Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Vibration and driveshaft identification

LJWrangle850

LJWrangle850

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Joined
Mar 11, 2022
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16
Location
Mary Esther FL
Hello all, long time reader--new member.

Bought an 06 LJ back in December and started having some vibration issues recently. Had the front driver side ball joints and tie rod replaced since they were shot, along with wheels balanced and alligned. Thinking its more of a drive train issue since the vibration is worse on acceleration and pulls to the left (almost like a torque steer, but at any level of throttle). Later today I'll pull each drive shaft individually and see if one or the other could be the culprit. But I was going to just replace the U Joints while they're out but I'm not 100% as to what manufacturer the shafts are to be able to get the correct size u joints. Based on the pictures, I'm guessing at least the rear is a tom wood due to the blue splines. Also, while trying to shake the drive shaft by hand, there is an audible clunk but it feels like it could be coming from the actual spline connection in the middle of the shaft and not the actual U joint. I haven't yet re grease the joint, but is that even a possiblity and would that help remedy the issue or would it need replaced?

Thanks all for any input.

Pictures are as follows:
1: Front DS
2: Front of front DS
3: Rear of front DS
4: Front of front DS
5: Rear of front DS
6: Label on front DS

IMG_6811.jpg


IMG_6812.jpg


IMG_6813.jpg


IMG_6814.jpg


IMG_6815.jpg


IMG_6816.jpg
 
If the vibration is increasing with speed it is driveline.

There can be play between the splines. It’s a problem if there’s too much play. Mine have no play.

If you remove the rear shaft to replace the ujoints get Spicer 5-1310X non-greasable. Also replace the centering ball . Then everything will be new
 
JMT said:
If the vibration is increasing with speed it is driveline.

There can be play between the splines. It’s a problem if there’s too much play. Mine have no play.

If you remove the rear shaft to replace the ujoints get Spicer 5-1310X non-greasable. Also replace the centering ball . Then everything will be new
Click to expand...
Would the 1310X fit all 6 for the shafts? Again, I'm not sure what these driveshafts are.
 
LJWrangle850 said:
Just did a vin look up, turns out its a non-rubi. Correcting that now
Click to expand...
Then Spicer 5-1310X all around.

I’d pull the front shaft first. You just have to remove it from the pinion end and tie the shaft up to the frame while you test drive it. I suspect you’ll still have vibes. If so, rebuild the rear shaft. If not, proceed with removing the rear shaft to check the front. Rebuild if necessary.
 
JMT said:
Then Spicer 5-1310X all around.

I’d pull the front shaft first. You just have to remove it from the pinion end and tie the shaft up to the frame while you test drive it. I suspect you’ll still have vibes. If so, rebuild the rear shaft. If not, proceed with removing the rear shaft to check the front. Rebuild if necessary.
Click to expand...
Sounds good thank you. Can you by chance ID the rear drive shaft from the picture?
 
pagrey said:
It looks like you have a Rubicon transfer case and a high pinion front axle. I wouldn't really rely on any stock specs for what joints to buy. It could be anything, it might be better to measure what you have.
Click to expand...
This^^^^^

Given what's in the pictures, you could have a mix of 1310 and 1330, or possibly hybrid 1310/1330 joints.
 
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LJWrangle850 said:
Welp. If you guys have any guesses as to what I need before I break out the measuring tape later, it would be appreciated haha
Click to expand...
Really hard to say, but I'm confident @Blackjack is correct on the rear shaft being a Woods. The yellow seals and blue marking compound are characteristic.
 
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@pagrey seems to be right about you having a rubicion transfer case. But as far as I can tell from the photos all the joints are 1310 series. 1310 series would not be the stock size on the front output yoke of the transfer case, 1330 would. You for sure should measure things on the front. The front shaft looks like a stock standard TJ shaft which would mean that someone changed the front output yoke on the transfer case to a 1310 series. Measure though, just incase my eyes deceive me.

@blackj Is correct to tell you "Rear shaft is a Woods you can tell by the yellow seals on the joints. You can tell if they are 1310 or 1330 by measuring across the caps 1310 is 3.219 and 1330 is 3.625." Keep in mind that you are measuring the width of the joint to end of bearing cap to end of bearing cap, not the width of the yokes. Because the joints sit slightly recessed in the yokes you may need to eyeball things a bit when measuring.

I can say with 100% certainty that the rear shaft is one of ours (Tom Wood's) and that it is 1310 series joints throughout. If things need to be rebuilt, the center ball of the double cardan (cv) probably needs to be replaced. This is done by replacing the socket flange. Yours appears to be a Rubicon flange. One thing to point out though is that you do not have a rubicon drive shaft per se, the rubicon drive shaft we build would normally have a 1330 joint at the rear axle, yours does not. You have some sort of custom hybrid rubicon to standard tj drive shaft with 1310 series joints throughout. Somebody has mixed and matched some TJ Rubicon and Standard TJ drive train parts in your jeep. So if you decide to order a new shaft don't just order a Rubicon or a TJ shaft, you'll need to call and make sure it is built to fit what you've got.

Here's a page showing how to replace the u-joints and socket flange if you decide to DIY that. https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/diy-u-joint-replacement
 
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Shawn at Tom Wood's said:
@pagrey seems to be right about you having a rubicion transfer case. But as far as I can tell from the photos all the joints are 1310 series. 1310 series would not be the stock size on the front output yoke of the transfer case, 1330 would. You for sure should measure things on the front. The front shaft looks like a stock standard TJ shaft which would mean that someone changed the front output yoke on the transfer case to a 1310 series. Measure though, just incase my eyes deceive me.

@blackj Is correct to tell you "Rear shaft is a Woods you can tell by the yellow seals on the joints. You can tell if they are 1310 or 1330 by measuring across the caps 1310 is 3.219 and 1330 is 3.625." Keep in mind that you are measuring the width of the joint to end of bearing cap to end of bearing cap, not the width of the yokes. Because the joints sit slightly recessed in the yokes you may need to eyeball things a bit when measuring.

I can say with 100% certainty that the rear shaft is one of ours (Tom Wood's) and that it is 1310 series joints throughout. If things need to be rebuilt, the center ball of the double cardan (cv) probably needs to be replaced. This is done by replacing the socket flange. Yours appears to be a Rubicon flange. One thing to point out though is that you do not have a rubicon drive shaft per se, the rubicon drive shaft we build would normally have a 1330 joint at the rear axle, yours does not. You have some sort of custom hybrid rubicon to standard tj drive shaft with 1310 series joints throughout. Somebody has mixed and matched some TJ Rubicon and Standard TJ drive train parts in your jeep. So if you decide to order a new shaft don't just order a Rubicon or a TJ shaft, you'll need to call and make sure it is built to fit what you've got.

Here's a page showing how to replace the u-joints and socket flange if you decide to DIY that. https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/diy-u-joint-replacement
Click to expand...
Very informative, thank you for taking the time to type all that out
 
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