

 

I was going to start a new thread, but I think piggy-backing on this one might work...

 

What considerations need to go into picking parts from multiple vehicles when planning for a 4wd swap, or when thinking about updating/replacing components?  Will front axles and drive shafts from all years work with one another?  For example, if I buy a front axle from an 89, would that bolt straight up to an 01 drive shaft?  And would all front drive shafts mount to all transfer cases?

 

I ask because I often see pieces of what I need, but almost never _everything_ I need.  So, what parts are safe to pull solo, and which would be best to get all at once?  Transmission + transfer case is obvious to me, but everything else gets confusing.  (I spent hours reading through spline counts for different components but could never figure out how everything relates to one another).

 

Ugh.  That's a total can of worms to reply to.

 

Basic idea regarding trans/tcases:

-90 and earlier AW4s were 21 spline, and thus the tcase that goes with them is 21 spline

-91+ AW4s were 23 spline, thus the tcase is 23 spline.  Later AW4s are wired slightly different, and the TV cable is different; you pretty much could have a whole thread on the differences but I assume you're staying manual so we can skip it.

-Peugeot 5spds were 21 spline, ditto on the tcase (don't swap a Peugeot in, but the tcase that goes with one being 21 spline is important)

-AX-15s are 23 spline, ditto with their tcase...  So if you get an AX-15 you can't use a tcase from an early AW4 or a Peugeot (or a 4 cylinder)

-NV3550 5spds are 23 spline

-4 cylinder/diesel/V6 applications (including the AX-5) should always be 21 spline but I'm sure AMC stuffed something weird in at some point just to mess with people

 

So for you, assuming you want to stay with a 4 cylinder and AX-5, you could get a trans from any 4wd AX-5 setup (again I believe they went external slave after 94, which is more desirable), and any tcase from the 21 spline options about.  Note, stick with the NP231 or NP242 tcase, as the earlier stuff isn't so good (don't get anything pre-87).  If you get the transmission out of a YJ/TJ Wrangler it will have the tcase mount pattern drilled at a different clocking, you can either drill it to the XJ/MJ clocking or run it and maybe mod the floor with a hammer (normally it's fine, some mounts may cause issues).

 

You're going to likely have to get an entire rear driveshaft built.  You want the slip yoke that came with whatever tcase you buy, unless you're planning to do a SYE.  There is likely a lot of interchange on the slip yokes but I'm not an expert and generally just run a SYE anyways...

 

Front driveshafts vary according to what they came from.  Do not use any of the pre-87 ones, again, they're weak and suck.  You can potentially interchange them, the tcase they came from does not matter (NP231 or NP242), and some of them are fairly close depending on the tranny used and may work fine if you're installing a lift.  In general you should look for one out of a donor with the same engine/transmission as you though.  The longest ones appear to be AW4 versions, and they can often be cut down and balanced for minimal cost if the correct one can not be located.  Do not use a YJ front driveshaft, they're junk.

 

I don't know what else to say, the whole topic is huge and very hard to address as there is many little idiosyncrasies that are hard to cover off the top of the head.  Everything I wrote is from memory and should not be taken for gospel.

 

[bigmistake]

7 hours ago, DirtyComanche said:

 

Ugh.  That's a total can of worms to reply to.

 

Thanks!  This post has a ton of excellent info.  You are awesome!

[ParadiseMJ]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 12:49 PM, Pete M said:

.    even the tailgate (which I snagged anyway  )  

 

I've yet to find a clean straight MJ tailgate.  If not smashed/dented it always seems like they're creased at the latch.  The one that my MJ came with was crunched at the top, after looking at 5 or 6 tailgates I settled on one that had about a 4" long slight crease in it, again right at the handle.  Still looking, any color.