New driveshaft

[MrUnderhill]

hi, i have a 2005 wrangler tj 4.0 auto. shop said i need new rear ujoints in the front driveshaft. but suggested i get a new driveshaft instead. but said that the part was discontinued in 2020. he said take it to a specialist. bit i also see plenty if aftermarker parts. any suggestions? im near philly. thanks

 

[Chris]

Sounds like you're dealing with a shop that doesn't know what they're talking about.

Talk to @Shawn at Tom Wood's from Tom Wood driveshaft and tell him Chris from Wrangler TJ Forum sent you. He'll hook you up with what you need.

 

[mudmaster]

Why a whole shaft because of bad joints?

 

[Duck Doctor]

Why did the shop suggest a new driveshaft versus just replacing the u joints?

 

[MrUnderhill]

i see one on the tomwoods site for $300-400. cant i just order that one and have a shop replace it?

 

[TheBoogieman]

Why did the shop suggest a new driveshaft versus just replacing the u joints?

They triple their profit margin.

 

[machoheadgames]

I would just find someone to replace the joints. There is most likely no reason to replace the shaft.

 

[Ashim]

Should be a driveline shop in your area that can replace the U-joints for you.

 

[MrUnderhill]

im measuring about 40.5 from center of ujoints to ujoints. but i see on a few sites 41 inch fits my 2005 jeep. any suggestions? i would prefer getting a quality one over the one that says it fits. but concerned with ordering a custom one and it doesnt fit properly.

 

[machoheadgames]

im measuring about 40.5 from center of ujoints to ujoints. but i see on a few sites 41 inch fits my 2005 jeep. any suggestions? i would prefer getting a quality one over the one that says it fits. but concerned with ordering a custom one and it doesnt fit properly.

You said rear earlier. Are you sure you don’t mean front?

 

[MrUnderhill]

You said rear earlier. Are you sure you don’t mean front?

sorry. i meant. rear ujoints of front drive shaft need repairing. but if you have to take off the front driveshaft, might as well put on a new one.

 

[machoheadgames]

sorry. i meant. rear ujoints of front drive shaft need repairing. but if you have to take off the front driveshaft, might as well put on a new one.

As long as you buy a decent one then I would say buying new isn’t a bad idea. To rebuild the original it’s 3 u-joints and a centering ball kit. But the front can also be at risk of the splines having slop at which point it’s definitely not worth rebuilding.

A new shaft that’s good quality will probably run about $400.

 

[suicideking]

If you still have the OEM DS and have a lift installed, that would probably be why they suggested aftermarket. I'd also go with Tom Woods. I just got one from them about a year ago.

 

[MrUnderhill]

If you still have the OEM DS and have a lift installed, that would probably be why they suggested aftermarket. I'd also go with Tom Woods. I just got one from them about a year ago.

ok thanks. my only concern is ordering and it not fitting

 

[suicideking]

ok thanks. my only concern is ordering and it not fitting

Call them, they will tell you where to measure.

 

[JKP]

sorry. i meant. rear ujoints of front drive shaft need repairing. but if you have to take off the front driveshaft, might as well put on a new one.

When you order a new one, you'll have a choice of greaseable or non greaseable u joints, slip joint and centering ball.

Unless you want to drop the shaft to grease the rear joints and centering ball, you'll want sealed on all of them like the OEM.

I ordered one from Tom Woods for my stock Rubi, if yours is stock, they'll know what fits.

 

[Shawn at Tom Wood's]

Hi, I didn't read this whole thread so forgive me if I'm missing any important details. I don't know if your Jeep is a standard TJ or a Rubicon. I'm going to assume based on the length that it is a standard TJ. The joints you need are the most common size u-joint ever made and should be available at any local auto parts store. Whatever shop told you they are discontinued either is lying to you or has no idea what they are doing. In either case I'd avoid them. If you want to replace the joints yourself here is some info that might be helpful, I'll also list the part numbers below. https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-tech-info-articles/diy-u-joint-replacement

• joints, spicer brand part number 5-153X (greaseable) or 5-1310X (non-greaseable)
• socket yoke, spicer brand part number 211355X (greaseable) or 211544X (non-greaseable). I recommend greaseable for this part.

Because the shaft is 20 years old, replacing the shaft entirely is not a bad idea but it's certainly not necessary if all you need is new joints.


If we're talking about a TJ Rubicon the joints they use at the axle end are a little weird, not discontinued but not normal either, and they are usually installed from the factory using a plastic injection instead of snap rings. For a Rubicon with worn joints I'd lean more towards replacing the entire shaft.

 

[MrUnderhill]

thanks. standard tj. hopefully the new driveshaft that i ordered from your site will get it back on the road