Just replaced my rear DS today as I tore the boot off of my old one and it was getting funky.

I replaced it with another forum members JKU take off. I have 16,000 miles on my 2012 JKU.

WOW! I thought it would be undoing 8 bolts at each end and it falling off. I had to use a prybar to get the front end loose from the transfer case (15 minutes) and the rear took me and my buddies 3 hours to get it lose from the D44. It was literally fused to the housing it sits in. We tried hitting it with a dead blow hammer, pb blaster, prybar, come-along, punching it through the back of the flange with a long screwdriver, etc, etc, etc. What a nightmare. Finally my buddy said...you keeping this...I said no....he started wrenching the CV joint as far as it would go side to side and you could hear the metal squeaking as it wiggled out slowly with a ton of effort. I thought that little CV joint was going to snap in half.

When I put the factory replacement back in I put some bearing grease behind the flange to hopefully keep it from being such a PITA when I eventually go with an aftermarket shaft when I get a bigger lift.

Anyone else have issues with the DS?

 

3 hours? You have more patience than me

 

Was it the the one that looks like an acordeon? If it was that boot i think it might have torn because of the evap skids on the 12's.

 

My rear DS.....it was do it or I don't move the Jeep. Dig?

 

Yes....you will eventually have issues.

 

Like replacing the front ds, couldn't you have used a gear puller?

 

Mine tore even before my lift. It looks like it rubs on the evap skid when off camber.

 

there is a hole in the back of the diff where you can stick a punch and knock out the flange that way. I learned this while replacing my rear on my 08, unless they changed that on newer models.

 

Yeah...I bent a screwdriver 10 degrees trying to pound it out from the rear hole. I'm telling you I don't take my Jeep swimming very much, but the times I get mud up in the undercarriage i am pretty good about blasting it all off and getting it cleaned up after an outing. When we did get it loose, there was a substantial amount of dirt and grit in behind the flange.

Just seems like a design tweak they need to make to help make it easier to change out. When I spoke to a tech at the dealership he made it sound like it would just pull right out after the bolts were out.

Trail Rated---------ish.