Front Drive Shaft Update

[ORSO]

Did you have to cut the cap open with an angle grinder to get to the circlip ?

no, it was enough to give it a couple of hits with a hammer and a screwdriver

 

[ORSO]

I'd be curious to know if other users who have installed the terflex 1745000 joint have noticed the same things.

 

[Dokatd]

I'd be curious to know if other users who have installed the terflex 1745000 joint have noticed the same things.

Yes, this is normal. The factory splines are a touch tighter. And yes you can pry off the end cap if you want to go that route. I went path of least resistance and just cut the cover off and used my press to remove the joint.

 

[Zimm]

On the new joint did the splines engaged tightly with no free play? It could just be the photo angles, or my old eyeballs, but the OEM joint splines appear to be more defined and a little deeper compared to the new joint. Also, is that a master (wider) key spline on the new joint? It would be frustrating to go through all this effort for a little slop in the splines to create a drive shaft knocking noise during on/off throttle. Certainly glad there is an option for a repair rather than replacing the whole shaft at least… good job on the repair!

that just looks like the way the light is hitting the chamfered spline tips.

 

[MattA]

If there is even the slightest movement by hand before being totally packed with grease it will create knock / backlash wear and additional clunking/ harshness which will get worse with wear

 

[Kinglenario]

This problem is insane to me. How can you build a rugged off-road vehicle with this design problem and also have it so easily damaged putting it up onto a lift? Seriously? Putting an ineos on a lift will damage the driveshaft joints? lol

 

[anand]

This problem is insane to me. How can you build a rugged off-road vehicle with this design problem and also have it so easily damaged putting it up onto a lift? Seriously? Putting an ineos on a lift will damage the driveshaft joints? lol

Because it was intended to be used at factory ride height, as that is sufficient for its purpose It wasn't built to be a hardcore off roader, it was built for expedition style travel.. Granted that isn't the use case for the vast majority of folks. It's the same reason it uses 265/70/17 tires instead of something larger, because it is one of the most readily available 17" tire sizes and is factory sized on all sorts of vehicles.

The number of driveshafts that have failed at stock height is quite small

 

[Clark Kent]

This problem is insane to me. How can you build a rugged off-road vehicle with this design problem and also have it so easily damaged putting it up onto a lift? Seriously? Putting an ineos on a lift will damage the driveshaft joints? lol

That's just one line of speculation in the absence of a known cause.

 

[Kinglenario]

It seems that quite a few boot seals have failed at stock height.

How laughable is that when I take my car in for a tire swap or something at the shop. “Hey guys, don’t put it up on the 2 post. The drive shaft joint seals might get damaged” haha.

When I took mine in to my really good tire/alignment shop when it was brand new to fix the steering and alignment that was way off (175 miles on it) the first thing my alignment guy said to me was “man, did you see the angle that front drive shaft is at?” Haha. Car people know it’s off.

Honestly I love the car. It’s really customizable and rugged for the most part. There are just some things they really messed up and this is one of them.

 

[Dokatd]

This problem is insane to me. How can you build a rugged off-road vehicle with this design problem and also have it so easily damaged putting it up onto a lift? Seriously? Putting an ineos on a lift will damage the driveshaft joints? lol

No, lifting the truck on a vehicle lift will not damage the joint. The joint boot is damaged when the shocks are disconnected and the axle drops beyond maximum spec. But even then we are not certain that's the problem considering many stock trucks have had the same problem.

 

[Dokatd]

It seems that quite a few boot seals have failed at stock height.

How laughable is that when I take my car in for a tire swap or something at the shop. “Hey guys, don’t put it up on the 2 post. The drive shaft joint seals might get damaged” haha.

When I took mine in to my really good tire/alignment shop when it was brand new to fix the steering and alignment that was way off (175 miles on it) the first thing my alignment guy said to me was “man, did you see the angle that front drive shaft is at?” Haha. Car people know it’s off.

