Front Drive Shaft Removal?

[mrchips]

the Tom Woods shaft is hellishly beefy, compared to anything else I have seen, and compared to R Express prices it is a great deal, and TW gives fantastic service.

[Schmo]

I have nothing but positive things to say about TW, but I've heard so many good things about Coast and really like the idea of them being local where I could drive out there if I needed to. Looks like the Rubicon shaft from Coast is a bit cheaper than the TW by a hair . . . decisions, decisions!

Question for ya . . . Coast has on their website a Rubicon shaft for 4-8 inches of lift . . . I've got a 4" lift, but chances are after a couple of years, I'm probably now closer to 3" . . . that wouldn't make a difference would it? I wouldn't want the DS to be too long.

[mrchips]

The length off the splined section is in question. You have a short arm lift so do not have allot of articulation and or axle drop. If you went to a larger tire would you stay with the short arm lift?
The on the ground, length from flat of yoke to flat of yoke is the critical one for regular driving, and as your axle drops or you lift it the splined section will move in and out, and then you would have to change your pinion angle etc.
Give Troy a call at TW and ask him, he is most helpful.

[Schmo]

The length off the splined section is in question. You have a short arm lift so do not have allot of articulation and or axle drop. If you went to a larger tire would you stay with the short arm lift?
The on the ground, length from flat of yoke to flat of yoke is the critical one for regular driving, and as your axle drops or you lift it the splined section will move in and out, and then you would have to change your pinion angle etc.
Give Troy a call at TW and ask him, he is most helpful.

Yeah I plan to stay with the short arm set up for a while. Toying around with the idea of going to 35s when my 33's wear out, but would probably look at either adding a BL to my current set up or going to tube fenders. Can't go much higher and still fit in the garage.

Do you think a shaft that is advertised for a 4-8 inch lift would be too long for a saggy 4" lift or am I worrying about nothing?

[Schmo]

I think I'm just going to call Tom Woods after I measure the length I need . . . I've had such good experiences with them, I just can't bring myself to try another shop despite it being local.

[mrchips]

Not sure what is best, as you have a short wheelbase, and I have a LJ. I would defer to Tom Woods to give you the best advice, and they stand behind their stuff 100%.

[Schmo]

I just placed the order with Tom Woods for a new shaft . . . sounds like I got the same one as you . . . $350 . . . it's the Rubi shaft with the upgraded splines. I've been spending too much time and money lately on this thing and just want to get it done and done right so I can hit the trail. Hopefully the new DS will be here on Friday, so I might be out there playing around in the mud or snow this weekend!!!

[Geebo]

Glad ya got it smoothed out Joe I too might get another D/S from TW, when the time comes..do ya think there will be mud on the trails Friday? lol

[Schmo]

Glad ya got it smoothed out Joe I too might get another D/S from TW, when the time comes..do ya think there will be mud on the trails Friday? lol

:hijackrobably not on Friday, but I hope to get out this weekend if possible. So who's up for some wheelin? Big Bear is callin, but even Rowher is sure to be exciting after all this rain.:hijack:

[Schmo]

Flushed the rear diff tonight . . . slowly but surely I'm getting close to completing my tune up. Called the stealership today to make sure they had the tranny fluid and a throttle body gasket. Just need to flush the TC and Tranny and clean out the throttle body and I think I'm going to call it quits, hopefully for a while!

From what I've found on-line, 2 quarts should be plenty for the 6 speed manual tranny . . . does that sound right?

[mrchips]

Yes fill it till it comes out of the top fill hole, rig on level ground. Same with the transfer case.

[Geebo]

I,m up for Rowhwer fer sure..

[Schmo]

Wow that was easy!!! Went ahead and pulled the engine skid and replaced the Tranny and TC fluid. Everything looked good, and there seemed to be a good amount of fluid in both and no noticeable shavings . . . just a bit of metal dust collecting on the drain plug magnet. The Tranny took about 1.7 quarts after spilling out the fill hole a bit, which is about what I was expecting . . . the TC took about 2.5 quarts which is a bit more than I was expecting . . . glad I picked up that extra quart! All I've got left to do is clean out the throttle body (well that and my ear, I think I got some tranny fluid in there . . . on a non auto forum, getting tranny fluid in your ear would probably have a much different meaning!!!) and put the bottle of techron in when I fuel up. Hope to have my new DS tomorrow . . . just in time for some weekend wheelin'!!!

[Schmo]

Just got my new front drive shaft . . . placed the order and gave them the measurements on Tues . . . have it on Fri . . . that's tough to beat.

[mrchips]

They are very good at customer service, and they make an excellent product.