Front Drive Shaft Bolt Size*added pic of failed CV*

trailman · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:51 pm

I was driving on my way to work this morning and my front drive shaft started making the clankety clank "I'm about to break off noises", so I pulled it in the nearest parking spot and caught a ride in with a buddy. I'm at work now and need to know what size socket I need to get out of the tool room over here, so I can go take off my drive shaft and drive my liberty to the dealer. I can't take the whole tool box because it's freaking huge and I'm not really supposed to take tools from work in the first place, though in this case an exception will be made. Please anybody reading this I need some help, thanks.

Dje Ryu · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:30 pm

I couldn't get a socket to work. Had to use an end wrench. I think it was 8mm but I've read that some people (usually 02-04 owners) use a 10mm.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:10 pm

The front driveshaft needs a 8mm socket/wrench.For '02 KJ's the rear driveshaft is also 8mm(or 5/16").

trailman · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:12 pm

Dje Ryu wrote:

I couldn't get a socket to work. Had to use an end wrench. I think it was 8mm but I've read that some people (usually 02-04 owners) use a 10mm.

Thanks for the reply. The closest thing I have for comparison over here is my buddies Grand Cherokee. He has the CV style front drive shaft also. It looks just like mine, maybe a little longer. The bolts "LOOK" the same and a 5/16 fits perfectly on them. Theres not an 8 mm socket or wrench around here. I have a 10mm though. I'll bring what I have and hope for the best. I also have a 6in adjustable for worst case.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:15 pm

trailman wrote:

Dje Ryu wrote:

I couldn't get a socket to work. Had to use an end wrench. I think it was 8mm but I've read that some people (usually 02-04 owners) use a 10mm.

Thanks for the reply. The closest thing I have for comparison over here is my buddies Grand Cherokee. He has the CV style front drive shaft also. It looks just like mine, maybe a little longer. The bolts "LOOK" the same and a 5/16 fits perfectly on them. Theres not an 8 mm socket or wrench around here. I have a 10mm though. I'll bring what I have and hope for the best. I also have a 6in adjustable for worst case.

5/16" is the same as 8mm,there are only 2 places on a KJ that I have found that use strictly SAE bolts sizes,the lugnuts and the fill plug for the front diff,all othere are metric.

trailman · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:15 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

The front driveshaft needs a 8mm socket/wrench.For '02 KJ's the rear driveshaft is also 8mm(or 5/16").

Sweet!! You posted before I wrote the above post. I'm golden then. Thanks!!!

trailman · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:48 pm

Just in case anybody wanted to see what your driveshaft isn't supposed to look like.

JNJ-Z · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:12 pm

sh$$

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:59 pm

wow, that could have been bad :shock:

corwyyn · **Posted:** Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:59 am

Wow, that's even more impressive than the failure I had last year - you have deformed metal around the outside and a bunch of gooey grease all over. On mine all the grease had flown out by the time I got to removing it...

trailman · **Posted:** Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:17 am

corwyyn wrote:

Wow, that's even more impressive than the failure I had last year - you have deformed metal around the outside and a bunch of gooey grease all over. On mine all the grease had flown out by the time I got to removing it...

I thought mine had thrown all the grease out before I took it off,because there's a nice 360 degree spray pattern of grease underneath my jeep. There's also broken bits still in my crossmember. Low and behold when I take it off there's still grease in there. I guess I just had a complete joint failure. I hope that's not common.

Front Drive Shaft Bolt Sizeadded pic of failed CV

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