SYE for the 242 TC. Does it exist?

[Purple People Eater]

I am hours away from purchasing a 3" Old Man Emu suspension system for my 2001 Jeep Cherokee. If I were to get any vibrations, I want to install a slip yoke eliminator. After researching for a while, all I've been able to find are the hack-n-tap versions for my 242 transfercase. Is this safe? The thought of cutting my stock driveshaft makes me cringe a bit. If I had to resort to taking an angle grinder to my drive train, I would feel as though I did something wrong along the way and could've made a better decision.

So those with an opinion, I'd like to hear it. I don't mind spending some money, I just want to do it right. Any experience? If I have to resort to cutting my driveshaft, does anyone have the bawls to do it for me? 'Cause I sure don't.

Of course, this is only a problem if I have vibration...

.

 

[alosix]

you won't be cutting the driveshaft. You'll be cutting the rear output shaft of the transfer case.

They really aren't that bad to do and are cost effective. The easiest way to get the cut straight is to put the vehicle in gear and let it idle. From there just hold the angle grinder with a cut off wheel steady and work your way through slowly.

3" on a LWB Jeep probably won't give you issues. The worse would be some binding of the joint depending on the slip yoke that you have. You'll feel this under hard braking. The Last Jeep that I had that problem with the slip yoke that RE sells (late model cherokee has this one stock) solved the problem. Granted this was a 231 case.

Depending on your goals, this might be a good time to throw a 231 in.

Jason

 

[Desolation]

Yes it exists.
Yes it works!

Tom Woods has it:
http://www.4xshaft.com/index.html

 

[Purple People Eater]

Yes it exists.
Yes it works!

Tom Woods has it:
http://www.4xshaft.com/index.html

I've looked into Mr. Woods' stuff. Apparently his "SYE" for the 242 is really a hack-n-tap that he does for you.

Am I splitting hairs here? Maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of this. I tend to do that when I really don't want to screw up... But if it's really not that important, I'll just give Tom Woods a call.

.

 

[alosix]

I've looked into Mr. Woods' stuff. Apparently his "SYE" for the 242 is really a hack-n-tap that he does for you.

Am I splitting hairs here? Maybe I'm making too big of a deal out this. I tend to do that when I really don't want to screw up... But if it's really not that important, I'll just give Tom Woods a call.

.

that's exactly the impression I got looking at it.

It would definitely be easier to do on a lathe, but its doable on the Jeep.

For his you'll have to pull the t-case and disassemble it, which can be a good bit of work compared to the 'normal' install for a hack and tap.

Yeah, def splitting hairs but I guess it depends on what you feel comfortable with.

After a while wrenching on Jeeps you'll begin to feel comfortable with cutting it (the whole jeep ) in 1/2 and then putting it back together again.

Jason

 

[Desolation]

The DIY hack and tap is a complete waste of time. That being only my opinion.
TW's parts bolted in, worked as advertised and were driven from San Diego to Alaska heavily loaded and have been accumulating miles for about 4 years.

 

[alosix]

The DIY hack and tap is a complete waste of time. That being only my opinion.
TW's parts bolted in, worked as advertised and were driven from San Diego to Alaska heavily loaded and have been accumulating miles for about 4 years.

How exactly would it be a waste of time? While I don't doubt that the TW kits bolts in. Its use a stock mainshaft, cut down with a seal and a flange. These are the same parts you get with a H&T kit.

If you end up going this route, don't forget a good set of snap ring pliers. The mainshaft snap rings can be a real pain to get on and off without the proper tools.

Jason

 

[Desolation]

How exactly would it be a waste of time? While I don't doubt that the TW kits bolts in. Its use a stock mainshaft, cut down with a seal and a flange. These are the same parts you get with a H&T kit.

If you end up going this route, don't forget a good set of snap ring pliers. The mainshaft snap rings can be a real pain to get on and off without the proper tools.

Jason

Just seen too many problems.
Leaks, fractures, vibrations...

 

[Purple People Eater]

After a while wrenching on Jeeps you'll begin to feel comfortable with cutting it (the whole jeep ) in 1/2 and then putting it back together again.

I hope I don't offend you by saying this, but that's the exact type of build that I want to avoid. I want to keep the lines of the stock vehicle without cutting fenders and whatnot. I plan on driving it through Central America and want the most reliable, closest to stock parts I can get while not standing out in a crowd. Basically, I want to upgrade the performance without upgrading the look too much. Not the typical XJ build, haha...

