Hey, I've been driving around for a while without a front driveshaft, because it snapped a while back. Now I got a new driveshaft, and when I put it on, the Jeep wouldn't steer. It felt like it was in 4wd. What I thought it might be is the fact that the front diff is welded. The guy that owned the jeep before me was nice enough to weld the thing for me:shaking:. My question is this: if I bought a limited slip for it, would that replace the spider gears, possibly fixing my problem? Another thing is, the transfer case (NP 231) goes into 2hi, then 4hi, then neutral, but won't go into 4lo. When I pull the shifter all the way back, there is a slight grinding noise, but it doesn't go into gear. Anyone know what that's all about? Thanks in advance for all your help!

sounds like you dont have unlocking front hubs. not being able to steer is normal with a welded front diff. when did he weld the spiders for you? did it act normal before you took out your front drive shaft?
if you bought an LSD you would be replacing the entire carrier, not just the spiders. also sounds like you need to rebuild or replace your Tcase.

Is there a company that makes locking hubs that I could install? So you're saying a limited slip would basically replace the whole diff, making the thing all better? He welded the gears before I bought the thing. It acted normal before I broke the driveshaft, and also just before I replaced it and tried to drive on it. Even after I took the driveshaft back off it still doesn't steer right. Also, I considered the possibility of swapping in a Dana 44. What are the best years/models of trucks to get the axle from?

do you have a YJ or TJ?
i think warn makes a locking hub kit for the front 30. not worth the monies if you ask me. replacing your welded chuck with a new carrier [open or LSD] will fix the problem...theoretically.
lift your front end, spin the tires, watch the front pinion yoke. listen to see if there is any grinding either in the pumpkin itself or the pinion bearing. if you landed on a rock on the drive shaft, you might have a problem with your pinion bearing.
this is a long shot but, are your u joints greased? both axle and drive shaft?

Its a 94 YJ. I did lift the front end, and when I spun one tire, the other one spun. This wouldn't happen if it was a open diff, right? I didn't hear any grinding, but I wasn't really listening. Do you know how much pinion bearings are? This wouldn't cause my problem with the carrier would it?

both tires wont spin if it is open. they will if you are locked or have an LSD.
pinion bearings at NAPA shouldnt cost more than $20, probly not even half that.
very unlikely but maybe: you ruined the pinion bearing causing the pinion to move and its not meshing with the gears properly. this isnt a problem with the carrier BUT the carrier is bolted to the ring gear and, its like dominoes.
on the other hand, your problem could be your Tcase. or the vacuum disco on the axle housing might be stuck in the 4x position. this is most likely your problem. open that up and see if it slides back and forth like it should. it sounds like it is not disengaging.

I know I'm not in 2wd because I jacked up all four tires with jack stands and put the shifter in 2hi and only the back wheels spun, but then I put it in 4hi and all four wheels spun. Never did get it into 4lo though.

I know I'm not in 2wd because I jacked up all four tires with jack stands and put the shifter in 2hi and only the back wheels spun, but then I put it in 4hi and all four wheels spun. Never did get it into 4lo though.

Does the Jeep have a body lift? Your shift linkage to the t-case may be out of adjustment. If this is the case, it probably needs to be adjusted so it is a bit longer to engage it into 4low

even in 2hi with your front wheels in the air, did both tires spin? check the vacuum disco. its on the passenger side [long side].

I would get your Tcase shifting correctly, did it start to not go into 4Lo before or after you exploided the front driveshaft?

YJs have direct shift linkage it shouldn't be attatched to the body like the TJ's.

I do have a body lift. I didn't think about that. That still doesn't solve my steering problem though. If it wasn't the diff, could it be the steering box? I don't know why it would wait till directly after I stuck in the driveshaft to get broke, but it could have been the four wheel drive in addition to the welded spider gears that did it in. I don't know.

Check your vacuum disconnect on the long side tube like was already suggested. It is most likely stuck engaged. Is your 4x4 light on the dash lit?
Travis..

