Front axle u-joints question
- Thread starter Reidminer
- Start date
I started another thread on what exactly my axles are, and the people who commented there are saying the same thing. On the bill from the PO it says ‘waggy’ when referring to the front axle, and ‘rubi’ for the rear axle, which seems to mean a wagoner and rubicon Dana 44. Thanks for the help!
Are the rear shafts 6 lug? They would have to be custom if so. I do agree that it looks like a rubicon 44 but the shafts would definitely need to be figured out if they’re aftermarket or not to determine that.
So, yeah both axles are 6 lug, but I believe they’re adapters, from 5 lug, as on one of the bills it lists ‘5x4.5- -6x5.5’ wheel spacers. Would those be the lug adapters as well?
Rubicon88
TJ Addict
That changes everything.
Run that sum bitch.
P.s.
You'll know when it's time for u-joints.
They'll get noisy in any way and when you change from 4wd to 2wd or vice-versa the noise will change etc.
Plus with locking hubs you'll notice the steering will stop being smooth with them unlocked. (They can't transition smoothly any longer)
Rubicon88
TJ Addict
Yep. Look behind the wheel and see if you see them. Probably a Rubi 44 indeed in that case, or maybe not a Rubi 44 but a TJ 44 in general. Not all rear TJ 44s are from rubis. Plenty of sports and Saharas had them as well as all LJs too.
Front 44’s were only on rubis but that doesn’t apply to you because yours is from a Waggy or something else anyways.
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Gotcha, very interesting. Yeah I have to take a look again underneath it tonight. Now, knowing it’s a wagoner front and either rubi rear or just TJ44, will I still need more specific info like what years they are in order to get the right parts when I do upgrade say the axle shafts?
You’d need to know drum or disc basically. 97-06 drums use the same shafts and 03-06 discs all work. If it’s from a Rubi or an LJ it’ll be disc. I believe some others were also disc but I think there were still some drums on random 03-06 Dana 44s? I don’t remember, it’s been a while since I looked at those specs by year.
It’s got disc brakes all around. So the rear must be from a rubi, or lj(but isn’t the only lj with it the rubi and maybe some Sahara’s?)
Rear disk brakes were an option, they were not just on Rubicons or some Saharas.
All Rubis and all LJs had disc 44's. Some (maybe all but I don't think so) 03-06 TJs (sport/sahara) came with disc 44's also (as an option).
I don't think there were drum 44's from 03-06 but I'm not 100% on that. Maybe there were after what Jerry said.
I know that ALL 97-02 rear axles were drum and many 03-06 Dana 35s were drum and also had the option for disc in at least 05-06 but possibly earlier in 03-04 as well.
Bottom line, disc does not guarantee anything except that it is from 2003+ TJ/TJ Unlimited/or Rubi, and of course we know it's a 44 from the pictures of the diff.
Alright gotcha, thanks! Looks like I’ll still ask my mechanic next time I bring it in, see if he can identify them any further. I’m not in a rush so that’s a positive lol. I appreciate the help!
It really doesn’t matter what it came out of since it’s a TJ axle. All the disc models have the same brakes. The hoses and lines may be a bit different year to year. The 2003+ model axle puts the carrier shims outside of the carrier.
Does it have the Rubi air locker? If not, then it’s basically just a 2003+ disc 44 and really that’s all that matters. If it’s a Rubi axle then it has the locker and that’s the only other difference.
So basically we have determined that you could order disc brake 44 axle shafts from Revolution or similar and that would be all you need out back for strength.
Ah gotcha, thanks for clearing it up! I can be slow sometimes lol. Yeah so on the parts list it shows a rubi air locker and arb switch, though according to the last owner there’s a leak in the line somewhere…I gotta test that now that I think of it.
so with the rear fully figured out, I guess my only question is, with the front being determined as a early 90’s wagoner axle, there’s only being one option for parts as they ended production in the early 90’s of it right? If so, that settles the front axle as well.
Ah maybe it is a Rubi axle then.
Yeah I think the years are 81-90? You should be able to find something that works esp if you can figure out if that axle is 81-90 or earlier. When I look up wagoneer Dana 44 stuff, that’s what pops up. Revolution doesn’t sell anything but I see other brands popping up with results.
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