limeade
Well-Known Member
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- #1
I've been wanting to upgrade axle shafts since installing 37" tires. I finally decided on the RCV 1 piece fronts and Dana Advantek rears. However, no one has the RCV shafts in stock and RCV said they are at least three weeks out from being able to ship them. Since I leave for work (overseas) in two weeks, I went with the Dana front shafts (with FAD delete, part # DAN10044474) so I can get them installed since my son drives this jeep. I'll run these shafts for awhile and then get the RCV front shafts and move the Dana shafts to my 19 JLUR.
Like others have posted, the Dana front shafts don't come with the passenger intermediate shaft (from FAD to diff). I'm not sure how strong the stock intermediate shaft is, but the Dana kit does eliminate the plastic bushing and small FAD coupler. So this kit does make that area stronger, but not as strong as a one piece kit. The yokes are much bigger than stock and these shafts do have 1410 series u-joints with full circle snap rings.
The install is pretty straightforward, especially if you have done axle shafts before. There were two things in particular which took a little more time to address, one is due to lack of instructions and the other is purely Dana's fault.
On the FAD delete plate there are four bolt holes, but no provision for the two nubs on the FAD gasket surface. This caused the delete plate to not sit even remotely flat against the housing. I figured the two options were to either grind the nubs down or to clearance the plate. I used the gasket as a template and found I could drill a hole on one side of the plate and grind a small section from the edge on the other side. Didn't have any gray paint, so I covered the areas with black satin.
The next issue was when we were inserting the passenger side shaft into the housing. It wouldn't seat into the intermediate shaft. Then I remembered something about a plastic bushing and removed the stock intermediate shaft. There's a plastic bushing/sleeve in the intermediate shaft where the inner/outer shaft gets inserted. The Dana part is larger diameter than the stock and requires the removal of this plastic bushing. These two shafts are then joined by the new, larger coupler. In the picture, the plastic bushing broke when I was pulling it out with pliers.
The only other issue is Service Four Wheel Drive is now displayed in the cluster. I will be using the Tazer to remove this.
If you've never done shafts before, the unit-bearing can be a bear to remove. Some good tapping on it with a dead blow hammer should free it up. Once it's off, I used a semi-abrasive wheel on my drill to clean off the rust from the hub and knuckle. I then used anti-seize on those areas to assist in easier removal.
The rears are pretty simple. You need to use some force to free the rear shafts. A combination of a ball peen hammer and pry bar will force the shafts out. The bearing races were still stuck inside the housing on mine. I used the hook of a bearing puller to get the races to move outward a little (be very careful you don't nick the housing where the races sit). Once the races moved a little, I was able to pull them out with my fingers applying equal pressure to the race. You'll want to have your fingers 180 degrees apart, ie. pull on the race at the 3 and 9 o'clock position.
I will feel more comfortable once I get RCV front shafts, but I think the Dana front shafts are strong enough and eliminate the weak spots (yoke ears, u-joints, and FAD assembly - plastic bushing and coupler) to be worth the money.
Like others have posted, the Dana front shafts don't come with the passenger intermediate shaft (from FAD to diff). I'm not sure how strong the stock intermediate shaft is, but the Dana kit does eliminate the plastic bushing and small FAD coupler. So this kit does make that area stronger, but not as strong as a one piece kit. The yokes are much bigger than stock and these shafts do have 1410 series u-joints with full circle snap rings.
The install is pretty straightforward, especially if you have done axle shafts before. There were two things in particular which took a little more time to address, one is due to lack of instructions and the other is purely Dana's fault.
On the FAD delete plate there are four bolt holes, but no provision for the two nubs on the FAD gasket surface. This caused the delete plate to not sit even remotely flat against the housing. I figured the two options were to either grind the nubs down or to clearance the plate. I used the gasket as a template and found I could drill a hole on one side of the plate and grind a small section from the edge on the other side. Didn't have any gray paint, so I covered the areas with black satin.
The next issue was when we were inserting the passenger side shaft into the housing. It wouldn't seat into the intermediate shaft. Then I remembered something about a plastic bushing and removed the stock intermediate shaft. There's a plastic bushing/sleeve in the intermediate shaft where the inner/outer shaft gets inserted. The Dana part is larger diameter than the stock and requires the removal of this plastic bushing. These two shafts are then joined by the new, larger coupler. In the picture, the plastic bushing broke when I was pulling it out with pliers.
The only other issue is Service Four Wheel Drive is now displayed in the cluster. I will be using the Tazer to remove this.
If you've never done shafts before, the unit-bearing can be a bear to remove. Some good tapping on it with a dead blow hammer should free it up. Once it's off, I used a semi-abrasive wheel on my drill to clean off the rust from the hub and knuckle. I then used anti-seize on those areas to assist in easier removal.
The rears are pretty simple. You need to use some force to free the rear shafts. A combination of a ball peen hammer and pry bar will force the shafts out. The bearing races were still stuck inside the housing on mine. I used the hook of a bearing puller to get the races to move outward a little (be very careful you don't nick the housing where the races sit). Once the races moved a little, I was able to pull them out with my fingers applying equal pressure to the race. You'll want to have your fingers 180 degrees apart, ie. pull on the race at the 3 and 9 o'clock position.
I will feel more comfortable once I get RCV front shafts, but I think the Dana front shafts are strong enough and eliminate the weak spots (yoke ears, u-joints, and FAD assembly - plastic bushing and coupler) to be worth the money.
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