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U Joint question

2K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  Milo 
#1 ·
This might be a stupid question but I ordered presision U joints online and they sent me 4 344's. So heres the dumb question can I use 344's on the front or do I have to have 369's? what would happen if I did use them? Thanks
 
#2 ·
Hmm, it depends on the front driveshaft, my front and rear use the same U-joints the Precision 344s, they may or may not work for you depending on the shaft you have. I bought some 369s and 344s and there is a big difference between the 2. If you have a pair of calipers you can measure the UJs on the 90 now to make sure they are the same.

I stopped using Precision UJs and now get either Spicer for the custom rear shaft, or GKNs for the stock front. You can get the GKNs at Rovers Down South for about $22. The GKN are the same as what come stock (the ones that cost $100 at the stealership), they are better then Precisions.
 
#3 ·
Well I have stock everything and I noticed the bearings on them are bigger not the actual joint, so i played with it a little and the 344's seem to fit! So I use these do I have anything to worry about? BTW why did you stop using precision?
 
#4 ·
A better UJ will have smaller roller bearings. I stopped using them because the GKN last longer and I could get them at nearly the same price. I know a UJ is a fairly simple part, but they need to be in right and they need to be the right part, if you don't get any vibrations then you are probably ok, If you start to get vibes, then stop and fix the problem! A bad UJ can wreak havoc on you.

Read this to hear what a bad UJ can do.

http://www.defendersource.com/faq/Drive/DriveShaft.html#Joints

You don't need 3 inches of lift to have an U-joint do that, and it could be worse, if the front UJ on either driveshaft fails and allow the Driveshaft to drop to the ground while doing 75mph then you will be going end over end when the driveshaft catches something on the ground. Not very pretty, I'm trying to scare you out of doing the repair, just warning you so you don't drive too far on a vibrating UJ, I have had one completely fail me after only 10 miles, it may have not been all the UJs fault but it will be the first thing to go.
 
#5 ·
Thanks Mike, I'll install these and check frequently. My wallet actually feels lighter after reading that article, it just sounded expensive.
 
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