Driveshaft / u-joint identification???

jeep_boss

jeep_boss

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This is pretty ridiculous. I spent a good chunk of the day today, rebuilding the CV side of my front driveshaft - THINKING that it was a 1310.

The 1310X u-joints did not fit, I had to bastardize my spare 793X trunion (bearing the "SPR 539" markings) and had to use two of the longer bearing cups from the 1310X to make it fit my CV double cardan.

I need to figure out what u-joints are suppose to fit my driveshaft. My DS bears Spicer branding, but the markings are useless for identification. I cannot get in touch with the first owner that had the lift / driveshaft swaps done to this 5.5" lifted TJR, so with that said - Do any of you know either (1) which ujoint part number fits the description of the bastardization that I have had to do or (2) have an idea of likely candidates of Spicer DS that would have been appropriate for my Jeep?

I'm totally at a loss here, and I can't keep spending $50-60 per u-joint when they need to be replaced (having to use two to make one).
 
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jeep_boss said:
This is pretty ridiculous. I spent a good chunk of the day today, rebuilding the CV side of my front driveshaft - THINKING that it was a 1310.
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Only Rubicons did not come with 1310 u-joints throughout both driveshafts, do you have a Rubicon? Or could a previous owner have changed away from the factory 1310 size if have a standard TJ?
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Only Rubicons did not come with 1310 u-joints throughout both driveshafts, do you have a Rubicon? Or could a previous owner have changed away from the factory 1310 size if have a standard TJ?
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The owner previous to the owner that I bought this Jeep from had the modifications done to it, including the new front and rear CV driveshafts of unknown specification. The shafts aren't anything like the standard TJ Rubicon shafts, the replacement was done when the Jeep was lifted and regeared.

JeepNWilly said:
Tom Woods from Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts Inc has always been very helpful in answering questions.
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Cool, I am familiar with the name - I will reach out to them if I cannot identify the u-joints myself.
 
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Another piece to this puzzle... I bought a new Moog 607 centerball kit locally, thinking the DS was a 1310. When I got home and took the shaft off, I found that threaded holes were way closer together on the 607 than on the Spicer branded centerball yoke on my shaft.

All of the needle bearings were still in place fortunatey, and still had some grease. The rubber boot though looks rough, is that piece referred to as the slinger?
 
jeep_boss said:
Ha! I may be on to something.. fairly certain that I have a 1330 CV driveshaft up front.
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Since your driveshafts were custom built and installed two owners ago and that previous owner cannot be reached, taking measurements will be the only way for you to know for sure what u-joints you have. However, you may have guessed right about the 1330 u-joints.

I contacted Tom Wood on 3/16/18 to confirm the specific u-joints used in the Tom Wood's front driveshaft I purchased in February 2018 for my '06 LJ Rubicon. I was told that they used 5-1203x u-joints, which are 1330 series u-joints. Another number mentioned in the conversation was 5-213x, also a 1330 u-joint.

5-1203x dimensions here: http://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-1203X.html

5-213x dimensions here: http://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-213X.html

More interesting reading here: http://www.driveshaftspecialist.com/HTML Measure/UJ ID Guide.html

Happy measuring.
 
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Mr. Bills said:
Since your driveshafts were custom built and installed two owners ago and that previous owner cannot be reached, taking measurements will be the only way for you to know for sure what u-joints you have. However, you may have guessed right about the 1330 u-joints.

I contacted Tom Wood on 3/16/18 to confirm the specific u-joints used in the Tom Wood's front driveshaft I purchased in February 2018 for my '06 LJ Rubicon. I was told that they used 5-1203x u-joints, which are 1330 series u-joints. Another number mentioned in the conversation was 5-213x, also a 1330 u-joint.

5-1203x dimensions here: http://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-1203X.html

5-213x dimensions here: http://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-213X.html

More interesting reading here: http://www.driveshaftspecialist.com/HTML Measure/UJ ID Guide.html

Happy measuring.
Click to expand...

The measurements are spot on with a 1330X. I ordered a couple of (Spicer 5-1330X) ujoints, a direly needed centerball yoke (Spicer 211996X), and a new slinger (Spicer 2-86-418). These centerball yokes aren't very common, but then again - neither is this driveshaft.

I'll have them Thursday - so I should be in good shape then.

Also, Dana Spicer has a pretty cool ruler that shows precisely the yoke and some of the applicable ujoints that are needed .. I REALLY wish that they'd publish a printable version of the damned ruler, no one that I talked with seems to know where to obtain one and the Dana Spicer customer service / sales development channels flat out SUCK from my attempts at obtaining one (I teied working them on the phone using my business credentials to no avail - they have some obvious internal communication challenges too).

Here's the unicorn ruler:

 
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My 211996X centerball yoke arrived this morning. It looks to be spot on with the one that I need to replace by measurement at least.

Waiting for the rain to subside / another soggy week in the PNW when I need it to be dry! :(
 
Bingo.. I got the centerball yoke and slinger correct finally. This slinger was SHOT...

0F603BA2-CE18-4B0C-8587-5D6EF0FED0F4.jpeg
 
This is getting to be comical in a Hallocaust kind if way. Took it for a test drive and hearing a chirp type noise that sounds more like a drop of water with each driveshaft rotation above 10mph. I am led to believe this is the centerball and/or runber boot slinger?
 
jeep_boss said:
This is getting to be comical in a Hallocaust kind if way. Took it for a test drive and hearing a chirp type noise that sounds more like a drop of water with each driveshaft rotation above 10mph. I am led to believe this is the centerball and/or runber boot slinger?
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That sounds like it could be a u joint. You have the front taken care of, how do the rears feel?
 
jeep_boss said:
This is getting to be comical in a Hallocaust kind if way. Took it for a test drive and hearing a chirp type noise that sounds more like a drop of water with each driveshaft rotation above 10mph. I am led to believe this is the centerball and/or runber boot slinger?
Click to expand...

You may be correct. I had a similar sound (not exactly a drip, not exactly a squeak, more like a chirp) and that's what it was. I used it as an excuse and total rationalization to justify an upgrade to a Tom Wood driveshaft. That, and "it really should be two inches longer due to the lift," etc. ;)
 
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Rob5589 said:
That sounds like it could be a u joint. You have the front taken care of, how do the rears feel?
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I tore it down again and got it back on my bench. There was a needle bearing broken in half inside the new centerball. All the the needle bearings were in place when I installed the rebuilt shaft.

Fortunately I have another spare, although it is tempting to take a needle bearing and transplant it in place of the broken one.
 
Mr. Bills said:
You may be correct. I had a similar sound (not exactly a drip, not exactly a squeak, more like a chirp) and that's what it was. I used it as an excuse and total rationalization to justify an upgrade to a Tom Wood driveshaft. That, and "it really should be two inches longer due to the lift," etc. ;)
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Yep, this had almost sounded like a burglar alarm, as best as I can compare it to. Not quite a chirpn and not quite a squeak or drip; unique, but not ;(
 
jeep_boss said:
I tore it down again and got it back on my bench. There was a needle bearing broken in half inside the new centerball. All the the needle bearings were in place when I installed the rebuilt shaft.

Fortunately I have another spare, although it is tempting to take a needle bearing and transplant it in place of the broken one.
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It happens. I grease em up pretty heavily to keep the needles from falling over during install.
 
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