Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?

Thanks again.

Kidd



Will Honea wrote:

> Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
>
> The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
>
> No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
>

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

I depends on which is easier for you do you have the time go to many
bone years before you find one? And remember the Stealership didn't earn
that name for nothing.
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Kidd Andersson wrote:
>
> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

I depends on which is easier for you do you have the time go to many
bone years before you find one? And remember the Stealership didn't earn
that name for nothing.
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Kidd Andersson wrote:
>
> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

I depends on which is easier for you do you have the time go to many
bone years before you find one? And remember the Stealership didn't earn
that name for nothing.
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Kidd Andersson wrote:
>
> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

I depends on which is easier for you do you have the time go to many
bone years before you find one? And remember the Stealership didn't earn
that name for nothing.
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Kidd Andersson wrote:
>
> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

They had some reason for pulling the drive shaft - maybe just a bad
u-joint. The real answer lies in getting the Jeep where you can get
the wheels off the ground, but if the front drive shaft is missing,
drive it. At a reasonable speed, pull the hande up to the 4-HI
position. It should go smoothly, maybe a slight bump, then run quiet
- you won't even know you have it in $WD position (or course it isn't
in 4WD - the missing drive shaft takes care of that detail <g>. If
all is well in the 4-HI position, slow to a crawl - walking speed tops
- and pull the handle all the way up and back to 4-LO while just
rolling. It may still complain and grumble as it goes in (if it
will). Now run it just a little (don't get heavy on the gas - you can
snap an axle in 2WD low range - and run it a block or so. You may get
some whine and gear noise, but if it runs in 4-LO and feels like it's
crawling with the engine racing your better than half way home as this
means the transfer case is functional.

OK, that took 5 minutes tops. The next step is to get some wheels in
the air. If you were really lucky, when you pulled it into 4-HI and
4-LO you got a dash indicator for 4WD. The 87 had a vacuum operated
lock on the front axle - just a splined sleeve that connected the 2
halves of the passenger side axle - and having the light come on makes
it a fair bet that the shift is still working. If it does come on,
jack both front wheels off the ground. PUT IT ON JACK STANDS!!! Start
the engine. With the tranny in neutral (check that twice!), pull it
into 4-HI and get the light on. Now, spin one of the front wheels.
The other front wheel should spin the opposite direction. If it
doesn't, reach under and grab the yoke on the front differential and
hold it while you spin. You should NOT hear any noticable noise or
feel any roughness. If the wheels spin in opposite directions you've
got a keeper. The major parts are apparently functional so put in a
front drive shaft (junk yard time) and proceed to figure why the hell
they pulled it out. It could have just been a bad u-joint or double
cardan joint in the shaft.

If the wheels don't spin as described or if the 4WD light won't come
on, you'll have to check the shift motor. It's on the pax side of the
axle on the rear of the axle tube. It will have 3 small plastic tubes
running into a rubber plug. At this point, you'll want a manual. You
should be able to see the shift lever that the vacuum motor runs. You
might try having someone pull the lever in and out of 4-HI while you
watch to see if the vacuum motor pushes and pulls the lever. If it
moves and you still don't have the wheels hooked together come back
and we'll tell you where to go from there. If it doesn't move the
shifter on the axle, you can manually force it. Disconnect the vacuum
lines and just move it as far as you can to one side - it will
probably be all the way inboard so try moving it outboard. I may be
bass-ackwards here as I don't remember which way it moves. Same deal
- if you can't get the two front wheels to hook up come back and we'll
figure the next step.

In any event, by this time you stand a pretty good chance of a
relatively cheap fix so report how this all goes.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 05:15:09 UTC Kidd Andersson
<LittleVWGoddess@aol.com> wrote:

> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
>
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >


--
Will Honea

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

They had some reason for pulling the drive shaft - maybe just a bad
u-joint. The real answer lies in getting the Jeep where you can get
the wheels off the ground, but if the front drive shaft is missing,
drive it. At a reasonable speed, pull the hande up to the 4-HI
position. It should go smoothly, maybe a slight bump, then run quiet
- you won't even know you have it in $WD position (or course it isn't
in 4WD - the missing drive shaft takes care of that detail <g>. If
all is well in the 4-HI position, slow to a crawl - walking speed tops
- and pull the handle all the way up and back to 4-LO while just
rolling. It may still complain and grumble as it goes in (if it
will). Now run it just a little (don't get heavy on the gas - you can
snap an axle in 2WD low range - and run it a block or so. You may get
some whine and gear noise, but if it runs in 4-LO and feels like it's
crawling with the engine racing your better than half way home as this
means the transfer case is functional.

