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Remove front drive shaft and drive

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33K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  mcquinndavid82  
#1 ·
I have a 2006 Jeep Commander V6 3.7l with the NAG1 transmission and the NV140 TC. I currently cannot get the front driver's side CV half shaft out of the differential and I'm working on the street in front of my house. I was wondering if I could pull the front drive shaft and be able pull it up into my driveway and off of the street. I've been looking for quite some time, but cannot seem to find any info about my specific vehicle.
 
#2 ·
If the front CV Half-Shaft is still in the vehicle, why can't you move it?

I'm having trouble imagining how you can move the vehicle at all with a CV shaft half out? You have to remount the wheel to move the vehicle, meaning what ever is apart would have to go together? You can get away without fully torqueing down the driveshaft nut if you're only going to drive 25 feet slowly.
 
#3 ·
Wait do you mean you have the passenger side CV shaft out, but the driver's side still in?

No, from what I understand, the NV140 XFR case has an open differential as well as both front and rear, any torque/power control to the wheels is controlled by the ABS activating individual brakes to prevent a spinning wheel from taking torque away from the others.

So regardless if the one CV shaft is out or the front driveshaft is out, there will be no brakes connected to the driveline to control that, wherever its disconnected, it will likely just spin like mad and the rest of the wheels will remain stationary. I could be wrong, but in theory at least, that is what should happen.
 
#4 ·
Drivers side half shaft stuck in differential. I really need to just get it off the street. I hate to get a tow truck for 30 feet up into my driveway. I was hoping to simply remove front drive shaft and pull it in and work on it.
 
#5 ·
Yes. I will have to put the wheel assembly back together again. I was thinking that by removing the front drive shaft, it would simply use the rear to drive the Jeep forward. I've read that many have driven with rear only but they did not have my specific vehicle.
 
#6 ·
A lot of Jeeps, especially earlier ones before the electronics, had no differential in the XFR case, they were 2WD on paved road only and you could only go to 4WD on loose surfaces that allowed the wheels to slip on the lose surface while turning. Other had a lever to lock the differential in xfr case. The Commanders with QTII and QDII have the ability to lock the differential in their XFR case, which is the NV247?

Technically, 4X4 means the xfr case doesn't have a differential or the differential can locked. But, 4X4 been turned into a marketing term and its used in advertising or placards on vehicles all the time when they are just 4WD or AWD.

But, unfortunately, you have QTI with the NV140 XFR case, the differential is open all the time. Unless you put the CV Half-Shaft back in on the passenger side, I suspect the output of either the front diff or the xfr case is just going to spin while the rest of the wheels stay still.
 
#7 ·
I was afraid of that.Thanks for the reply. I have a real "sword in the stone" with this half shaft stuck in the differential. No one can figure out why it won't come out.(prybars, slide hammer, wiggle turn pry, you name it) I can only assume there is something messed up in the diff that is holding it back. Got another Jeep and the dealer was going to give me $1000 on trade. It has 130,000 miles and it's in really good shape. So I'm keeping it and I think I'm going to pull the diff and replace it along with the half shafts. But I can't be in the road any longer. Triple A will drop it in the driveway for me. Thanks for all of the info. I really appreciate it.
 
#8 ·
Do you, or a friend, have a riding mower? I have towed non-moving vehicles short distances, including up hill, with a riding mower and rope.

It may be possible to get a shaft or drift through the open side of the differential to the opposite side, up against the but of the CV shaft still in it, and bang it out with a hammer. There is usually a large pin for the spider gear that goes straight down the center where the CV shafts butt up into the diff, but there may be enough room to get around it and press up against the edge of the butt of the CV shaft.

Also, do you push the CV shaft into the diff and take the pressure off inbetween attempts to pull it out?

The CV shaft is usually held in by round spring ring, that compresses with enough force to let it slide out. The ring is just big enough, that sometimes it wedge outside the bevel that is designed to compress it and let it slide out. If you have to make several attempts of pushing in and then pulling out before the ring seats all around inside the bevel. If you just pulled it once till it stopped, the ring might be outside that beveled cone and up against two flat surfaces. pushing it and pulling it out again would free it up and get it to fit all around inside the cone/bevel and compress it to finally come out.
 
#9 ·
We've pryed out the cup at the end of the half shaft closest to the differential about 5/8ths of an inch. You would think that would be out or darn close. But it still won't budge. I tried pounding it back in to close the 5/8 gap and start over but it won't move back in either. This thing is killing me. If I could get that out, I'd be golden but like I said it won't budge either way at this point.
 
#14 ·
You say that like it's a Bad Thing.

Swanny
Who's seen the youtube video of Steve Jessup getting his 8th DUI arrest, as he drove by a parked cop, drinking a beer on a riding mower while towing 10 shopping carts behind him, tied together with a garden hose, all the shopping carts filled with beer cases and kegs?

There is a whole series of videos with his run-in's with the cops, that always end with him being tackled, cuffed and dragged off, as he screams in his red-neck accent, "I know my rights!, I know my rights!". :rofl:

The funniest is when he is pulled over driving a scissor lift while drinking a beer. He ends up taunting the cops as he drinks his beer and smoke his cigarette, by lowering and raising the scissors lift, saying maybe he'll come down, maybe he won't.....:rofl::rofl:
 
#12 ·
Not sure if you ever got this or not, but it sounds like you were going about removing it incorrectly.

If all you're doing is prying, there is a C-clip/Snap ring on the end of the shaft that isn't going to budge. You need to have the shaft at its normal resting place and pop the whole assembly outward to make the clip seat itself into the shaft and slip out of the diff.
 
#13 ·
I already suggested the "Pushing it back in and popping it out again", he already replied that its stuck partially out and can't be forced back in again.

My guess, the "C-Clip/Snap Ring" that is suppose to compress against the beveled edge inside the Diff, didn't seat and part of it was against the flat edge preventing it from compressing to let go of the drive shaft. He forced it enough, that is mangled the "C-clip/snap ring" and its now has the drive shaft jammed in place.
 
#16 ·
#20 ·
Yes, if you have 4lo, you can engage it and drive if you need to.

You can also remove the rear shaft and do the same thing with only the front shaft in place.

It will not move under its own power without 4lo engaged. Stability is not enabled in 4lo either.

I have personally driven without a rear shaft for 5mi to diagnose rear pinion issues.
 
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#18 ·
Probably will not move with a 4 wheel drive system. If you want to try - be very careful and go slow.

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#19 ·
i'd imagine the stability control would revolt! you are going to be dragging the front drive around. I would not do it for long if it does work..
 
#21 ·
But in 4 low you are limited to about 30 MPH and it will be very squirreley/hopping the wheels on dry pavement.