Well after 34,000 miles my front u-joints started to click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hMpvQcqu1g
I thought about taking it to the dealer, but with all I hear about lifted Jeeps and warranties, I figured I would do this myself and learn something at the same time.

Tools needed:
-Jack & jackstands
-3/4" socket
-36mm socket for the axle nut (may be more like a 35mm because mine was loose)
-21mm socket
-13mm 12 point socket
-Allen wrench
-Hyrdaulic press or bench vise (if you plan on pressing out the u-joints yourself)
-5-760x U-joints

Step 1: Loosen the front lugs (3/4" socket), jack up one side of the front axle, remove wheel, loosen the axle nut (36mm socket). Repeat on other side.



Step 2 & 3: Remove your wheel spacers if you have them. Remove the two bolts holding the caliper on (21mm socket) and remove the caliper. Hang it up with a wire hanger or zip-tie so you don't put stress on the brake line. Remove the wheel speed sensor. Be careful, I broke one of mine.




Step 4: Remove axle nut (36mm) and remove the three unit bearing bolts (13mm) and unit bearing.


Step 5: Pull out the axle shaft slowly to not damage the axle seals (actually they are two little rubbery washers)


At this point I stopped taking pictures because it was taking too long.

Step 6: Remove the u-joints from the axle shafts if you know how, otherwise take them to a local shop and have them removed. My local servcie station charged me $68 for both.

Lastly, reverse the above steps and put everything back together.

While I had the jeep in the air I changed the differential fluid in both axles and rotated the tires


Overall this project took me about 8 hours (over two days) but it was my first time opening up an axle.

Costs:
U-joints: $32 at piece at Drive Train Specialists (DTS)
Fluids: $18 a quart at Auto Zone (yeah, I could prob find them cheaper)
36mm socket: $18 at Auto Zone
Labor: $68

Total: $204 for a job well done. Plus, now I know how to do it again on the trail if I have to. Well, I'll have to figure out how to press out the u-joints by hand but I think a couple different sized sockets and c-clamps have been used successfully for the job.

Let me know if I missed anything or if there are any questions. Good luck!

 

Great info and thanks for the write up!!

I see the big red cooler....how much should I budget for beer?

 

indeed, thanks for the write-up! i need to replace mine, but i've got a local jeep buddy that's offered to help me at a work session in the near future at his house...

 

Well I know how to do all this, it's just the u-joint removal/pressing that I need a writeup for... Anyone have a writeup on it?

 

Here is a good write-up for replacing the actual U-joints once you have the shafts removed:

http://www.wt4x4.net/tech/ujoint.htm

 

That all depends. I would start with a case and add more if needed!

 

Did you pull the wheel bearing assembly off the outter shaft with a bearing puller or is there something that I am missing? I am in the middle of upgrading, but I can't find a way to get my whell bearing off. Thanks

 

No, I used a BFH. I had to hit mine quite a few times before it even budged.

When you reassemble, dab a little anti seize in there to make future repairs easier.

 

here is a method I used on my TJ a few years back, should work the same on a JK

Unit Bearing - 1

 

Perfect topic for today's How-To Spotlight...
Jeep Wrangler JK 2007 to Present How to Replace Front Axle U-Joints - Jk-Forum