Driveshaft with Rubicon flange

Sudo

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 22, 2019
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Arizona
So I purchased an aftermarket rear driveshaft with a double cardan joint for my unlimited Rubicon. I've had it for about 6 years.

I contacted the manufacturer for a rebuild kit since the CV is squeaking and motion is not smooth. The ball looked dry (non greasable).

Anyway, the response from said manufacturer was to ship the whole driveshaft back to them and after they looked at it they could assess and determine cost.

Anyway, looking for sanity check that this is necessary. I figured a rebuild kit might be offered but sounds like the CV part is in the flange side and after replacing or rebuilding the shaft would need rebalanced. Any recommendations from someone in the know or who has gone through this before? Thanks
 
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It is technically possible to replace just the centering ball/seat kit but it is usually impossible to get the old seat out of the flange without damaging the flange. So realistically replacing the center ball requires replacing the entire socket flange . The socket flange is the part that might affect the balance. This is because the flange casting might be a little thicker/heavier on one side than the other, after all they are made by pouring liquid metal into sand so they aren't always perfectly symmetrical. Also, the machining of the flange has tolerances, if the centering of where the u-joint sits in relationship to the centering hub is a little different between the old flange and the new one that will affect the balance. Though you might also get lucky and put it back together and not need to have it re-balanced.

If replacing the socket flange or centering ball at home, make sure to inspect the pin that the ball rides on. If that pin is worn, damaged, or tapered, it will need to be replaced. Unfortunately the pin is part of the weld yoke, the part that welds to the tube. So if that needs to be replaced it is for sure a job for a qualified driveshaft shop.

I don't know if your shaft is one we built or not, or if it is a 1310 or a 1350 series, but usually the center ball is greaseable, the grease fitting is just hard to find. If it isn't greaseable, you should try to get a greaseable moving forward.

Lastly, if you haven't replaced parts on a drive shaft before this guide might be helpful. https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/diy-u-joint-replacement
 
It is technically possible to replace just the centering ball/seat kit but it is usually impossible to get the old seat out of the flange without damaging the flange. So realistically replacing the center ball requires replacing the entire socket flange . The socket flange is the part that might affect the balance. This is because the flange casting might be a little thicker/heavier on one side than the other, after all they are made by pouring liquid metal into sand so they aren't always perfectly symmetrical. Also, the machining of the flange has tolerances, if the centering of where the u-joint sits in relationship to the centering hub is a little different between the old flange and the new one that will affect the balance. Though you might also get lucky and put it back together and not need to have it re-balanced.

If replacing the socket flange or centering ball at home, make sure to inspect the pin that the ball rides on. If that pin is worn, damaged, or tapered, it will need to be replaced. Unfortunately the pin is part of the weld yoke, the part that welds to the tube. So if that needs to be replaced it is for sure a job for a qualified driveshaft shop.

I don't know if your shaft is one we built or not, or if it is a 1310 or a 1350 series, but usually the center ball is greaseable, the grease fitting is just hard to find. If it isn't greaseable, you should try to get a greaseable moving forward.

Lastly, if you haven't replaced parts on a drive shaft before this guide might be helpful. https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/diy-u-joint-replacement

Excellent information. I appreciate the response. My driveshaft isn't one that your shop built. It is a 1350 series and I've looked for the grease fitting with no dice. Moving forward, I will likely invest in one of your driveshafts with a greaseable fitting. Since I've got one of those vibrating LJR's, after a regear, I don't want to take a chance of adding any additional vibes by replacing the parts myself so I'll be touching base with you or your shop to either repair what I have or buy new. I think I've heard 1310 might be the way to go as well.

Thanks again.
 
Excellent information. I appreciate the response. My driveshaft isn't one that your shop built. It is a 1350 series and I've looked for the grease fitting with no dice. Moving forward, I will likely invest in one of your driveshafts with a greaseable fitting. Since I've got one of those vibrating LJR's, after a regear, I don't want to take a chance of adding any additional vibes by replacing the parts myself so I'll be touching base with you or your shop to either repair what I have or buy new. I think I've heard 1310 might be the way to go as well.

Thanks again.

