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Front Driveshaft Removal Myths

112K views 80 replies 52 participants last post by  interceptor429  
#1 ·
Ok, once and for all, please explain plainly for everyone why it is not good to remove the front driveshaft off of a 249(AWD) transfer case. And please explain for everyone what happens inside the case if you remove it. I found this:

AndyZJ said:
My whole thing with removing the front driveshaft is that it causes uneven load on the chain and output shafts. I've known a few cases where the Tcase has basically self distructed as it is still sending load to the front output yoke where there is nothing there. It binds up and then the chain becomes floppy. I'm pretty sure that its also not good for the VC since since it is always then sensing a variance in load from the front end. If you plan on using the 249 again, then its really not good for the Tcase.
 
#55 ·
The front drift shaft removal myth/issues are only geared towards the full time 4-Wheel Drive cases (ie: 249/247). It is the earlier cases, pre-96', that had issues with the VC and uneven load with the front driveshaft removed

RocKZJ



 
#56 ·
I Have My Front Driveshaft out now for about 6 months. Love it. Except the only thing is my car tends to roll back slowly on hill and I always have to put the emergency brake on when i park it in my driveway.
 
#57 ·
Hey from Minnesota, all,
Been lurking for some time, but first time posting. I took out my front drive shaft a few months ago because the transfer case was making a lot of noise. It started making noise again, so I took it to a local shop, and he said that I need to a new front drive shaft, and that without it it will roll in park and the transmission might be damaged. I know it rolls in park (I always put the ebrake on anyway), but is it true I may have damaged the transmission? Not too sure about that one.
 
#58 ·
I don't see any way that this could damage the transmission, just hurt the t-case further.

93-95 249 T-cases will allow your Jeep to roll. After reading this thread, I don't know why those running the 93-95 249 still risk it and run without a front driveshaft. Keep the driveline in and let it chew your tires, save up the cash and get it fixed, or change to a different t-case.
 
#59 ·
currently driving 94 gc without front drive shaft

my 249 transfer case was so bad that it was almost literally undriveable. Before learning that tires must be matching, I had 2 new tires put on the front. Before doing this, it was driveable. Since the new tires, it is not. I see the obvious correlation here but I don't have money for tires right now. The car shakes and vibrates and there are whirring noises that were previously not there. Anything over 30 mph feels like it is beating the crap out of the car. I do not want to ruin this vehicle. I need to use it and I'm broke, so I made the decision to remove the front drive shaft. I'd rather ruin one transfer case then ruin a transfer case, differential, transmission, control arm or whatever is on this thing. At some point I'll be able to put a 242 or 231 in this thing but now I need it to be able to move. I've read that the lack of front drive shaft will "ruin" my transfer case. This is acceptable to me right now as long as it is not particularly dangerous. I read that the jeep may roll, so I've been putting parking brake on. I also tested this in neutral on a hill without parking brake and it didn't roll. Still using parking brake, though. The vehicle runs pretty well without the front drive shaft. Yes, I can squeal the tires however it does lack some of the awesome handling that the full time 4 wheel drive allows. I am wondering what is meant by ruin. My transfer case was pretty bad before. I'm hoping by ruin, people mean it will gradually degrade and not necessarily mean that I'll be driving down the road tomorrow and it will suddenly seize up. I'm hoping the fact that the vc and rest of transfer case are independently cooled by there own fluids will protect rest of transfer case from damage that vc may be suffering due to overheating. At least for a few months. So if anyone knows of a more immediate danger other than the vehicle rolling, please let me know.
 
#60 ·
Splines/Front Axle Gear Oil

I'm going to take off my son's front drive shaft on his '96 Limited AWD 4.0, which from reading all these posts is a very OK thing to do for a '96 to eliminate the VC problems without spending over $1K on repairs. Apparently it's a simple unbolt operation, with no other fasteners to deal with besides bolts.

I have two questions: Won't the transfer case front output shaft now possibly work its way out of the case because it's just located there with greased splines connecting to the front drive shaft, or is there a good retaining clip/boot that will keep the T-case intact/sealed?

Also, now that there will just be free wheeling of the front axle, can I put some lighter weight gear oil mixture in the front diff to improve fuel economy, like a mix of synthetic engine oil and the called-for gear oil?
 
#62 ·
Shaft Out

This on my son's '96 ZJ Limited.

So after stripping a cheap Chinese 8mm socket on the front axle shaft bolts, a quick stop into K-Mart for a Craftsman socket and 8mm little spanner, the shaft is out, and the nasty slow-speed turning sounds are gone. Funny it didn't feel locked up/bound up like a Chevy truck in 4-Hi, but it sure didn't sound good before the shaft was out.

