Replacement CV Shafts?

[TyronR]

Hi,
I finally lifted my '07 Grand Cherokee. Before doing a proper suspension lift I decided to go the cheap and temporary route of coil spacers, and I must say it seems to work perfectly and I don't care much for massive flex. Wheels do not make contact with the pinch welds in the guards unless I am flogging it over rough terrain or go through a hole I don't see (as you do).



Crawls up everything surprisingly well for 32.6" tyres and a cheap set of spacers. Well, it did!

Now the current predicament. It was raining heavily at Big Bend (near Charters Towers) and I tried one of the sand hill climbs in the wet and rather than backing off I let my tyres dig down into the sand and bite, followed by two consecutive bangs - that being both CVs blew up. I managed to drive home in low-range though so yeah no tow truck yet!

Going to put that down to my own stupidity, holding it at redline in soft, wet sand and not backing off. Considering the abuse they took before failing - alot of abuse and I definitely won't go into detail here, I'd be completely happy replacing the CVs with stock ones should they not be ridiculously expensive (I haven't checked, assume 500-700 each knowing MOPAR tax). I would even consider a 2nd hand set that aren't completely flogged out but will check on that if nothing more ideal is available.

I just installed Repco CV shafts, and immediately, they have not got near as much vertical travel as the stock CV shafts. Even with a 2" lift, they bind up at maximum travel (when lifting the body with a jack). And the drivers side one seems to be faulty out of the box as spinning the tyre moves the whole suspension unless it is completely flat on the ground. They were installed correctly and not mishandled. Drives fine if I baby the throttle but any moderate acceleration produces a shudder.

Watching this video of brand new Repco CV shafts, does this look like an issue in the diff, or in one of the joints itself? To me it looks like the diff moves with the first joint fine. The whole suspension moves as I rotate the tyre. This only occurs at certain angles. I have not given it any curry yet as I need a way to get to and from work.

>>>VIDEO<<<

Are there any better aftermarket alternatives that are cheaper than going OEM, other than the RCV ones that cost US$2000/pair?

[bjm]

I am pretty certain the OEM s are 8 ball units and the Repco,chinese etc 6 balls .I would go for the genuine over cheap rubbish

[Windex]

Not one but two CVs thats impressive! If you want something to give a hiding to and know that it will survive I'd have a look at RCV CVs as they are very well regarded if not a little pricey. One thing you could also look at is a drop kit for your diff as Jeeperf do one for ~400 USD which would help reduce the angles they are operating at.

RCV WK with Quadra drive

[ren0vator]

Hey TyronR

Just watched your video and
without a doubt those CV's are shit
Can clearly see the load up on each segment
I can't imagine how a wheel bearing or diff carrier bearing
would make that kind of binding movement

OEM would be closer to $900 each
But give the boys at TAG in Townsville a call

[TyronR]

Thanks for the feedback, will be returning both repco ones. They are happy to give me a refund on them. Let's be real - at a 2" lift they shouldn't completely lock up at full extension.

Ordered a couple different aftermarket ones to try out and I will update here with how they perform. Left one is a Protex PSA155 and the right side a Bearings Wholesale B156. They are different brands as neither brand had the opposite side available. But should they not spin freely at the 30ish degree angle they are at when at max flex, they will be returned. If they do that fine, then I am happy. I usually take it easy, crawling in low-range but it was this one time I didn't crawl up an obstacle and actually did the complete opposite, that they exploded haha so a good lesson learnt.

If I had $2000 sitting in the bank I would definitely be going RCV but there are other priorities first, like a snorkel and flares.

I priced up 2nd hand OEM ones from a few wreckers and they want around $400 each (for one shaft) plus freight, which I believe is ridiculous. I'd happily pay $200ea for each side, even buy two sets to have a spare set for longer trips. If I end up having no choice, I will just keep cheap ones in while I save up for the RCV ones. Even with these cheap repco ones currently fitted, the car still drives okay if I take it really easy on the bitumen. This is quite hard in a 5.7L, trust me.

[Clarky]

You probably already aware but there are 2 different left hand axles, one for QDII and one for QTII (QTII is a little longer from memory).

[TyronR]

Originally Posted by Clarky

You probably already aware but there are 2 different left hand axles, one for QDII and one for QTII (QTII is a little longer from memory).

Hey Mate yes, ordered the LSD variant for that side. Unless repco sent me the wrong one.

Because even 2nd hand genuine ones are around $800 a set, should this next set be unsuitable, I'll definitely be saving up for the $2000 set. May as well do it once

Additionally if I'm in the same predicament, does anyone know how to force the transfer case into RWD? People in the states do it for Dyno runs. Prior to replacing the shafts, I had no power going to the rear wheels at all unless I was in low range, even with a little bit of acceleration. If I can do this somehow i wont have to accelerate like a 3cyl charade everywhere until I have them.