OK, that took 5 minutes tops. The next step is to get some wheels in
the air. If you were really lucky, when you pulled it into 4-HI and
4-LO you got a dash indicator for 4WD. The 87 had a vacuum operated
lock on the front axle - just a splined sleeve that connected the 2
halves of the passenger side axle - and having the light come on makes
it a fair bet that the shift is still working. If it does come on,
jack both front wheels off the ground. PUT IT ON JACK STANDS!!! Start
the engine. With the tranny in neutral (check that twice!), pull it
into 4-HI and get the light on. Now, spin one of the front wheels.
The other front wheel should spin the opposite direction. If it
doesn't, reach under and grab the yoke on the front differential and
hold it while you spin. You should NOT hear any noticable noise or
feel any roughness. If the wheels spin in opposite directions you've
got a keeper. The major parts are apparently functional so put in a
front drive shaft (junk yard time) and proceed to figure why the hell
they pulled it out. It could have just been a bad u-joint or double
cardan joint in the shaft.

If the wheels don't spin as described or if the 4WD light won't come
on, you'll have to check the shift motor. It's on the pax side of the
axle on the rear of the axle tube. It will have 3 small plastic tubes
running into a rubber plug. At this point, you'll want a manual. You
should be able to see the shift lever that the vacuum motor runs. You
might try having someone pull the lever in and out of 4-HI while you
watch to see if the vacuum motor pushes and pulls the lever. If it
moves and you still don't have the wheels hooked together come back
and we'll tell you where to go from there. If it doesn't move the
shifter on the axle, you can manually force it. Disconnect the vacuum
lines and just move it as far as you can to one side - it will
probably be all the way inboard so try moving it outboard. I may be
bass-ackwards here as I don't remember which way it moves. Same deal
- if you can't get the two front wheels to hook up come back and we'll
figure the next step.

In any event, by this time you stand a pretty good chance of a
relatively cheap fix so report how this all goes.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 05:15:09 UTC Kidd Andersson
<LittleVWGoddess@aol.com> wrote:

> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
>
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >


--
Will Honea

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

They had some reason for pulling the drive shaft - maybe just a bad
u-joint. The real answer lies in getting the Jeep where you can get
the wheels off the ground, but if the front drive shaft is missing,
drive it. At a reasonable speed, pull the hande up to the 4-HI
position. It should go smoothly, maybe a slight bump, then run quiet
- you won't even know you have it in $WD position (or course it isn't
in 4WD - the missing drive shaft takes care of that detail <g>. If
all is well in the 4-HI position, slow to a crawl - walking speed tops
- and pull the handle all the way up and back to 4-LO while just
rolling. It may still complain and grumble as it goes in (if it
will). Now run it just a little (don't get heavy on the gas - you can
snap an axle in 2WD low range - and run it a block or so. You may get
some whine and gear noise, but if it runs in 4-LO and feels like it's
crawling with the engine racing your better than half way home as this
means the transfer case is functional.

OK, that took 5 minutes tops. The next step is to get some wheels in
the air. If you were really lucky, when you pulled it into 4-HI and
4-LO you got a dash indicator for 4WD. The 87 had a vacuum operated
lock on the front axle - just a splined sleeve that connected the 2
halves of the passenger side axle - and having the light come on makes
it a fair bet that the shift is still working. If it does come on,
jack both front wheels off the ground. PUT IT ON JACK STANDS!!! Start
the engine. With the tranny in neutral (check that twice!), pull it
into 4-HI and get the light on. Now, spin one of the front wheels.
The other front wheel should spin the opposite direction. If it
doesn't, reach under and grab the yoke on the front differential and
hold it while you spin. You should NOT hear any noticable noise or
feel any roughness. If the wheels spin in opposite directions you've
got a keeper. The major parts are apparently functional so put in a
front drive shaft (junk yard time) and proceed to figure why the hell
they pulled it out. It could have just been a bad u-joint or double
cardan joint in the shaft.

If the wheels don't spin as described or if the 4WD light won't come
on, you'll have to check the shift motor. It's on the pax side of the
axle on the rear of the axle tube. It will have 3 small plastic tubes
running into a rubber plug. At this point, you'll want a manual. You
should be able to see the shift lever that the vacuum motor runs. You
might try having someone pull the lever in and out of 4-HI while you
watch to see if the vacuum motor pushes and pulls the lever. If it
moves and you still don't have the wheels hooked together come back
and we'll tell you where to go from there. If it doesn't move the
shifter on the axle, you can manually force it. Disconnect the vacuum
lines and just move it as far as you can to one side - it will
probably be all the way inboard so try moving it outboard. I may be
bass-ackwards here as I don't remember which way it moves. Same deal
- if you can't get the two front wheels to hook up come back and we'll
figure the next step.

