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bent front drive saft.

2K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  zeronight 
#1 ·
i was under the jeep looking for a gas leak when i noticed that my front drive shaft was bent. its got a bad bend in it and just a month ago it was fine. i have no idea how it happened as i haven't done anything but drive it on the street. how important is it to be straight? i want to be able to drive it in 4hi in the winter for getting to work.
 
#2 ·
Are you sure it's not just the slip joint? Get under the jeep and see if you can move it around at the joint.

B
 
#3 ·
If you're going to drive in 4hi, it's pretty important the front shaft be straight and balanced, or you'll get a vibration. Is it bent, or is it twisted (like a corkscrew)? Can you see any evidence of contact around the bell housing/transmission?

lucdog is correct in suggesting that it may just be a worn slip joint. It can look like the shaft is bent when it's really just free play... either way, you'll want to repair/replace it before you need it.
 
#5 ·
If it is indeed a bow, then it is most likely the driver and not the bushes. Hard to tell. Is this your first CJ?
 
#6 ·
Were you pulling the bushes in reverse? I'm pretty sure yanking people out in reverse is what bent my stock front shaft some years back. I don't have a clue why that would do it as the axle moves away from the t-case under compression. But it's the only thing I had done with my jeep other than drive it.
 
#10 ·
I would never have guessed it would hurt the drive shaft, but I was told when I was a young lad that pulling anything heavy in reverse was a bad idea because you're using the "wrong side" of the gears in the drive train. I don't know if it's true, but for some reason it seemed to make sense to me at the time and I've avoided doing that.

My guess is also the slip joint, but my view from here is obstructed.:rolleyes:
 
#12 ·
I agree with not pulling anything heavy, or creating a shock load in reverse. In my personal experience, the ring gear teeth would let go first.
I also think it would twist the shaft instead of just bending it.

So tell us exactly how much force was used pulling the bush out. The Jeep on a paved surface, 4000 rpm, slack in the strap causing a shock load to the drive line when tightened?

Bill
 
#14 ·
i had a strap around the bush and i had the winch cable hooked to it. i tried to use just the winch but even with the breaks on it was pulling the jeep to it so i put it in 4low and went forward for some slack and then i backed up. 3 or 4 pulls pulled the bush out. it wasent that difficult and i had no idea that this could hurt the jeep. i feel this is a weak point that i didn't know about. according to quadratech the length i need is 31.75 collapsed.
 
#16 ·
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#20 ·
That looks pretty stout compared to stock. :thumbsup:

Any clearance issues with the larger diameter shaft? Did you go with a long travel slip joint or standard?
Ya guys, definitely stronger, it gives a sense of peace for sure, I went with the long slip, it was what was offered, 7" I believe.

No clearance issues that I have noticed yet, I gave her a work put this weekend!LOL

 
#22 ·
I agree w/lucdog. You got off cheap. Could you imagine if that sucker let loose while pulling? I'm shuddering just thinking about 1/2 the shaft going through the oil pan, a chunk going into the fan...or some such catastrophe. Ya may wanna pull the front diff cover and do a little inspection. You were gonna service it w/new fluid anyway, right?
 
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