Front Differential Question

IceColeNH · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 8:12 pm

I tried to find this and was unsuccessful. I have a bit of a problem with my front diff. and any help would be greatly appreciated.
I must replace the front axle shaft as the splines have been worn away.
How difficult is it to do. Can I do it without removing the front diff. from the vehicle.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

jerbacher · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:48 pm

You can indeed remove the axle shafts without removing the differential! I just replaced the diff on mine so the whole thing is pretty fresh in my mind. There is a section in the service manual that tells you how to remove the half shafts. That manual is available online in pdf form, and theres a thread about it somewhere on here. I will now attempt to find it...

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:50 pm

My question is if the spines on the axles are "worn away" whats the spines like inside your case? How do you know they are worn away?

Tom

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:51 pm

whoops

jerbacher · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:55 pm

i found this!

http://colorado4wheel.com/manuals/Jeep/KJ/

lots of other useful documents in there too. 02_KJ_FSM.pdf or 03_KJ_FSM.pdf is what you want. They're big, so be patient.

You want pg. 59 for the half shaft removal.

Oh yeah, and I agree with Tom... how the heck did you grind the splines off?? i would think the differential would be toast as well.

IceColeNH · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:31 am

well, short story. I put the Arms in and discovered the pass. side Cv had some wear. The axle shaft seemed a little worn, but workable. So, I replaced the Cv. Should have relaced the shaft too. The rest of the drivetrain seems good and works well. I believe the combo. of the lift and then the addition of the arms caused the wearing out of both parts. I think I am gonna get the Al's / J.E. Reel Cv's. I just don't have any diff. experience and am a little intimidated by pulling it apart. Am hoping that pulling the cover is easy enough without dropping it out completely. I believe the shaft just has a clip holding it.

Thankyou for all the input.

jerbacher · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:40 am

You dont need to pull the cover. Just get the suspension all taken apart, remove the hub nut, and just pull the shaft out of the differential. (right Tom? he knows more then me...) Be sure that you drain the diff first though, or all the oil will come pouring out. Be careful not to pull on the boots on the shafts. Only pull on the larger diameter sleeve that sits all the way against the differential housing. Support the rest of the shaft carefully and be careful not to rip the axle seals on the differential openings with the shaft splines. But, maybe you dont have to worry about that since yours are all smooth! :lol:

Black_Dog · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:11 pm

jerbacher wrote:

i found this!

http://colorado4wheel.com/manuals/Jeep/KJ/

lots of other useful documents in there too. 02_KJ_FSM.pdf or 03_KJ_FSM.pdf is what you want. They're big, so be patient.

You want pg. 59 for the half shaft removal.

Oh yeah, and I agree with Tom... how the heck did you grind the splines off?? i would think the differential would be toast as well.

These manuals are great! Now I'm not flying blind all the time. Thanks for the link.

IceColeNH · **Posted:** Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:25 pm

Thank you.

Front Differential Question

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