1350 is a heavier duty joint. If you do any heavy off-roading or pull anything it might be better to stick with that size. 1310 is like factory sized and if you have a yoke on either your transfer case or rear end you’d have to change it as well because of the size difference.
 
1350 is a heavier duty joint. If you do any heavy off-roading or pull anything it might be better to stick with that size. 1310 is like factory sized and if you have a yoke on either your transfer case or rear end you’d have to change it as well because of the size difference.

I think I had read somewhere that if you need more articulation that 1310 has slightly more operating angle. I would like to get my rear shocks outboarded if I can find someone to help make it happen or arrange a time to send/drop off my jeep to @mrblaine shop. Anyway, I think that is why I was thinking maybe 1310 series might be the direction to go. Perhaps blaine or someone who's done an outboard on a LJR could tell me what series to go with from strength and articulation standpoint.
 
I think I had read somewhere that if you need more articulation that 1310 has slightly more operating angle. I would like to get my rear shocks outboarded if I can find someone to help make it happen or arrange a time to send/drop off my jeep to @mrblaine shop. Anyway, I think that is why I was thinking maybe 1310 series might be the direction to go. Perhaps blaine or someone who's done an outboard on a LJR could tell me what series to go with from strength and articulation standpoint.

That is true, a 1310 double cardan will flex a few degrees further than a 1350. For that reason, if you had a standard wheelbase TJ Rubicon, I would always recommend the 1310. Because with a short wheelbase TJ the rear shaft is very short and that 2-3 inches of lift that most people install has a significant impact on drive shaft angles. With an LJ the shaft is longer, therefor the angles are not as extreme. So for an LJ the 1350 series is more of a reasonable option. Though not always my recommendation. As far as 1310 vs 1350, I honestly think that 1310 is fine for most LJ Rubicons. Unless you're running a bigger motor, bigger than 35" tires, upgraded axles, or have a history of breaking things. More on that here https://www.offroadxtreme.com/engin...ILj8g-a-l5iiBRfVaaWadx2Ic0TSfPtmow_ccz6ouibKM/ That being said, If 1310 is strong enough, 1350 should be strong enough and then some and should be able to handle more abuse for a longer time. The sort of paradox though, in my opinion, is that people usually focus primarily on strength but most drive shaft failures are due to wear, not breakage due to inadequate strength. A 1350 series shaft (1350 in the double cardan), from us, is $559. One reason many shops build these shafts with 1350 series double cardans is because if you check Spicer or Neapco for parts the only thing available that will bolt to the Rubicon flange is a 1350 series, from Neapco, Spicer doesn't even make one. We have our own socket flanges made, in 1310 series, there's also one other company that I know of who makes them. Some drive shaft shops probably don't know that the 1310 series flanges even exist though.

It is certainly possible that a 1350 series shaft for your vehicle is not greaseable but if there is a grease fitting on it, it is even better hidden than it is on the 1310. The photo below shows the possible location of the fitting on a 1350 series shaft. Sometimes there just isn't one though. Our 1350 series shaft would have this fitting.

Regarding greaseable vs non-greaseable. There are pros and cons to each. Non-geaseable is good if you do plan on pushing the limits of strength, they should be a little stronger than greaseable joints. Greaseable joints are better if you like to be able to do regular maintenance on your drive shaft. Just remember that the center ball will need periodic greasing no matter which joints you choose. More on that here https://4xshaft.com/blogs/faq/greaseable-vs-non-greaseable-joints-which-is-better
 
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I forgot this picture!

IMG_20190430_123645947.jpg
 
Excellent information. I appreciate the response. My driveshaft isn't one that your shop built. It is a 1350 series and I've looked for the grease fitting with no dice. Moving forward, I will likely invest in one of your driveshafts with a greaseable fitting. Since I've got one of those vibrating LJR's, after a regear, I don't want to take a chance of adding any additional vibes by replacing the parts myself so I'll be touching base with you or your shop to either repair what I have or buy new. I think I've heard 1310 might be the way to go as well.

Thanks again.
Do this. Tom Wood's driveshafts are the best, and I've never seen customer service like theirs in the industry. I won't buy driveshafts from anyone else.