Thank you very much for your input. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping what you said in your first post about the long wheelbase will be the case for me.

.

 

[Root Moose]

I've looked into Mr. Woods' stuff. Apparently his "SYE" for the 242 is really a hack-n-tap that he does for you.

Am I splitting hairs here? Maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of this. I tend to do that when I really don't want to screw up... But if it's really not that important, I'll just give Tom Woods a call.

I'm like you - worried to death about cutting the shaft in case I botch it. NV242 T-cases are cheap though...

The method of cutting I've seen mentioned is to have the shaft spinning (driven by engine) while you cut it.

I'm doing mine this weekend (Sunday?) - I'll let you know how it goes.

For the record - I'm a fan of the look your going for.

 

[JeepN95YJ]

I plan on driving it through Central America and want the most reliable, closest to stock parts I can get while not standing out in a crowd.

Sounds like an excellent reason to use the hack & tap method if you need it. In the unlikely event of a failure you can use stock parts to repair it.

I prefer the complete JB Conversion-style SYE on the 231s, but I've done more than my fair share of the H&Ts when I owned my offroad shop. The only problems or failures were from severe abuse. By that I mean people slamming ledges, hill climbs, rock gardens, etc, with absolutely no regard to the preservation of their vehicle.

HTH

 

[alosix]

I'll have to echo the above comments from my time running a shop and working as crew chief/spotter on a rock crawling comp team.

They will take a surprising amount of abuse. A good friend of mine has one on his TJ. 5spd, D44, and at some points 7" of lift (back down so something reasonable now). Its been on there since 1998 or 1999 and probably has 100k miles on it plus some good wheeling trips.

The comp TJ we used to run (4cycl, D44s, Tera low, 36s) used one as well. We beat the living crap out of that Jeep. Things you'd never do to an expo rig. never had an issue with the SYE.

A few things to watch though. It is possible to bend the output shafts of these, and 231s, t-cases and not notice it much during normal driving. The stock slip yoke setup will absorb some of this. If you find yourself going down this route. I'd pull the rear DS first and let the Jeep idle in 1st gear or so and watch the shaft. Might need some reference of the end. If you see any wobble I wouldn't do a H&T with that shaft. You'll feel it more with the H&T because there's a lot more mass tied directly to that wobble.

The cut of the H&T isn't really the hard part. You won't get a wobble from messing up the cut (unless you overheat the shaft and bend it). The flange is going to line up on the machined splines that the slip yoke used to ride on.

I'd be most worried about getting the hole drilled and tapped straight. The flange needs to be seated up tight and the bolts needs to stay tight. This is normally a red locktite bolt. if the flange is allowed to move a little you'd get an annoying low speed vibe (think crawling up to a stop sign).

Leaks, well that's going to be able the same for both kits. Making sure everything gets installed right, clean, no knicks to the seals, good RV on the the seal side.

Also remember, if you end up with a SYE you'd need more shims or CAs/Cam bolts (not sure if you're talking ZJ or XJ here yet)

Now, on the complete flip side. Given your requirements of 'more remoteness' I'd do everything could to keep the DS stock with a slip yoke. The driveshaft is considerably simpler (2 joints instead of 3 and a ball centering joint) Cheaper, easier to find in a junk yard.

The last thing I'd want to do is be in a remote place and kill a ball centering joint in my rear shaft.

Jason

 

[winkosmosis]

You could also lift less, say 2", to reduce the chance that you'll need an SYE. Assuming you'll use 31" tires either way,that's only a 1" difference in clearance

 

[Purple People Eater]

You could also lift less, say 2", to reduce the chance that you'll need an SYE. Assuming you'll use 31" tires either way,that's only a 1" difference in clearance

Well I'm getting a 3" medium duty kit, but with all the weight it's going to be carrying, it'll probably settle at around 2".

 

[winkosmosis]

Well I'm getting a 3" medium duty kit, but with all the weight it's going to be carrying, it'll probably settle at around 2".

Do you know about the difference between the medium and heavy duty springs? The heavy duty leaf has a softer springrate than both light and medium until it hits the overload leaf, then it gets much stiffer... So it may be better for carrying a heavy load