paddler

Looking at a Yukon free-spin hub kit for my new-to-me 96. Yukon has has a tech note that some early axleshafts use a 5-260X U-joint, while the kit comes with an outer axleshaft for a 5-760X. If I have a 5-260X, then I have to get new inner axleshafts as well.

Is there an "easy" way to know which size U-joint I have without disassembling, or crawling under the vehicle with calipers and trying to get a good measurement of the diameter of the hole in the yokes?

4.3L XJ

IIRC 97 and up has the larger U joints

boxburn

IIRC 96 and down with ABS also use the larger 5-760X and without ABS use the smaller joint. On a side note, the '96 is a mixed year so if you don't have ABS, your best bet is to measure the cap diameters and double check

I used 5-760X on my ABS '95.

Dave51

If you look at the parts catalog, it says Wrangler uses large cap with ABS and small cap w/o ABS. However, no differentiation is made with XJ. Given the scope of the project IIWM I'd just measure.

Dave51

Damn you're quick.

boxburn

Am I?

Dave51

Absolutely!

paddler

Thanks guys for the advice.

Well, I crawled underneath in the rain this morning with calipers, and got a half-assed measurement. Caps barely protruded outward from the holes in the yokes, but calipers set at 1 1/8 seemed to fit very nicely on what little was sticking out. Good enough to strongly suggest 1 1/8 rather than 1 1/16, which are the critical sizes. I would not trust the measurement accuracy much beyond that.

I don't THINK it has ABS, and the rear differential housing is decidedly flat-bottomed, which should make it an 8.25 which also suggests no ABS. But good to know I have an odd year and "look at the actual part" may be required.

If I do get the kit and am wrong on the U-joint size, it means I have to get new inner axleshafts set up for 5-760X. That would add substantially to the price, but is not fatal to the project.

I have had a shop look over the vehicle for safety and function check, and they were pretty happy with it. It has a little bit of incontinence appropriate to a 24-year-old, but ball joints, rod ends, U-joints, seals seemed good. So my plan is just new front U-joints (need to be removed and re-installed anyway), and leave the ball joints and tie rod ends alone if I do this.

Although this Cherokee will be mostly an on-property beater, I do see it eventually having some local on-road use as well as trips where the destination is beyond my Outback's capabilities, and my old diesel pickup is too big and heavy. Freewheel on road would be nice on those occasions.

boxburn

Not trying to complicate things here but having a 8.25 rear does not mean it always had one, nor that the front axle is original.

The dimensions I found here show that the 5-260X would measure 1 1/16th and the 5-760X 1 3/16th: https://sites.google.com/a/jeepinwv....w-d30---change

awg

not nice enough to justify doing imo

One thing I like about my NP242 equipped '96 is that I do not have to get out and engage 4wd hubs when needed

Others can comment on fuel saving, but I suspect you would have to do a lot of miles to pay for it

all personal opinion of course

paddler

Yeah, I think you are right... I think I set the calipers at 1.18 but remembered it as "1 1/8". But definitely larger than 1.06-something.

Decided to go ahead and order the Yukon kit.

paddler

AWG- sorry, was responding to boxburn on the cap size.

I recognize that fuel mileage doesn't justify the cost of a conversion kit, especially since I don't expect to put a lot of miles on this rig. I think I am looking more for less wear, especially on tires, and having good street and highway manners. I'm not against hopping out and locking up (or freeing up).

awg

no apologies needed,

but I dont think there is any degradation of on-road manners

others can comment, but these things do hundreds of k miles stock

(the rear end handling is far more of an issue imo)

you must be made of tough stuff, I loathed getting out in mud & rain, even needing pliers or a rock and cussing, probably get snow where ur too brrr

awg

no apologies needed,

but I dont think there is any degradation of on-road manners

others can comment, but these things do hundreds of k miles stock

(the rear end handling is far more of an issue imo)

you must be made of tough stuff, I loathed getting out in mud & rain, even needing pliers or a rock and cussing, probably get snow where ur too brrr

paddler

I'm chuckling, because I make sure the hubs on my old F-350 turn easy. Rocks or pliers might have convinced me to try a different solution. And I usually lock up on dry ground before I head into a mess.