YET ANOTHER Front diff Blown... UPDATED !!

KJ-BOL · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:14 pm

And this one was just not a crack like I've seen on 2 other rigs.
This one was completely broken in pieces.
The infamous ledge at Badlands Rock Quarry just claimed another victim. ME!
Weird.... it goes to show you how offroading is - I just took the same ledge 3 minutes before and I perfectly executed the challenge. Went for a second bite at it and it actually bit back.
More details later - I guess there was a couple pics taken - I'll see if somebody took some
Had to leave the KJ at the trail - no way to get it back to Chicago.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:26 pm

Do you have a diff reinforcing collar?

KJ-BOL · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:27 pm

Nope...
I have it but I did not have it on - but to tell you the truth, after seeing how bad it cracked I don't think it would have helped at all - will never know

AndySRT · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:33 pm

darn that sucks. good luck getting it back home. or you gonna have the jeep dealer in attica fix it? ohh and as for getting it home can we remove the CV axles and drive shaft or just the driveshaft so the front isnt spining and only run it home in 2wd in a liberty? i have no idea just a guess.

elephantrider · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:35 pm

man, i hate to hear that. ive seen you wheel your rig pretty hard with no troubles.
crazy how that works out.

hope you get it back on the road soon :cry:

psinsyd · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 4:03 pm

Ugh, that's terrible! Not really a short drive from Attica to Des Plaines either. That would kill me to have to leave the KJ there!

Keep us posted.

XR · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:36 pm

JJsKJ wrote:

Do you have a diff reinforcing collar?

Hey John!Where can I get one of those puppies?

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:58 pm

Yea, you can take the cv shafts out and the drive line and drive it where ever. You will only have 2wd of course.

Thats just something that comes with offroading... Go check out a cherokee forum sometime. They have MANY more breaks.. Ive heard the wrangler rubicons are having problems with the front diffs also. someone said something was going bad with the bearings or something? Not heard to much about it.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:59 pm

XR wrote:

JJsKJ wrote:

Do you have a diff reinforcing collar?

Hey John!Where can I get one of those puppies?

Lookie here.
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... diff+colar

psinsyd · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:08 pm

So is the price on the collar still at the group buy price or is it the retail of @ $119?

OzLtd · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:24 pm

Bugger, sorry to hear that KJ BOL. You must have been wheeling it pretty hard ?

Did you do it in the same traditional style as the others? ie: get a little light in the front end then come down suddenly ?

KJ-BOL · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:27 pm

AndySRT wrote:

ohh and as for getting it home can we remove the CV axles and drive shaft or just the driveshaft so the front isnt spining and only run it home in 2wd in a liberty? i have no idea just a guess.

Well... This is a bit more info on what happened yesterday...
Since I knew I could not drive it we decided we would pull the CV axels out so I can bring it back to Chicago; - yes it is possible to do that
So the mad dash against time started with two teams taking apart either side of the Frankenlift. The CV axels would not come out unless we disasembled the Frankenlift almost all the way.
So we put the KJ on 2 jacks took the wheels off and started the mad dash against time - park was closing and we were loosing daylight too.
Everything went sort of smooth except for the bolt that holds the passenger's side LBJ and a couple of ocassions when the KJ went sideways while on the jacks - one Scissor jack gone completely - we had two hi-lift jacks - one on each side and a bottle jack on the bottom.
- looks like when I got the LBJs replaced by the re-call, that particular bolt was not put correctly and went cross thread. We found this out when we were trying to take it out - thread was completely messed - almost 2/3 of it.
night time took over - we pulled all flash / spot lights and rigs lights to finish the job - So everybody packed their tools - we got in our rigs and started heading back to the gate. Not 100 yards from where we fixed it, the LBJ on the pass side gave out - Fender Flare popped out and we do not even know what else went bad - I was going pretty slow when it happened - imagine if that happens with your LBS and they break going 65mph on the highway.... ugh!
So the decision was made to leave it there and have it towed to the local Jeep dealer - I will call on Monday and figure out what I will do.
I took a ride back home with Pixeldzn
Funny thing... While watching Spike's TV Extreme 4X4 this morning, at the end of the show the signed off by saying "if you did not break anything, then you are not wheeling hard enough" - so, looks like I wheeled the hardest this time.
That ledge will not be my friend anymore.... I've seen at least 6 rigs breaking in some way on the same spot. And we still challenge it - Even the park owners say - "nobody should be going on that" - but we do it anyway. I guess the Adrenaline kicked off and it took the best of me and my KJ.
I'll keep you posted on what happens./..

KJ-BOL · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:35 pm

OzLtd wrote:

Bugger, sorry to hear that KJ BOL. You must have been wheeling it pretty hard ?

Did you do it in the same traditional style as the others? ie: get a little light in the front end then come down suddenly ?

Yes... there is no other way to break that thing....
I took the correct line the first time, went without a hitch - on the second try two minutes later, I took thw wrong line, I felt the rig going side ways a bit so I knew if I wanted to make it up I would have to give more gas - I guess it was too much ; front end went up in the air, when it came down I heard the pop and I knew what it just happened.
I am at this point really amazed at what our KJs can do. For what I see this is the only problem we have - a very weak Front diff.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:36 pm

gosh, sounds like an awful time. Why did the balljoint fail if you just got it replaced?

XJJeepGirl · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:43 pm

psinsyd wrote:

So is the price on the collar still at the group buy price or is it the retail of @ $119?

I got one for $60.00 if you are interested

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:10 pm

XJJeepGirl wrote:

psinsyd wrote:

So is the price on the collar still at the group buy price or is it the retail of @ $119?

I got one for $60.00 if you are interested

So you traded the libby for a 92 xj?

psinsyd · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:20 pm

XJJeepGirl wrote:

psinsyd wrote:

So is the price on the collar still at the group buy price or is it the retail of @ $119?

I got one for $60.00 if you are interested

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll keep it in mind!

moose · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:52 pm

What? A Chicagoland LOST trip to the badlands and you didn't post in the midwest section? Man, and it was a great weekend too. Too bad about the diff. I'm going to get a collar prior to the next Livingston, KY run.

FastTRX · **Posted:** Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:58 pm

Very sorry to hear that KJ-BOL...what a bummer! I sure you hope you get your rig fixed and back up wheelin' again soon.

OzLtd · **Posted:** Mon Nov 27, 2006 6:06 am

Hey make sure you take a few pics of the front diff out. I'd like to compare it to the other couple of pics I have of broken front diffs - to see if they are cracking in the same spot/s .

YET ANOTHER Front diff Blown... UPDATED !!

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