Could see that for a drive home but for extended driving I don’t know.
Blown up front diff
- Thread starter owenjan11
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- axle diff differential knocking
Could see that for a drive home but for extended driving I don’t know.
Remove or disconnect the front driveshaft and you can drive forever with an empty/dry front axle. The unit bearing hubs don't need any lubricant.
I wouldn't even drive a short distance home without the stub shaft installed to hold the unit bearing hub together. Another 4x4 club member broke an axle shaft on a parking lot at a 4x4 event with man made obstacles. His unit bearing fell apart a couple minutes in the lot after putting things back together.
Consider the stub shaft as a required part for holding the unit bearing hub together.
Yeh I know there is nothing holding it together. I just amazed people got that far on them without the stub shaft. I would think it would come apart on the first turn.
There is a fairly serious amount of interference fit holding them together short term, otherwise, they'd arrive in two separate pieces with a bunch of ball bearings falling out of the holes in the box.
I haven't tried it on a jeep, but after pulling a fwd transaxle I use a couple big bolts and washers to hold the unit bearings together. Of course the best option is a couple stub shafts with the u-joint yokes cut off. If you're in a bind and planning on upgrading to chromo axles later just cut the stubs. Then you won't have to f with the diff until you're ready.
I broke a stub shaft yoke in hot springs last September. I pulled the front driveshaft and inner axle shafts, reinstalled the stub shafts, and stuffed a few shop rags in each end of the axle tube. I drove 7 hrs home then drove like that for a few months before being able to replace the axle shafts with a Revolution set. No oil leaked to the ends of the axle tubes, nothing was rusting, and nothing was seized when I cracked open the front differential when installing the shafts.
It works fine. We have a couple of large bolts and nuts we use when we have to drive a rig to regear and they are installing new shafts and seals at the same time.
thank you for the advice everyone, were gonna play it safe and explore axle swaps or a new differential and ring and pinion in the 30 we hav now
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