The truck does feel a little less sure-handling; I think the engineers set up the shocks/springs/sway bars under the assumption that there was a front axle shaft there providing another linkage, so taking it away messes up the suspension set-up somewhat.

Was planning to drain/fill the front/rear axles. They were both overfilled and neither had a drain plug that I could find. I left that for another day.
 
#63 ·
249 tcase

Well I took off the front drive shaft from my 1994 jeep grand cherokee limited which is a full time 4 wheel. It's been about a thousand miles now. I believe I can hear the t case smacking into gear rather loudly sometimes or some loud noise down there. maybe it's the thing that would otherwise be turning the front drive shaft. anyway, it's drive-able right now but it was a last resort, since I was too broke to do a real fix on it and needed to drive it.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Well I took off the front drive shaft from my 1994 jeep grand cherokee limited which is a full time 4 wheel. It's been about a thousand miles now. I believe I can hear the t case smacking into gear rather loudly sometimes or some loud noise down there. maybe it's the thing that would otherwise be turning the front drive shaft. anyway, it's drive-able right now but it was a last resort, since I was too broke to do a real fix on it and needed to drive it.
Make sure to use your e-brake in park. If you don't, one day you will find your jeep is rolling slowly away.
 
#64 ·
I have a lifted 96 ZJ 5.2 4x4 and someone stole my first front driveshaft about 8 months ago. Ive taken several 400 plus mile trips in the jeep and never had an issue.. Well..... I take that back, it slips in the rain if i lay on it. About 4 months ago I had another front drive shaft made by Carolina Driveline, and put back in. It drove fine. No odd noises come from my transfer case on or off road. Never had any issues at all. Then someone stole that one too.. grrrrrrr.. :mad:
 
#67 ·
Hi!

My 1995 Grand Cherokee v8 5.2l blown the cv joint from the front driveshaft, i was out of city so i drove it like 20 minutes at 20-30mph until i get my home since that day i have it parked until i change the front driveshaft (maybe getting a u-joint conversion) , i know about the issue of driving without front driveshaft...my question is, on this short period time, could be my transfer case damaged? thanks!
 
#68 ·
If you removed the d-shaft to get home, you should't have any problems. Just use your E-brake until you get a new driveshaft back in.
 
#69 ·
So what I'm gathering (although it isn't explicitly stated) is that the 247 isn't a problem to remove the front driveshaft. Can someone confirm that, or is it all speculation?

On a related note, the person I bought my 04 4.0L from lost the bolts for the driveshaft. The local dealer(s) are clueless, so before I have them order me the replacements, I want to confirm the bolts for the CV joint end of the driveshaft (to attach to the TC). The part number the guy gave me is 5015109-aa. Is this correct, and does it consist of two of the bolts with the curved washer (for lack of a better term) that connects the two? That would mean there are three of them (total of 6 bolts and three "washers"). Can someone look at a parts diagram and confirm for me? Can someone post the diagram for me?
 
#70 ·
I just removed my front d-shaft and am gonna drive it 13 miles to my mechanic to have him change out the front yoke (I swapped in a '98 Dana 30). I've looked at the prices of reman 249s...I can't afford that right now, so the 13 miles is all I plan to drive it without the front d-shaft in place. I'll let yall know how it all goes.
 
#72 ·
well i never had any problems either without my front one i have a zj 5.9, and i removed
just to check the gas mileage and i ran like that for 3 months no problem but the gas was about the same do
and before this i use to have a 97 zj 5.2, did the same for like a year and nothing happen
o i forgot and im always burning my tires still good
 
#73 ·
Correct, the 96+ 249 won't roll in park. Your 97 & 98 would both be fine.

Did you even notice a difference with gas mileage?
 
#74 ·
Not really i think city is around the same, only on highway i think i was getting 1 mpg extra. i was getting like 18 mpg going at 70 miles. but i have the msd cables, box, coil, spacer, and intake. now with the 4wd i get like 17
 
#79 ·
Had the front shaft removed on my 95 Orvis after blowing the CV. Yes, it rolled if parked on a slight hill, yes it is bad on the VC. I knew this, but it is my DD and since I lived across the street from my job at the time it didn't see much driving without the front shaft, just enough to get me to the parts store then home to replace it...total of about 6 miles of driving. Would even think about much more then that...planning on replacing the NV249 with a NV242 down the line, the 242 does not have the VC and has 4 lock
 
#81 ·
old thread but interesting,...i have a 94 zj and my ring gear fell off looks as if the previous owner forgot thread lock and all 10 bolts snapped into ,so i have a loose ring gear making noise ,took cover off now i think i'm going to remove the gear and leave it free rolling ...or should i try to spot weld the gear to the carrier thing?...its my only ride and i am disabled and poor,...lol monthly check.any advise please......