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How to remove front drive shaft?

jwrezz

Elite Snow Shoveler
Elite Explorer
Joined
March 23, 1999
Messages
1,139
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21
City, State
Parsippany, NJ
Year, Model & Trim Level
1996 XLT
I have a 1996. It's a single u-joint in the front (at the front diff) and I guess what is called a double cardan (2 u-joints) at the transfer case. I see 2 torx bolts on either side of the u-joint at the front. They hold straps across the u-joint and hold it to the yolk. I don't see any bolts that hold the t-case end in. Does the drive shaft just slide out from the transfer case? Has any one done this that has some pics I could see? Thanx,
 



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im not sure what drive shafts 96 Xs came with... but if you have the 1st gen double cardan style (instead of the true CV type held in by like 9 smaller bolts that came stock on my 98), then it is held in by 4 bolts like so..

frontshaft_tcaseend.jpg
 






oh hey ur lucky, i forgot i have my backup 1354 sitting here in my room with a severed double-cardan front drive shaft.. heres the snapshot u need, let me knof i u need any more shots while ive got this thing up here:

frontshaft_tcaseend2.jpg
 






I love this forum!!Thank you so much. I couldn't have asked for anything more! Scratch that. What kind of bolts are those? Should I replace them all w/ regular hex bolts?
 
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hey no prob!
 






jwrezz said:
Scratch that. What kind of bolts are those? Should I replace them all w/ regular hex bolts?

those bolts are 12 point bolts... what you need is a 12 point socket wrench.. im not exactly sure what size they are tho cauz im still in the process of doing my manual transfer-case swap. I wouldnt replace them with a regular hex (six-point) bolt as 12 points can usually withstand more torque. if you look at the differential end of the rear driveshaft, its the same style except those at the rear are 12-point 12mm bolts.
 






I'd bet I aint fitting a socket on there, but I guess a 12point box wrench will do. I'm gonna go spray them all w/ deep creep so they're nice and loose by tomorrow! Thanx again.
 






yeah a box wrench will do it, the hard part is finding the right size.. i mean like the rear one is 12 point 12mm ... most box end sets go from 13mm down to 10mm.
 






I just pulled mine last week (96X)

its easier to get to them if you remove the skid plate, It sticks in my mind that they were 10mm, but I am not sure...

anyway the real pain in the ass was the front ones...I broke two torx bits trying to get them out :mad: I had to resort to breaking out a bottle of map gas and heat them up. In doing so I toasted the rubber seals on the end of the end caps and had to replace the front u-joint wich (was not bad)

When I put it back together, I used the original bolts in the back... but put allen head bolts in the front :thumbsup:

the front drive shaft on the 96X is the same as the one in the pics above

Good luck!
 






Mike N. said:
the front drive shaft on the 96X is the same as the one in the pics above

Interesting -- so it musta been in 97 when they switched to the non-double cardan type that looks like a large ball going into a socket.
 






Mike N. said:
I just pulled mine last week (96X)

anyway the real pain in the ass was the front ones...I broke two torx bits trying to get them out :mad: I had to resort to breaking out a bottle of map gas and heat them up. In doing so I toasted the rubber seals on the end of the end caps and had to replace the front u-joint wich (was not bad)
Good luck!

I'm doing this to replace the u-joints, so I guess a little heat to begin with is a good idea. Those front ones look like torx inside, but hex bolts on the out side. Are they not? Looks like I can get a standard socket on there.
 






yeah they are hex heads with a torx in the middle, ive never used a hex on them though, ive always used the torx part (cauz personally, its easier for me to find the red torx set than fiddling around trying to find the proper hex wrench).
 






