JeepNewbie2022

Hey guys I just Got out of the army and decided to buy my first jeep (2010). I didnt Know much about it, I knew It needed some work so it’s turned into my little project. I went To take it down the road and noticed a clunking noise underneath and stopped immediately. I noticed some parts were gone… (I was In for a surprise). Mechanically inclined buddy said my front driveshaft was gone and my front differential was “shot” and I needed A new one. Here’s the pictures I got. Im located in Kentucky about 40 minutes north of Nashville. Any recommendations? I’m all ears / eyes lol thanks everyone!


It looks to be cracked on the top end, and then that thing was just flopping around inside.

Mark Doiron

If by "it" being cracked you mean the housing, then you need a replacement axle housing. Plus ring and pinion gear (that thing that is flopping around) as well as a master bearing kit and miscellaneous seals, shims and such. And, depending on the condition of the axle shafts, maybe them too. Here's one possibility of a new complete axle assembly (don't confuse this with just the housing which is missing other needed hardware), just to give you an idea of the expense you're looking at (Note that this may not be the correct gear ratio for your vehicle) ...

https://www.uspowertrain.com/product...-axle-assembly

You may be able to find a take-off axle after someone replaced theirs with something stronger (a very common mod on these Jeeps). That would likely be your cheapest option. Check Craig's List, etc for used options.

You'll also need a driveshaft. Another thing you could pick up from the aftermarket option, though many folks wait until they start spilling grease before buying a better one. And it you choose a stronger aftermarket, then you're probably also looking at at least new adjustable front lower control arms so you can set the caster angle properly to prevent vibrations.

Good luck! It's unfortunate that someone sold you that and you were unaware of the missing hardware.

resharp001

I certainly mean no disrespect, but I'm not sure how 1) someone could sell a vehicle like that and 2) how someone could buy a vehicle like that. Did you not test drive it? I don't see any way possible you could drive that down the street with the pinion gear flopping around like that and not have some indication of a problem.....like, a MAJOR problem. Just curious how we got to this point.

If the actual "housing" was ok, you could simply rebuild the internals with near ring and pinon, then add a driveshaft and likely done in the ~$1500-$2000 range with parts and labor.

Another route is to determine what gearing you have in the rear diff and look for an entire axle assemble on CL or FBM like Mark mentioned. If you could locate a D30 you might be able to get on in the ~$500 range if you were able to find a motivated seller, though I'm going to guess Kentucky doesn't have the same kinda market as DFW in respect to these things. Keep in mind the gearing would need to match what the rear has, or you would then have to pay additional to regear it.

Right now the jeep isn't really driveable like that. You could remove wheels, brakes, unit bearings and then open the front diff, unbolt the bearing cap bolts (make note of where they are cuz they need to go back to the same EXACT spot), and remove the carrier (keep track of the shims on each side)....then remove the pinion gear which is likely trash, and remove the ring gear from the carrier. Reinstall the carrier, shims and bearing caps (torqued to spec). You'd have to stick a rag in the rear of the diff to plug that hole but at least it would be driveable, within reason. I'm sure that sounds like a lot to someone that might have never disassembled one, but it's not rocket science. The issue here is that the front tires are turning everything inside that diff....the wheels turn the axle shafts, the axle shafts turn the carrier in the diff which turns the ring gear which is what is making that pinion gear flop around since it has no pinion flange or yoke, seal and pinion nut holding it in place.

This is gonna be a pricey project. I would be livid with the seller. The missing driveshaft is the least of the issues here.

Alanymarce

For what it's worth, my sense is that the state of the front end may be an indicator that there are other problems waiting for you. I wouldn't trust the rear end, the transmission, or indeed the engine at this point. I think you need a "ground up" inspection and renewal. Good luck.