So I have become a victim of the "Boot Ripper". I notched my skid to where it would not hit even at full droop; therefore, it must have been the transmission. I know many people have replaced the boot only to have to keep replacing it b/c the problem does not go away. I also understand that the dealer can only replace the entire DS; and under warranty if I am extremely lucky.

Others haven purchased an aftermarket shaft and been cured. I am hesitant to order another drive shaft as I do not want to have to buy another one if I get more lift in the future and/or change front axels. In other words, I want to only buy 1 if at all possible.

My questions are:

What kind of damage will this cause if I allow the factory DS to keep hitting the transmission?

What kind of life could I get out of this one knowing the boot is gone?

I am currently running OME619 with 3/4 spacer and TF2.5 on the rear.

Thanks

 

i d like to know too. i want to get drive shafts but i don t know where to start. is it even worth running a skid plate? i was going to get the je reel front shaft that bolts right in but has the 1310 u joints. but there are so many choices!

 

Let me ask this differently.

How do I know what replacement front drive shaft I need? There are various options depending on lift and the prices are very different from different vendors for what appears to be the same exact product. The vendors that are usually more are substantially cheaper than others; all are forum sponsors.

Any suggestions?

 

I have the same lift springs you do and I am using a Rubicon Express shaft that I got from David at Northridge. No issues at all, and would buy one again, in fact I recently bought their rear shaft as well!

 

Mine ground on the side of the transmission pan and housing causing the pan to leak. It eventually wore a groove in the fluting of the driveshaft slip-joint and it seized up (wouldn't telescope). This could have caused damage to the front t-case output if I had continued to use it.

 

I have the same lift brand but the light springs, I got about 2.5 - 3 inches of lift, which is closer to the advertised 2 inchs lol....

I also have the 6spd.................. no boot rip yet, and I hope I dont have problems with it.

But If I do I am going to have a local driveline shop custom build me a front and rear.........or go with jE Reel.

 

I bought a JE Reel front DS for mine.
As far as options I replaced the yokes.
If you're worried about which DS is for you, just call JE Reel. Tell them what you have, what lift and they'll make sure you have the right length DS.

I have a 3 1/4" lift (more like 3.5-4) and I believe their standard length DS was right for me. The only other choice would be to replace the yokes or stay with the factory ones.

Hope this helps

 

I am replaceing my front driveshaft this weekend with the JE Reel 1310 HD.
I have the same story as many before me; I ripped the boot on my auto tranny.
The vibrations from the broken shaft were so bad that I lost a filling from a tooth...
Rotorhead did a GREAT write-up on the install.
I'll try to follow up on my success or lack thereof.

 

I too ripped my boot on the auto transmission pan lip. Mine was replaced under warranty.

I'm still undecided as to which new front ds to get.

 

I'm all good!
The JE Reel 1310 HD went on pretty easy.
The toughest part was getting the pinion nut off the diff (front side).
I thought I was going to bust a nut...
My rotational torque was about 45 inch/pounds.
No vibrations on the test drive.
The only thing left is the trail test.