ZJ drivetrain

[Turfzilla]

I want to know if any of you guys have "real world" experience with the ZJ axles. LP d30 and D44a.

I did the search thing.......everyone says the d44a is junk. NOone put an actual experience....seeing a aluminum housing split open on a trail or some other massive failure.

Has anyone personally had a d44a failure? WHat happened?


Is the LP D30 with cv joints that much weaker than a u-joint axle shaft??


I am thinking about the switching from a xj to a zj, and just wondering if is the right thing to do.

 

[MoparManiac]

The only things I've heard bad about them and can confirm are:

-Tranny on '93.5+ seem to quit somewhere around 120k (just look on craigslist/ebay, my friend's actually crapped out at around 100k)
-NP249 I think? Viscous coupling takes a dump, expensive to replace but most ppl swap in a 231 or 242.
-Rare to find a 5-spd if that matters to you (only made it in 93 I think?)
-LPD30

Upsides:
-Coils all the way around
-4.0 or even 5.2 v8 (318s are pretty damn reliable)
-more creature comforts

Don't know of much else...

 

[stewie]

i snagged a ZJ D44A from the junkyard to get the brakes off of. the carrier center pin retaining bolt was broke off in the carrier so we werent able pull the shafts and brakes in the yard. i brought the hole axle home to take the brakes off. i was able to force the center pin out even with the bolt broke off in it. durring the process, the aluminium diff housing was easily mared. even more so as i had to pry the carrier out- it was stuck in there good. the face where the cover bolts to became deeply gouged quite easily. i also have an xj D44 in the garage and was able to compare the parts. the diff and the cover are much larger than the xj 44 as is the carrier. i believe the aftermarket support for the zj d44a to be far less than other axles out there, but i havent tried so take it with a grain of salt.

hth
stewie

 

[w_howey]

I have a 94 Laredo....

Its my DD... and I love the ride.

I have a D-35, so I can't tell you about the D-44a.

I have some experience with the CV's... We have the 249(seems like the only actually working one), my wife hammered the gas on some slippery pavement while making a turn. She went onto dry pavement in the middle of it... and WHAM a CV exploded... Its no harder to change than a U-joint. It uses the same hub set-up...

But the 44RH was a good tranny. Its the 42RE that is the stinker of a tranny.

In 93, you could get a AW-4, but it was behind the 4.0l. Also a few AX-15's were available. You can swap an AX-15 into a ZJ that didn't have one. Either MallCrawlin or NAGCA has a pretty good write up.

One of the problems with the 44a, I have seen was that the axle tubes come out of the Aluminum center section.

 

[Turfzilla]

I was more concerned about the axles. I do moderate trail riding/hill climbing and a few rocks. DId you see the rock garden of the trucks show- "cheap cherokee" this weekend? THat is the toughest rocks I will ever do.

THe Zj that I am looking at has the 5.2/auto, and a new AA 231 w/sye.

 

[MoparManiac]

Sounds like a decent start to me...

Worst case is you swap in some new axles if you start breakin crap.

 

[Turfzilla]

ANyone know if you can take axle shafts from a newer D30 with the 297 ujoint and swap them out replacing the cv axle shafts???? Is there anything else diferent about them?

 

[Talyn]

The D44as bend quite frequently. Don't jack from the pumpkin. Also, they can be noisy.

Only the 93 ZJ had the AW4 auto. The rest of the years got the chrysler crap boxes.

The CV joints are weaker and that boot can crack and sling out the grease.

Yes, you can replace them with the larger u-joint shafts. Just take notice if yours has ABS or not and if the replacements have eh ABS tone ring or not. The ring may be able to be pressed off the old one and on to the new one.

For me I would stay with the XJ. Smaller, sportier. The Xj feels too big to me. And the Chrysler transmissions are crap.

 

[tharlanjr]

I have a ZJ but its a D35, I spend most of my days on NAGCA so I have heard the arguments about the D44a.

You will have a hard time finding a locker, I beleive Aussie quit making them so you will have to find a used one. If your just doing moderate trails its a good axle.

If your putting it in an XJ I cant see any problems since their lighter than the ZJ's

I have the 249 and it is great no problems at all, I wanna go to another just for the option of 2wd.

I have 116K+ on my tranny with no problems at all.

 

[Talyn]

Why would anyone do all the work to swap a D44a in to anything?

What year ZJ do you have?