In any event, by this time you stand a pretty good chance of a
relatively cheap fix so report how this all goes.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 05:15:09 UTC Kidd Andersson
<LittleVWGoddess@aol.com> wrote:

> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
>
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >


--
Will Honea

Re: '87 Cherokee Laredo
 

They had some reason for pulling the drive shaft - maybe just a bad
u-joint. The real answer lies in getting the Jeep where you can get
the wheels off the ground, but if the front drive shaft is missing,
drive it. At a reasonable speed, pull the hande up to the 4-HI
position. It should go smoothly, maybe a slight bump, then run quiet
- you won't even know you have it in $WD position (or course it isn't
in 4WD - the missing drive shaft takes care of that detail <g>. If
all is well in the 4-HI position, slow to a crawl - walking speed tops
- and pull the handle all the way up and back to 4-LO while just
rolling. It may still complain and grumble as it goes in (if it
will). Now run it just a little (don't get heavy on the gas - you can
snap an axle in 2WD low range - and run it a block or so. You may get
some whine and gear noise, but if it runs in 4-LO and feels like it's
crawling with the engine racing your better than half way home as this
means the transfer case is functional.

OK, that took 5 minutes tops. The next step is to get some wheels in
the air. If you were really lucky, when you pulled it into 4-HI and
4-LO you got a dash indicator for 4WD. The 87 had a vacuum operated
lock on the front axle - just a splined sleeve that connected the 2
halves of the passenger side axle - and having the light come on makes
it a fair bet that the shift is still working. If it does come on,
jack both front wheels off the ground. PUT IT ON JACK STANDS!!! Start
the engine. With the tranny in neutral (check that twice!), pull it
into 4-HI and get the light on. Now, spin one of the front wheels.
The other front wheel should spin the opposite direction. If it
doesn't, reach under and grab the yoke on the front differential and
hold it while you spin. You should NOT hear any noticable noise or
feel any roughness. If the wheels spin in opposite directions you've
got a keeper. The major parts are apparently functional so put in a
front drive shaft (junk yard time) and proceed to figure why the hell
they pulled it out. It could have just been a bad u-joint or double
cardan joint in the shaft.

If the wheels don't spin as described or if the 4WD light won't come
on, you'll have to check the shift motor. It's on the pax side of the
axle on the rear of the axle tube. It will have 3 small plastic tubes
running into a rubber plug. At this point, you'll want a manual. You
should be able to see the shift lever that the vacuum motor runs. You
might try having someone pull the lever in and out of 4-HI while you
watch to see if the vacuum motor pushes and pulls the lever. If it
moves and you still don't have the wheels hooked together come back
and we'll tell you where to go from there. If it doesn't move the
shifter on the axle, you can manually force it. Disconnect the vacuum
lines and just move it as far as you can to one side - it will
probably be all the way inboard so try moving it outboard. I may be
bass-ackwards here as I don't remember which way it moves. Same deal
- if you can't get the two front wheels to hook up come back and we'll
figure the next step.

In any event, by this time you stand a pretty good chance of a
relatively cheap fix so report how this all goes.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 05:15:09 UTC Kidd Andersson
<LittleVWGoddess@aol.com> wrote:

> Okay, I had it looked at again and was told the only thing missing is
> the front drive shaft. You described what to look for very well so I'll
> also look for myself today after work. If someone explains things to me,
> I can understand so thanks. I'm hoping that's really all it is. I'll
> double check but let's assume that's correct. Where do I go from here?
> Can I get a drive shaft from a junk yard and would it even be worth it?
> Or do I need to just say screw it and get a brand new one?
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Kidd
>
>
>
> Will Honea wrote:
>
> > Unless they swapped out the whole front axle you probably have at
> > least all the pieces aside from the drint drive shaft. Visual
> > inspection: if the front axle has a large "pumpkin" in the middle of
> > it (to the drivers side of center), you have the axle still in place.
> > If you look at the ass end of the transmission and see something like
> > a shaft coming out on the front drivers side, you have the transfer
> > case still in place. If there is a relatively short drive dhaft in
> > the front, you've got basically the whole 9 yards.
> >
> > The 87 had a split axle on the passenger side that used a vacuum motor
> > to lock the 2 halves together. Come back with which, if any, of the
> > parts you have: front axle, transfer case, and front drive shaft and
> > we can start to figure out what you need to look at nexr.
> >
> > No problem driving w/o the front drive shaft, BTW.
> >


--
Will Honea