Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

First Jeep, looking to learn more

Schaefer09

Schaefer09

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Jan 21, 2020
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Illinois
This is my first post happy to be apart of the community. I’ve recently acquired a beautiful condition ‘01 Sahara edition and I’m not exactly sure as to everything that’s been done build wise. It does for sure have a Dana 44 rear axel with a 3.73 ratio, 33” tires with about 4-5” of suspension lift. I’m really just curious as to what the stock suspension parts looked like and how to tell if a slip yoke eliminator has been installed.

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It is hard to tell from the picture of the rear driveline as to if it has a SYE kit or not. It does appear to but I'm not 100% sure. Here is a picture of a stock type driveshaft on the bottom, then a regular SYE in the middle and a Super Short SYE on the top.

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You also have a transfer case drop kit installed which was most likely installed to help get rid of vibrations from the lift kit. The better way to get rid of vibrations is to install adjustable control arms to adjust your pinion angle.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/what-is-a-sye-cv-driveshaft-and-why-do-i-want-one.2701/

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-can-i-tell-how-much-lift-my-jeep-wrangler-tj-has.193/

Here is a picture of a SYE installed. You have the double cardan driveshaft but the length of the shaft coming out of your transfer case is really throwing me off.

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Here is a stock TJ with a slip yoke transfer case. This is what it looks like before the SYE is installed.

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I can't tell from the pics , i cant seem to get oriented, but its late and im tired. I think I'm seeing a cv rear driveshaft


What you do have is a dropped pitman arm . I bet it has a lot of bump steer. Get that back stock and it will make a real difference.
 
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Welcome to the forum.

You do have an SYE. It's pretty easy to tell because your driveshaft "slips" on itself right where the black part meets the rust colored part.

And now that rust has been mentioned you need to do something about that rusty frame where the skid plate is bolted on. Sanding and painting would be best but if you don't have a warm enough place to do that, a nice dose of Fluid Film every couple weeks until spring will at least help.
 
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JEEPCJTJ said:
Welcome to the forum.

You do have an SYE. It's pretty easy to tell because your driveshaft "slips" on itself right where the black part meets the rust colored part.

And now that rust has been mentioned you need to do something about that rusty frame where the skid plate is bolted on. Sanding and painting would be best but if you don't have a warm enough place to do that, a nice dose of Fluid Film every couple weeks until spring will at least help.
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Essentially all the rust on it is on the surface it hasn’t driven more than 500 miles in the last 5 years. I do plan on eliminating any surface rust this spring though. Its still garage kept until this spring being here in Illinois
 
Schaefer09 said:
Thank you sir, it’s got its few little spots here and there but spent most it’s life in Washington state & only has 60k miles on it
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Yes it looks great underneath. Can tell it hasn't been in the rust belt for any of it's life.
 
Get yourself a drain hole in the bottom of the frame rails BEFORE it rusts our from the inside. It also appears you have a lowered transfer case, which you shouldn’t need with the SLE on the rear drive shaft.
 
Very nice looking rig! Welcome to the community. You do have an SYE installed, however the Jeep still has the transfer case lowered.

InkedA95E3171-5913-4BA2-97A5-C5F5E54F2B47_LI.jpg


What I can't see in the pictures is if the Jeep has adjustable upper control arms. The lowers are aftermarket and are fixed length. You could try removing the t-case spacers and just see how the Jeep goes down the road. If you have some vibrations, you could install a pair of adjustable arms to allow you to tilt the differential up just a touch.
 
I'd leave the skid spacers alone. A bit of air inbetween the frame and skid go a long way in slowing down frame rot there. At least keep a flat washer in between the two.
I'm only on a phone and have seen things wrong before, but the rear axle appears to be at least very close to the right angle so you must have adjustable arms somewhere (top or bottom) in the rear.
Definitely has a slip yoke eliminater and a DC driveshaft installed.
The pitman arm looks stock to me. And if not, at least appears to keep the draglink at the same angle as the trackbar.
Welcome to the forum. Tons of knowledgable people here to help you out.🍻
 
-T. said:
Very nice looking rig! Welcome to the community. You do have an SYE installed, however the Jeep still has the transfer case lowered.

View attachment 135786

What I can't see in the pictures is if the Jeep has adjustable upper control arms. The lowers are aftermarket and are fixed length. You could try removing the t-case spacers and just see how the Jeep goes down the road. If you have some vibrations, you could install a pair of adjustable arms to allow you to tilt the differential up just a touch.
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Thank you for the reply, & sorry for my ignorance but what would be the reason as to why they installed both the SYE and lowered the transfer case?
 
yeah I definitely plan on drilling out a few drain holes this spring. I rarely drive it in the winter and only if it’s a nice dry day.
 
Goatman said:
I'd leave the skid spacers alone. A bit of air inbetween the frame and skid go a long way in slowing down frame rot there. At least keep a flat washer in between the two.
I'm only on a phone and have seen things wrong before, but the rear axle appears to be at least very close to the right angle so you must have adjustable arms somewhere (top or bottom) in the rear.
Definitely has a slip yoke eliminater and a DC driveshaft installed.
The pitman arm looks stock to me. And if not, at least appears to keep the draglink at the same angle as the trackbar.
Welcome to the forum. Tons of knowledgable people here to help you out.🍻
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Thank you I really do appreciate it, now would you raise the transfer case up? As I’ve been told it’s been lowered.
 
Schaefer09 said:
Thank you for the reply, & sorry for my ignorance but what would be the reason as to why they installed both the SYE and lowered the transfer case?
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I don't really know. Sometimes the lift and everything is installed by a shop, and the mechanic is just following instructions. I've never heard of leaving the spacers in to keep the frame dry, but I suppose it's a possibility? In my head at least, holding up the transfer case is a secondary job of that big cross member. It's first job is to, sort of, complete the frame and structure of the Jeep. Spacing it down away from the frame with longer bolts and spacers just takes away some of the rigidity of that structure. It's probably just fine, and nothing any of us would really notice, but it's still just not quite correct. It's a band aid that most people install an SYE to do away with. Don't get me wrong - It's nothing that needs to be urgently addressed by any means. If your just driving this Jeep an enjoying it, and everything is working well, you can just leave it as is and have fun.
 
My SWAG is that the OP installed the lift kit BEFORE they added the SYE and then maybe didn't they could or should take off the t-case drop. As others have suggested I'd take it off and while you have the skid plate down sand and paint the frame before putting it all back together.

Good luck with the new TJ and as has been said ask your questions as there are a ton of knowledgeable people on here.
 
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