Honestly I love the car. It’s really customizable and rugged for the most part. There are just some things they really messed up and this is one of them.

Putting truck on 2-post lift is not a problem

 

[Dokatd]

The number of driveshafts that have failed at stock height is quite small

Im not sure that's accurate. I bet it's something like 30-40% of all failures.

 

[MattA]

Some comments here are funny as, from the beginning car was touted and developed as an easy to maintain, rugged and basic 4wd.
A 4wd that can’t be lifted and has serious design flaws with a drive shaft is ridiculous so imo making excuses is just as ridiculous
It should be capable of being used as a remote touring vehicle as well as a dedicated 4wd for 4wding, in most countries a lift will be required for both uses , it most definitely is a requirement in Australia

 

[Tazzieman]

Im not sure that's accurate. I bet it's something like 30-40% of all failures.

Doing a poll on this large forum would give us a wild stab in the dark guess?

 

[parb]

Also,

Lynn calder in the interview with grenadierworks podcast is making several references to the fact that in particular the US market likes to personalize and modify their trucks and that they count on the aftermarket to support this. That this is more common and is expected.

Seems to me that even with a very, very cursory look at the market for defenders, jeeps, broncos and toyotas that this is one of the most common modifications. Seems like it should be addressed, even if not with a part maybe the factory can work with a supplier to address the issue so folks can make this mod and make it highly reliable.

The whole not to spec answer seems insufficient in the face of the market and what drives purchasing.

 

[derek0343]

Some comments here are funny as, from the beginning car was touted and developed as an easy to maintain, rugged and basic 4wd.
A 4wd that can’t be lifted and has serious design flaws with a drive shaft is ridiculous so imo making excuses is just as ridiculous
It should be capable of being used as a remote touring vehicle as well as a dedicated 4wd for 4wding, in most countries a lift will be required for both uses , it most definitely is a requirement in Australia

Expecially the one saying this car cannot be a hardcore offroad car. You have triple lock with front and rear solid axel, but cannot be the hardcore offroader?

 

[derek0343]

Doing a poll on this large forum would give us a wild stab in the dark guess?

I think this poll will definitly help the Grenadier community understand this issue.

 

[MattA]

Expecially the one saying this car cannot be a hardcore offroad car. You have triple lock with front and rear solid axel, but cannot be the hardcore offroader?

Exactly, one of the more outrageous comments, it is in fact the best off the shelf starting point available for building a hardcore off road vehicle if it wasn’t for the crap drive shaft design.
All they needed to do was have a slight change in engine, transmission and transfer case mounting to improve the angles.
It’s nothing but stupid and lazy engineers and no better than the insane disparity in the Land Cruiser rear differential with the rear being considerably narrower than the front

 

[NQ94]

Exactly, one of the more outrageous comments, it is in fact the best off the shelf starting point available for building a hardcore off road vehicle if it wasn’t for the crap drive shaft design.
All they needed to do was have a slight change in engine, transmission and transfer case mounting to improve the angles.
It’s nothing but stupid and lazy engineers and no better than the insane disparity in the Land Cruiser rear differential with the rear being considerably narrower than the front

The perceived problem with rear axle track on LC70 must be an Aussie issue. There doesn't seem to be much of a problem off road in other countries when a 50 cal or missile system is fitted to a LC70.

 

[Clark Kent]

The perceived problem with rear axle track on LC70 must be an Aussie issue. There doesn't seem to be much of a problem off road in other countries when a 50 cal or missile system is fitted to a LC70.

Ahh but you see our Aussie sand is different.
ONLY Australian sand causes the vehicle to squirm around as the rear drops in and out of the front wheel tracks.
NO ONE ELSE drives on as much sand as Aussies do. Not even the Gulf States.

That's what the aftermarket industry + influencers + influenced FOMO types would have us believe. But it's just money so spend up, it's good for our economy.