Davehimself

Well hello everyone I would like some help and opinions please I have a Grand Cherokee Laredo 1993 4.0L I6. my front gears are not good so I thought I would swap the whole thing out for a junkyard replacement(cause I'm broke lol), so being that I have a front gear ratio of 3.55 and have cv axle shafts and a u joint drive yolk, it its difficult to find the correct one so my options are too either keep looking or settle for the same thing with one difference, the axles would have to be the u joint type instead of the cv type that i have(and i might add that i recently replaced them as well) so my dilema is would I be able to inter change these axels and keep the cv or have to use the u joint type. hmmmm any ideas would help thanx

dave1123

Welcome to CF!

Don't quote me on this, but I think the CV axles and the U-joint axles will interchange. The only real way to tell is to measure the overall length from the end of the center section spline to the wheel bearing flange. Being they are both D30 axles, the spline count should be the same. Make sure the driveshaft yoke is the same size as yours because the V8s use a larger one.

Davehimself

well I'm still not sure because my axle cv axles are two different lengths and i compared to the u joint shafts are the same size so i would assume i either need a different shaft or it wouldn't work unless the replacement comes with it but still is it gonna sync up under my jeep ?

dave1123

Yeah, the 2 shafts are different length because the diff is off center.

Davehimself

sooo then idk. my friend says i can take a certain type of 80's Cherokee u join in there so maybe i can find out what axle that is and get it an put my cv 's in it or just use it the way it is

00t444e

Your cv axles will swap into any 91+ XJ or ZJ Dana 30 or you could just use the u-joints, they are stronger.

dave1123

This too!

You could save the CV axles for future replacement if needed.

Davehimself

ok well that gives me something to think about i would like to get this done asap so I'm gong to make a decision soon thanx everyone. Also i was thinking about the position of the diff so some are off center and that gives me the differsent lengths of axle shafts so are you sure about the one cause that is the info I'm looking for

Davehimself

and this will bolt on no prob???

dave1123

Yes. The front diff is off center to clear the engine! They're all like that. The XJs and ZJs used the same Dana 30 front axle except some of the early XJs use a high pinion diff. They will bolt right in with no mods. They come in 2 different gear ratios; 3.55 and 3.73. Make sure to match whatever yours was/is. The only thing to watch for is rusted spring pads. BTW, the WJ axles are wider with a different wheel bolt pattern.

The control arm and track bar mounting bolt holes may be worn oversize. You can weld washers over the original holes and drill them to the right size if you need to. Heavy washers that is.

Davehimself

thanx for the advise i really appreciate it I'm not a mechanic but i guess I'm becoming a self taught one tho so lol anyway thanx for the help. plus ive already done a serious amount of work on it so might as well keep it tight. i have 4 kids so money is tight so every decision i make has to be solid well as solid as i can make it.so right on.

Davehimself

Also if anyone has any advise on completing this job that might be helpful let me know thanx and JEEP ON EVERYONE.

wingless

Welcome to the forum.

The actual axle remove / replace is not a horrible job.

My suggestion is to replace all the control arms and bushing because they are probably shot. this reply.

The axle replacement requires aligning the bolt holes. I used ratchet straps on the parts hanging in the air, others use the wheels on the ground and the engine driving the vehicle to attain bolt hole alignment.

Be careful not to drop parts into the frame during R/R.

FWIW, mine has the CV joints. On mine the boots failed, so I swapped the assembly. All is good.

Davehimself

Right on thanx I currently have the cv type, they broke once already and I changed them so now I'm gonna change them again with the axle swap cause the one I bought from the yard has u joint so np. But my real problem is removing the pinion yolk from the old axle, then swapping it to the replacement. Like i said I'm not a mechanic officially but I'm getting there lol I've done a lot so I feel capable but this is a new project for me so just not so confident. Great advice though I'm thankful. Any more advice is welcome knowledge is power!

dave1123

Why do you have to replace the pinion yoke? That's a job that should be done by a professional driveline guy or a very experienced mechanic.