I have a 2 door 08, manual transmission, with a 2.5 inch suspension lift.

So it has gotten cold and on very cold days in the mornings I notice a ratcheting sound. So I called the dealer since its under warranty and they are having me bring it in. Anyway I was wondering if anyone else has had their driveshafts fail at this point in the shaft. It isnt the boot as it is fine, but you can see from the picture where the grease is flinging from. Has anyone else had this issue specifically? Was it under warranty and did the dealer fix it for you?


Front
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Rear
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Also, I have visually inspected the rest of the shaft. These points right by the transmission are the only parts that show any grease leakage or damage. Everything else on the shaft looks good.

 

Same thing, torn boot, grease, etc. Whole shaft gets replaced, they are about 4 bills, but my dealer swapped mine under warranty. I think the cold helps that boot fail, since it is under so much angular stress from the lift...i had 22k on mine when it went.

 

Mine went early, destroyed my transmission.
Dealer said lift caused it.
No warranty.

 

I would not think a 2.5 inch lift would put enough stress on it to cause that,even on the shorter wheelbase.
I beleive you would have to go 3 inches or above to start causing stress related failures.

 

but was it a coil lift or a BB using pucks? coils could give the extra 1/2" to make it 3". especially on a 2dr. i don't think it's too far out of the realm of possibility. stranger things have happened

 

I could certainly see them claiming the lift causing the DS failure. what scares me more is if I go aftermarket DS & later have a problem with transfer case or diffs going, will they blame lift and aftermarket DS? so much for my lifetime warranty!

 

I honestly expect my dealer to tell me it is caused from the lift and not under warranty. As far as the warranty goes I am beginning to think all it will ever cover lifetime is the engine. Everything else will be caused by modifications and 'not covered any longer'.

I do have a coil lift and I think it is closer to 3 inches instead of 2.5. My surprise was that the outer boot was not ripped by the exhaust, but instead the DS failed from angle. I was even more surprised to see that its the front axle with the real amounts of grease coming out. I use it as my DD and probably go wheeling 8 times a year. I would consider myself a moderate wheeler. So losing the front DS is a surprise for me...

Thanks for the info guys.

 

unfortunately, the CV boot failure is common on rear drive shafts on 2-doors with a 3" lift. the lift causes the boots to be in a constant state of pinch and over time, it will tear. once torn, you should be able to drive for a bit longer but once the bearing start to dry up, you will hear a ratcheting sound and then it's game over. sorry to be the bearer of bad news but, this one really is a lift related failure.

 

Mine did that too. the dealership replaced my front shaft for me under warranty...said they couldnt prove the lift did or did not fail the boot.

 

Jp magazine, Four wheeler, et al have reported on the JK shafts failing when lifted... Most of the articles refer to the shafts as "ticking Time Bombs" and failure has to do with operating angle, not stress caused by wheeling. Replace the shaft with a quality aftermarket unit like a Woody or RE and call it done.