I need to change the front u joints on my jeep, I found the guide on the forum and was going to try it this weekend, but is there a big difference in parts and if so, what should I go with? I was looking at advance auto, I don't know what I have on there now but is there an upgrade I should look into?

 

297 u-joints.


Available on all ABS XJ's

 

His as a 2000 uses 297's anyways. And its an easy job, you can rent or buy a cheap press and press the old one out, press the new one in and seat the c-clips and it's as easy as that. Or if you don't want a press you do what I did and just pound the old one out with a hammer and a rod, then put the new one in the freezer for a couple hours to shrink it and it should slide in with a few light taps.

As to what u-joints to use, the spicer brand ones are the best, which is what I use. If you wheel with larger than stock tires its a good idea to have a spare or two in your jeep as well.

 

Good point I missed that one!

 

thanks, I will go with spicer. Where to they carry them or can I get them online?

 

spicer greasable U-joint,, the best of the best,

ive heard of people putting u-joints in the freezer to shrink it, for easier instalation.

does anyone see a problem doing this?

 

A lot of guys like the non-greasable, sealed Spicers. Just to get that opinion out there. They feel there is less chance of crap getting in there since it is sealed. However, maybe those guys change theirs out more often, so no need to be able to grease it...that part I can't answer.

 

i been running the precision 377 from napa , super strong joint but in my jeep for some reason i keep having a problem with the bearing end caps staying seated correctly under abuse , im starting to run the spicer 5-760x there made for a dana 44 but fit in the dana 30 and are alot stronger then the 297's

 

There are some ebay sellers that have spicer. Around me (Albany, NY) there are no places that stock them- sucks.

 

i just picked up two 760's off ebay over the weekend for 30 bucks

 

Do you have the link for the seller? I found these couldnt find any cheaper http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SPICE...item20ae44972b

 

I will soon be replacing the front u-joints as well and was wondering, are the 260 and 297 axle shafts directly interchangable?

 

i think the guy i got mine from was some random guy but this guy has good prices , i was gonna buy from him http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

 

I just did this job for the first time, and I would highly recommend just using a hammer and a socket slightly smaller than the caps (or any other tool you have laying around if you don't have a socket). I had to reinstall several times to get it right because my ears were not perfectly parallel, and I used both methods. IMO the press was WAY more difficult and in my case resulted in breaking one of the caps.

 

the link isn't working, can u post again..nevermind I found it with the item # thats a better price, thanks!