Front axle help in my 88 MJ

[vanquishings]

Chasing the dreaded death wobble. Onto ball joints and wheel hubs, now. Driver's side wheel hub came out effortlessly. Passenger side was a different story. While beating on it with a hammer, the axle decided to came with it. Tried a puller, took it to a shop, tried a press, air hammer, heat, the whole 9. Axle and hub want to be together forever. 

 

Not the end of the world. I was thinking I can just buy a new outer axle and pull that u joint and throw on the new hub. 

 

Upon looking, I've been overwhelmed by options. Can anyone lead me in the right direction? 

 

Threw some photos of what I pulled out of my passenger side, and the front diff. My limited understanding is it's a dana 30 front, and those are bad, but beyond that, I'm helpless. 

[howeitsdone]

Dana 30 is a good axle when used appropriately.

 

The stub shaft you're looking for is Spicer 40611 (260) which is harder to find than the new 43205. 43205 have larger U-joints so you'd also need the inner shaft and the CAD axles don't have a replacement with larger 760 joints IIRC (someone can confirm).

 

In short. You'd be best to apply a liberal amount of heat to that stub shaft and un-marry them or you'll need to upgrade the axle to later year. I had the same issue with my driver's side and it took like 2-3 days while torching. Wasn't fun, but worked.

 

There have been people who have thrown later shafts in the CAD axle, but I think I remember the taper is slightly different and may not seal correctly.

[vanquishings]

12 minutes ago, howeitsdone said:

Dana 30 is a good axle when used appropriately.

 

The stub shaft you're looking for is Spicer 40611 (260) which is harder to find than the new 43205. 43205 have larger U-joints so you'd also need the inner shaft and the CAD axles don't have a replacement with larger 760 joints IIRC (someone can confirm).

 

In short. You'd be best to apply a liberal amount of heat to that stub shaft and un-marry them or you'll need to upgrade the axle to later year. I had the same issue with my driver's side and what I did was keep installed in the knuckle and used a 10lb slide hammer over about 2-3 days while torching the seam. Wasn't fun, but worked.

 

There have been people who have thrown later shafts in the CAD axle, but I think I remember the taper is slightly different and may not seal correctly.

 

ahh, I'm glad someone weighed in. I was about to snag one of these https://www.ebay.com/itm/284165641779, but now I can see what you're saying about the U joint size. 

 

How hard to find are the 40611s? If a 20 ton press and map gas didn't get it to move, I'm not sure any slide hammer will. And the last thing I wanna do is pull an entire axle. I don't mind buying an inner shaft, but it seems like that's where things get pricy. 

 

Maybe I can pull a 40611 from a pull apart. 

[howeitsdone]

40 minutes ago, vanquishings said:

How hard to find are the 40611s?

 

Painfully difficult. At least, I never found one for a reasonable cost.

$85

$150

 

A JY is the best option. But honestly, if you're going that route it might benefit you to scope out a whole axle. Not the "easiest", but I think my '98 axle cost me $150 and I swapped everything over in an afternoon. Plus, you can get the 760 joints.

[vanquishings]

6 minutes ago, howeitsdone said:

 

Painfully difficult. At least, I never found one for a reasonable cost.

$85

$150

 

A JY is the best option. But honestly, if you're going that route it might benefit you to scope out a whole axle. Not the "easiest", but I think my '98 axle cost me $150 and I swapped everything over in an afternoon. Plus, you can get the 760 joints.

 

To be honest with you, $85 is what I was thinking the shop was gonna charge me just for the time it took them to hammer on it. Thankfully, they didn't charge as they couldn't remove it. A full axle swap might be best left for a rainy day, but it's definitely on my list. The 30 doesn't seem to be the best choice for much of anything, but I also just wanna get this thing back on the road. 

 

I'm glad I asked for help and got someone knowledgeable. I had no clue axles and u joints were so complex. 

 

If I buy that outer stub, I assume I'll need to buy the corresponding dust shield 40589. Would I need to grab anything else? 

[Pete M]

late model shafts go right in (replacing the one seal) and will give you bigger ujoints.  

[vanquishings]

Just now, Pete M said:

late model shafts go right in (replacing the one seal) and will give you bigger ujoints.  

 

So a 43205 will work? I'll just have mismatched U joints? I assume I'll still need a dust cover and new u joint, would I need anything else with the later model outer axle stub?

 

Just trying to get all my options here. 

[Pete M]

junkyard shafts from a 95+ XJ or a TJ.    get the inners and outers and joints (then replace the joints with new)

[vanquishings]

12 minutes ago, Pete M said:

junkyard shafts from a 95+ XJ or a TJ.    get the inners and outers and joints (then replace the joints with new)

 

Ahh, gotcha. At that point, I might as well just do a whole axle swap, and I'll probably run something different than a 30! 

 

Adding it to the list, nonetheless. Gonna pay too much for a 40611, now. Thanks for all the help @howeitsdone @Pete M

[ratrapp]

i did the axle swap in my old 88 mj.the only real hard part was you have to remove the carrier to install a seal in the housing.i got tired of in the winter somehow i would get moisture in my vacuum lines and it would freeze up when i needed 4 wheel the most. 

[Pete M]

2 hours ago, vanquishings said:

 

Ahh, gotcha. At that point, I might as well just do a whole axle swap, and I'll probably run something different than a 30! 