That light doesn't work. Like I said, I know it's not in 4x4 cuz I jacked up the wheels on jack stands and only the back two wheels turned while I was in 2wd. I'm thinkin it's the diff.. Hopefully a limited slip will make the thing work. As far as the 4lo goes, it worked before the driveshaft broke.. Don't know what that's all about. Just for future reference (when I go to buy my lsd) My dana 30 is most likely the 27 spline one right?

That light doesn't work. Like I said, I know it's not in 4x4 cuz I jacked up the wheels on jack stands and only the back two wheels turned while I was in 2wd. I'm thinkin it's the diff.. Hopefully a limited slip will make the thing work. As far as the 4lo goes, it worked before the driveshaft broke.. Don't know what that's all about. Just for future reference (when I go to buy my lsd) My dana 30 is most likely the 27 spline one right?

Yes, make sure you get the correct lsd carrier. If your gears are 3.55 or numerically lower (3.27, 3.07, etc.) you need the 3.55 and down carrier. If you have 3.73 or numerically higher (4.10, etc.) you'll need the 3.73 and up carrier. If you want to save some money and just want your Jeep driving again, I've got a stock D30 carrier that I could cut you a deal on, it's got the 3.55 & numerically lower carrier in it. It also has the spiders in it. If you wanted to lock it for off-roading you could simply throw a lunchbox locker in it.

I have 4.10 gears in it.. Do you know which years/models of Dana 44s I should be looking for? Could I just drop in any 44 or should it be a certain year and from a certain truck? Thanks for the help yall.

Before you waste a shit load of time and money, CHECK THE CAD!! If the cad is engaged and the front is welded, it will fight you trying to turn the wheel. Just because the t-case is in 2wd and only the rear tires turn, has nothing to do with a cad that is stuck engaged. In 2wd, the front tires should rotate freely of each other. If they both turn together, the cad is engaged.
Travis..

Before you waste a shit load of time and money, CHECK THE CAD!! If the cad is engaged and the front is welded, it will fight you trying to turn the wheel. Just because the t-case is in 2wd and only the rear tires turn, has nothing to do with a cad that is stuck engaged. In 2wd, the front tires should rotate freely of each other. If they both turn together, the cad is engaged.
Travis..
Agreed!

The CAD is the vaccum disconnect on the long tube? How do I tell if that's stuck or not?

without having locking hubs on your dana 30, driveshaft or not the steering should be the same. IMO you should have steering problems all the time with a welded diff and auto hubs.

shoulndn't have anything to do with the driveshaft

The CAD is the vaccum disconnect on the long tube? How do I tell if that's stuck or not?
Yes, I can tell you right now it's stuck if both front tires will not spin independantly.

Yes, I can tell you right now it's stuck if both front tires will not spin independantly.

How do I get it unstuck?

How do I get it unstuck?
I don't know... Sitting behind a keyboard isn't going to fix it, get outside and start investigating.

I kicked it once, didn't seem to help. I even yelled at it and everything.

The problem most likely is with the vacuum lines or the switch on the t-case. Since you say the shifter or t-case is fucked up, start there. Get it to shift right and see what happens, you may be pleasantly surprised. But, if you aren't pleasantly surprised you need to find out if a vacuum hose is cracked, disconnected, melted, etc. If you have a mity-vac or similar, try suction on one port at a time on the cad and see if it unlocks and go from there.
Travis..

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

The problem most likely is with the vacuum lines or the switch on the t-case. Since you say the shifter or t-case is fucked up, start there. Get it to shift right and see what happens, you may be pleasantly surprised. But, if you aren't pleasantly surprised you need to find out if a vacuum hose is cracked, disconnected, melted, etc. If you have a mity-vac or similar, try suction on one port at a time on the cad and see if it unlocks and go from there.
Travis..

You were pretty much right about that... The tcase wasn't shifting all the way back into 2wd. I just had to hit the linkage with a hammer. Thanks for all your help, guys!

Sometimes my YJ gets stuck in 4wd with that POS vacuum disco.
Even if the light doesn't work, after putting it into 2high from 4lo or 4hi, putting it in reverse and backing up a few inches and going forward again always disengages 4wd for me.

Mine works fine every time. Yes backing up does help disengage it.
Now I have the manuals and took the time to understand how the vaccum system works. It's not a bad system. I have a EZ locker up front.4:11 gears it does good for me.