4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/axels

Advertisement

Expert: - 5/26/2004


Question
i have a 95 jeep yj and its rear passenger axel shaft is bent causing my rear tire to wobel how should i go about replacing it and how much is it going to cost me im on a budget please help

Answer
Nick,

Before you replace anything, make sure that it is a bent axle, and not a bent rim.  If it is an axle, the first thing I would suggest, is that you purchase a repair manual for your Jeep.  They can be purchased at most automotive parts stores for $20 or so.  This will give you step by step instructions on replacing the axles, and bearings.  This is not a real hard job, but it would be to your benefit, to find someone with some experience to help you replace it, if you plan on doing it yourself.  This can be a fairly expensive fix at a shop.  You should have a dana 35 rear end, and these are real prone to bent axle tubes also.  If this is the case, you will need to replace the whole rear end.  If the tubes are ok, then you will need to replace the axle ($125), the bearings ($16), and the inner and outer axle seals ($7 each).  These prices are out of the Quadratec catalogue (www.quadratec.com), and only apply if the differential bearings, and the other axle components are ok.

Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.