Well, mine came right out (the torx). Actually the ones in the rear came out pretty easy too. Shaft came out w/ a bit of persuasion. My squeak isn't u-joints tho. It's the double cardan thing that is in between the 2 u-joints. Any one know about this? It looks like a ball in cup kinda thing, and that's what's giving me the squeak. Any ideas? Thanx,
 






Brought it to a drive shaft shop. Ted, the owner, said that's definitely a type of c/v joint. There is a ball and socket joint in between the 2 u-joints w/ a rubber boot around it (mine was cracked). He said once that cracks water can get in and ruin the joint. Hopefully I caught it in time, other wise he has to cut off the end (the cup part of the joint) and install a new one. I'll get pics of the old part up here as soon as I get the drive shaft back. He showed me some exampeles of how they fail, and wear, and one that was completely destroyed.

I'm really interested in what exactly constitutes a constant velocity joint now. If any one can help, let me know. I'm gonna go do some research. Adios,
 






CV definition

found this on some web site linked from a google search

CV or constant velocity joint

Front wheel drive cars need u-joints which not only allow up and down motion, but steering motion as well. the angle at which they turn requires a different design than the standard U-joint.

Constant velocity, or CV joints are universal joints that are able to transfer torque at large angles efficiently. These joints transfer power very smoothly. They are comprised of four basic parts: 1. The outer section, which has grooves machined on its inner surface, 2. the bearings, which are usually in a "cage", 3. the inner ball, which has grooves on its outer surface for the bearings to ride in, and 4. a rubber boot to protect the unit from dirt and moisture.

A common cause of CV joint failure is cracks in the CV boot. As dirt enters the CV joint, its parts grind themselves until a clicking noise is heard when turning, or until they fail completely. The boots should be replaced as soon as cracking is visible in their rubber folds.
 






I wonder why a cv joint is even need in the front shaft then? The angle is not that great I don't think, but more importantly, the angle does not change. The front diff is rigidly mounted in between the framerails, and so is the t-case. That angle shouldn't change at all. Maybe the rear should have it, but why the front?
 






jwrezz said:
the owner, said that's definitely a type of c/v joint. There is a ball and socket joint in between the 2 u-joints w/ a rubber boot around it (mine was cracked).

Are you talking about this boot?
frontshaft.jpg

Cauz i dont think its a CV joint thats under that boot.. whats under there is where the two drive shafts halves meet. they are both splined lengthwise so this allows the entire drive shaft to compress and decompress.. without compressing (or shortenning) the drive shaft, you should have not have been able to remove it from the vehicle.

I wish it was lighter out, i coulda snapped you a pic of the 97 and later drive shaft.. according to my very limited knowledge, the 97s and above are the ones that utilized the true CV joint on the front driveshaft.. but double cardans are sometimes called CV because the two cardan joints do cancel each other out and the whole thing does travel at a constant angular velocity.

here's a diagram (unreadable tho) of what a CV joint looks like from Pirate4x4:
Rzeppa%20CV%20joint.jpg

here's anotehr image form Meineke's website (very simplified):
cvjoint2.gif

So basically its a race of bearings in a cup. The colored diagram above allows the race of bearings to move on the ball via the grooves (the red areas) ..

read this article from Pirate4x4, i think itll answer all of your questions in life:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-shaft/index.html
 
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Nope, that's the slip yolk (the pic you attached) the double cardan joint has a ball-in-cup joint between the 2 u-joints. It's a type of CV joint. I'll show ya some pics when I go back to the drive line shop. I think the use of 2 u-joints and a ball joint allow for more of an angle, while maintaining consistant torque transfer :. CV joint. adios
 






jwrezz said:
Nope, that's the slip yolk (the pic you attached) the double cardan joint has a ball-in-cup joint between the 2 u-joints. It's a type of CV joint. I'll show ya some pics when I go back to the drive line shop. I think the use of 2 u-joints and a ball joint allow for more of an angle, while maintaining consistant torque transfer :. CV joint. adios

Oh wow most def! please do snap some pix - i havent seen this third type of driveshaft used... was it only used for the 95-96 explorers?
 



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heres a few shots of the front drive shaft that came off of my X (1998 xlt):

frontshaft98_a.jpg

frontshaft98_b.jpg

frontshaft98_c.jpg
 






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