 

Adding it to the list, nonetheless. Gonna pay too much for a 40611, now. Thanks for all the help @howeitsdone @Pete M

 

the 30 is a great axle once you eliminate the CAD and get the bigger ujoints (same size joints as a dana 44)    people regularly run 33s and 35s on it.

[vanquishings]

3 hours ago, ratrapp said:

i did the axle swap in my old 88 mj.the only real hard part was you have to remove the carrier to install a seal in the housing.i got tired of in the winter somehow i would get moisture in my vacuum lines and it would freeze up when i needed 4 wheel the most. 

I know axle swaps are a popular mod. Something I definitely aspire to do. Just want to get this back and rolling. Winter here is very real, so I'll be curious to see how it does on this older set up. 

38 minutes ago, Pete M said:

 

the 30 is a great axle once you eliminate the CAD and get the bigger ujoints (same size joints as a dana 44)    people regularly run 33s and 35s on it.

 

Interesting! Something I'll definitely look into. But I'm leaning fix it now, and revamp it later. Makes no sense to rebuild this 30 with the beefier u joints, only to switch to a 44 later. I'll have to read about the 8.8s as well! Thankfully I've got this place to count on! 

[Pete M]

there's no 44 that's an easy/cheap swap.  how good are your fabrication skills?

[vanquishings]

6 minutes ago, Pete M said:

there's no 44 that's an easy/cheap swap.  how good are your fabrication skills?

 well in that case, I'll have a very good grasp on how to move wheel hub bearings when I swap out the internals to my 30. LOL

[Pete M]

the 35 is the problem child.  the 30 just needs some ujoint upgrades.   aside from gearing of course, but most all factory axles need improvements there.

[vanquishings]

13 minutes ago, Pete M said:

the 35 is the problem child.  the 30 just needs some ujoint upgrades.   aside from gearing of course, but most all factory axles need improvements there.

Is there a guide to gearing for dummies stickied somewhere? I'm definitely going to have to get into that at some point with the size tires I'm interested in being over a 31. 

[Pete M]

there are guides out there but they seem to be more confusing than helpful to new comers. 

 

what's the engine/trans/tire going to be?  what type of wheeling would you do?  you should put some basic info in your signature.  

[vanquishings]

40 minutes ago, Pete M said:

there are guides out there but they seem to be more confusing than helpful to new comers. 

 

what's the engine/trans/tire going to be?  what type of wheeling would you do?  you should put some basic info in your signature.  

 

Stock 4.0 and tranny. Was thinking of bumping up to 33s. Nothing too wild, to be honest. Just some light farm work and berms. Just didn't wanna beat up the diffs more than I already should be. 

[Pete M]

for 33s I'd do 4.10s if auto or 4.56 if manual. 

 

be prepared, 33s are a big tire.  bigger than the wheelwells will comfortably fit for stuffing/turning and so trimming is necessary.  if you don't want anything too crazy, I'd go with 31s and a 3" lift.    you only lose 1" of ground clearance with 31s over 33s but life becomes sooooo much easier. .

[vanquishings]

5 hours ago, Pete M said:

for 33s I'd do 4.10s if auto or 4.56 if manual. 

 

be prepared, 33s are a big tire.  bigger than the wheelwells will comfortably fit for stuffing/turning and so trimming is necessary.  if you don't want anything too crazy, I'd go with 31s and a 3" lift.    you only lose 1" of ground clearance with 31s over 33s but life becomes sooooo much easier. .

 

Solid advice! Truck already has a lift and fender flares from the PO. 31s are on it now. May heed your advice and just stick with 31s, especially if it saves me a regear and more trimming. pictures here if you care to see: 

 

[Pete M]

oh, your truck seems to be trimmed already.  then I guess 32s or 33s aren't necessarily as much of a headache.   

[vanquishings]

So, a bit of oddness. Bought this outer axle from C&M gearworks , a 40611. So far, both the Moog 365s and FVP 215-0260s do not fit into it. Maybe I'm doing something stupid, but removing 2 caps still doesn't give enough clearance to work the ujoint into one ear, before the other. 

 

Both of those U-joints are "heavy duty", but it is worth nothing. 

 

I'm trying a regular Dana 5-260X next, thinking it might be more narrow at the base of the caps like the old ones I yanked off were. 

 

Old ones fit fine into the C&M stub. So it's gotta be the beefier u joints. But a bit concerned. Folks over at rock auto must think I'm crazy.... They're not entirely wrong. 

 

I'll post pictures in my project thread. Just wanted anyone who stumbles upon this to know! 

[vanquishings]

Dana 5260X u joints had the same problem. What am I missing here, between this outer axle stub and the u joints? Anyone got any ideas if it could be another stub? @howeitsdone@Pete M

[Pete M]

very weird.    have you asked C+M about it?  maybe this is a known issue?

 

 

 

[howeitsdone]

Make sure to measure your yoke on each shaft to verify they sent the correct stub shaft. Regardless, that Spicer U-Joint is correct for the application. I feel like I remember having to install in my inner shaft first. Could have been just me, but there was a method to the madness.

 

The joint doesn't install head-on like you have in the photo. It's more diagonal and off to the side. A very tight fit. I remember it took me a while to find the best way when I originally did mine. Notice how the yoke gets thinner as you get closer to the shaft itself.