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Front axle banging and leaking?

1K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  itsajeepthing! 
#1 ·
First off this is what I am running:
91 YJ 4cycl, Ford 9 rear, Dana 30 front(4.56 gears)(all stock i believe), ARB locker in front with 32 TSL's. Auto hubs.

The problem I am having is when in 4 wheel drive I occasionally hear a loud bang as if something is disengaging and engaging. I think it may be the auto hub but I'm not sure. I also have oil leaking out of the right front axle onto the inside of the wheel. I took the right front axle out and the diff. cover off and all the teeth on the viewable gears looked fine(oil seemed fine too).

Is there anything I should be looking for to diagnose this problem?

Also what seal do I need to change to fix this leak?(Inner axle seal just ouside the diff?)

Also I was under the impression that the drivers side front wheel always turns the differential gears? When I turn the front left the gears do not turn unless I have the locker engaged. Also when I have the locker engaged shouldn't both front wheels turn together? My right front wheel doesn't move when I turn the left front(engine off)?

Thanks for the help in advance guys.
 
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#2 ·
A few things come to mind.

1st. This is a CAD (Central Axle Disconnect) axle. The only way that the front wheels are going to turn together is with the engine running and 4wd engaged. (or at least with vacuum applied to the disconnect mechanism). It sounds like you are being cautious and not running this thing on jack stands, lets keep it that way.

2nd. Banging in this style front end may be in part due to the CAD actuator engaging the front two axle shafts. You may want to pull that actuator out and see if the splines on the inner shaft are AFU and not allowing the collar to slide over. Your "auto hubs" is simply a unit bearing that is always locked in. The only "auto" portion is the CAD Actuator (Read: junk).

3rd. The leak is coming from the seal at the outer axle shaft. You will need to pull the outer shaft (and all other parts to get to it) and pull out the actuator to get at the seal. The seal is a bugger, and I have no "easy" way to put one in.

What I would do in this case (and I dont have the seal number handy) is pull the vacuum stuff off completely, put a new seal in the hole at the CAD section (it is not the stock seal, there is a different one that works and I can not find it at this time), and stuff a TJ shaft in with a block off plate in place of the vacuum components.

Hope this helps.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks

Thanks, I just did some testing with the motor running. The CAD is only engaging with high RPM's and then disengaging sometimes at Idle. Shouldn't this have enough vacuum to stay engaged through all RPM's?

Is it much of a concern for wear and tear and increased drag by putting a TJ axle in that bypasses the CAD? A WARN hub conversion kit seems ridiculous at $1200...

Is there any particular TJ axle I'm looking for?
 
#4 ·
No specific axle, just remember that you are going to have a larger u-joint on one side than the other.

And that is EXACTLY how the TJ's work. They are basically the same running gear without CAD.
 
#10 ·
no difference. jeep axles either have the bigger size u-joint or they don't, so XJ shafts w/ the large u-joint are the same as TJ. You won't experience any handling difference either, u have an ARB so it'll be an open differentiall all the time untill you lock it on the trail. ur rig will probably wheel better because you may have been in 3 wheel drive a lot with your ARB locked and your vacuum disconnect not working..... that means you were in 2 wheel drive when the ARB was unlocked and your vacuum disco wasn't working.....

get some real front axles in that YJ!!!
 
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