Driveshaft Size?

[peoplethatcant]

Hey, my bad if this has been explained in detail already!

I've got an 04 TJ Sport with an auto trans, dana 35 axle, a SYE and double cardan driveshaft all from the PO. It's got a 4" lift on it, and I've installed adjustable rear lower CAs to set the pinion angle to 1 degree. There is no transmission belly pan drop.

I went to redo my ujoints as I still have some nasty vibes, and noticed a bit of play in the rear shaft. The slip joint was so seized I had to use a ratchet strap to compress it just to get it out, and now it will not budge one way or another, so I'm assuming a new shaft is the correct, easiest, and likely cheapest way to go from here.

I've been looking at a rough country double cardan shaft, their model 5075.1 says it should fit my TJ's combination of axle trans and lift. The specs they list are 14.25-17.75", with a running length of 16.5".

My old shaft seems longer. It's currently seized at 16-3/4" and looks like there's not much travel left. When I measure flange to flange with the wheels on the ground I get 17".

The Rough Country 5074.1 shaft is listed as 15.125-18.625", but specifically says dana 44 and manual trans only.

So I'm just hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can let me know which one I should be ordering? Are the shafts identical except for the lengths? Are these like shocks where the fitment is more of a guideline and measuring is the way, or is there some reason to stick with the recommended models? Is it a red flag that the recommended driveshaft isn't long enough when it says it can handle 2 more inches of lift than I have?

I did measure with this in mind: https://wranglertjforum.com/attachments/driveshaft-measurements-jpg.91335/

 

[Steel City 06]

Skip the rough country and go with one of the custom ones. Tom Wood at 4xshaft.com is the one I used. The website has details on how to measure. The driveshaft has a good amount of travel so if you're a half inch off, it probably won't matter much

 

[jjvw]

Tom Wood will take good care of you.

 

[peoplethatcant]

If I was in the US, I'd agree. After shipping and customs, those shafts get pricey, and take half a month.

The rough countries are available locally, so any advice on the proper sizing would be much appreciated.

 

[jjvw]

If I was in the US, I'd agree. After shipping and customs, those shafts get pricey, and take half a month.

The rough countries are available locally, so any advice on the proper sizing would be much appreciated.

^^^^
Peoplethatcant read through the sizing instructions on 4xshaft.com, right up there.

 

[peoplethatcant]

^^^^
Peoplethatcant read through the sizing instructions on 4xshaft.com, right up there.

Well, after reading the 'How to measure your TJ driveshaft' twice now, my measurement is still 17".

Sorry if I'm being dumb and missing another article on the site that specifies how much travel either side of that measurement is necessary, and whether the only difference between a manual transmission with a 44 axle and an auto trans with a 35 is length.

 

[jjvw]

Well, after reading the 'How to measure your TJ driveshaft' twice now, my measurement is still 17".

Sorry if I'm being dumb and missing another article on the site that specifies how much travel either side of that measurement is necessary, and whether the only difference between a manual transmission with a 44 axle and an auto trans with a 35 is length.

I have ordered several drive shafts through Tom Wood. I provide the attachment types on either end, the type of u joints and the measured length as described. After I pay them, I get a driveshaft that fits.

They don't ask me the questions you are asking.

 

[Blackjack]

If your riding measurement is 17 then the 15-18 inch shaft would be the correct choice.

 

[peoplethatcant]

Thank you!

 

[Brianj5600]

There is some good tech on driveshafts at https://4xshaft.com/pages/articles

 

[LONGJP2]

If your riding measurement is 17 then the 15-18 inch shaft would be the correct choice.

Plus, they really don't move that much; even offroad.

 

[Shawn at Tom Wood's]

Measure your Jeep, from transfer case yoke to differential yoke, as shown in the photo below. I'll also include a photo showing how to measure pre-sye install. Don't worry too much about what your old shaft length was though, as it may not have been the right length to begin with. Measure the Jeep then find the drive shaft that fits the Jeep. About 1/2" off in either direction should be okay. There's not a whole lot of variance in TJ drive shaft lengths so I'm sure you'll be able to find a pre-build shaft that is in the right range locally.

 

[Steel City 06]

If I was in the US, I'd agree. After shipping and customs, those shafts get pricey, and take half a month.

The rough countries are available locally, so any advice on the proper sizing would be much appreciated.

The driveshaft is definitely one of the things you don’t want to cheap out on. They often can fail catastrophically, usually at highway speeds.

While you can drive/limp without a driveshaft for a while (put it in 4Hi), the bigger issue is that when the driveshaft fails at speed, it tends to grenade the transfer case as well. The transfer case simply is not designed for large out-of-balance rotation, and the whole case can simply split open.

This ongoing thread is pretty relevant:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/flat-tow-disaster.78269/