Rear drive shaft death

[ShawnM]

Driving down the high today my rear drive shaft committed suicide. It went flying off and I found it but it’s too dented to ever get new u-joints into it. I limped home in 4 high, front wheel style. When I got home I saw the front yolk that goes into the transfer case was gone too.
I look on Just Jeeps, Rock Auto and Amazon and all the rear shafts are minimum 16” long. Mine is 12 3/4”. Is there that much play in the slip yolk or what am I missing here?
I’m no mechanic but I’ve changed a shaft once and get how to do it.

 

[machoheadgames]

Driving down the high today my rear drive shaft committed suicide. It went flying off and I found it but it’s too dented to ever get new u-joints into it. I limped home in 4 high, front wheel style. When I got home I saw the front yolk that goes into the transfer case was gone too.
I look on Just Jeeps, Rock Auto and Amazon and all the rear shafts are minimum 16” long. Mine is 12 3/4”. Is there that much play in the slip yolk or what am I missing here?
I’m no mechanic but I’ve changed a shaft once and get how to do it.

No, it just happens that nobody makes a replacement for the shaft you have. I’d search for used on eBay or maybe go to a local driveline shop.

The reason you busted the shaft is probably the lift. These tiny driveshafts don’t like any suspension lift.

 

[ShawnM]

No, it just happens that nobody makes a replacement for the shaft you have. I’d search for used on eBay or maybe go to a local driveline shop.

The reason you busted the shaft is probably the lift. These tiny driveshafts don’t like any suspension lift.

That’s crazy that they don’t make replacement shafts. Off to eBay I go I suppose. Do you know offhand if the replacement yolks are the same?

 

[machoheadgames]

That’s crazy that they don’t make replacement shafts. Off to eBay I go I suppose. Do you know offhand if the replacement yolks are the same?

Not sure I understand what you’re asking. The slip yoke that slides into the t-case is the same across all years. Spicer 2-3-12411X

The rear driveshaft has 1310 sized weld yokes on all 87-93 rear driveshafts. 94-95 use a 1310 weld yoke at the t-case end and a 1330 yoke at the pinion end. Those of course correspond to 1310 and 1330 pinion yokes on the rear axle from 87-93 and 94-95, respectively.

The front driveshafts are all 1310 on both ends for all years. Transfer case front yoke and front axle pinion yokes are the same models respectively. What I mean is the t-case uses the same front yoke year to year and the front axle uses the same yoke year to year. I do not mean the front axle and t-case front output are the same yoke; they are not.

 

[ShawnM]

Not sure I understand what you’re asking. The slip yoke that slides into the t-case is the same across all years. Spicer 2-3-12411X

The rear driveshaft has 1310 sized weld yokes on all 87-93 rear driveshafts. 94-95 use a 1310 weld yoke at the t-case end and a 1330 yoke at the pinion end. Those of course correspond to 1310 and 1330 pinion yokes on the rear axle from 87-93 and 94-95, respectively.

The front driveshafts are all 1310 on both ends for all years. Transfer case front yoke and front axle pinion yokes are the same models respectively. What I mean is the t-case uses the same front yoke year to year and the front axle uses the same yoke year to year. I do not mean the front axle and t-case front output are the same yoke; they are not.

You are very knowledgeable about this stuff. Yes that helps knowing that t-case slip yolk is at least going to be easy to get.

 

[ShawnM]

It looks like everybody that ever had this issue got a slip yolk eliminator kit which requires a longer drive shaft. The angle of the shaft is less, making for a much beefier set up. This ain’t gonna be cheap.

 

[machoheadgames]

It looks like everybody that ever had this issue got a slip yolk eliminator kit which requires a longer drive shaft. The angle of the shaft is less, making for a much beefier set up. This ain’t gonna be cheap.

Around 600 or so if you do the work yourself.