I have a 2013 jku with 3.5 in lift on 35s. I haven't had any problems in the two years I've had the lift but recently the front driveshaft has been making an awful sound. Because of the angle the shaft is now at because of the lift it has been causing damage to the shaft and i now need to replace it with an aftermarket one to resolve the issue. If you have had this happen or know what I am talking about I would appreciate any advice for what driveshaft would be best so it doesnt happen again.

 

Common problem.

Teraflex makes a replacemnt High-Angle Rzeppa, if you want a less expensive solution. For driveshafts, there are many aftermarket sources, but Tom Woods and Adams seem to be the more popular choices. (Even if you choose a different mfg, there is a ton of information to read through on the Woods website.) Check quadratec or a similar site for a bigger list of the various makers.

But remember that if you get servicable joints, you will need to actually service them. Which very likely means removing the driveshaft on occasion to get grease into the centering ball...

Forgot to mention, you can check your local driveline shops as well. Some folks report better prices than the big names. My experience, local was several hundred dollars more expensive.

 

At 3.5" of lift one issue is that he factory drive shaft will hit the exhaust and you need to address that with a spacer or new pipe. An aftermarket driveshaft also helps with clearance because they are not as big in diameter as the factory shaft. You may also think about putting a limiting strap at the differential if you still have clearance issues. This will keep the center of the axle from fully drooping but will allow each side to drop out. I would check for a local drive line dealer as they can sometimes give you same day service and it is good when you can shop local.
Good luck.

 

I had the same exact issue. Tom Wood's was excellent to work with... answered a ton of questions and have been super happy with purchase.

 

I also recommend looking at a local driveline shop. I got new driveshafts from Oliver's Driveline in Winston Salem, a place about 30 minutes from me. They use sealed Spicer u Joints and sealed Spicer ball assembly and were several hundred dollars less than the nationally known companies and have lifetime warranties on the shafts.

 

I don't disagree with checking local shops either. Sometimes they are cheaper, and sometimes not. Shops around me in DFW don't seem to be any better than buying from one of the popular manufacturers over the web.

 

Is there any way to know if i could just replace the cv joint with a high angle cv joint instead of the whole driveshaft. Is it possible that that is the problem because that is much less expensive than a whole new driveshaft at this point.

 

As noted above, it's fairly common for that joint at the tcase to fail due to lift height and constantly running at a steeper angle. Just crawl underneath and look at it. Do you see a disintegrated boot around the joint, and a ring of grease on the undercarriage directly above it? Assuming it is just that joint, (very likely that this is the problem...) then yes, the TF high angle rzeppa should be fine.

There are plenty of writeups and posts and youtube vids to search through, here is the first one that came up for me.

 

I knew it was time for a replacement shaft (vs just the CV) when I got ad noticeable clunk coming from the splined portion. If you've got less than 100k miles then isI'd be inclined to say do just the CV. Start getting over 100k and closing in on 200k and I'd replace the whole thing. The Teflon wears out of the splines. Allegedly you can buy a Ford driveshaft rebuild kit for $20 on Amazon and replace some of that Teflon but I've not tried yet.