Broke Boot Off Drive Shaft

[Aleph]

I was blasting through a trail on very wooded land and started hearing a rapid clunk. I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from but did drive for a few miles to some better ground before getting under and investigating. Found a log wedged between my gas tank and rear driveshaft. A plastic protective piece twisted/broke off from the shaft rotating against the log. I was able to get the log out after wiggling it. Some Googling showed me it's a drive shaft boot. Here are some pictures of the aftermath (wish I took pics of the stuck log but I was panicking):

I've been driving without that plastic boot for the past week, once in the rain, unfortunately. I'm assuming it is to keep dirt out of the shaft?
My question is how difficult would it be to replace this part on my own? I don't have a jack stand. I'm thinking I should just take the vehicle to a shop/the dealership?

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[kevman65]

Orrrrr on your insurance claim you were driving along and something kicked up and got wedged in there until the protective cover on the driveshaft blew apart.........


I didn't change it much.

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

I’ve owned three different 4x4’s prior to my gladiator, each with a two-piece driveshaft (usually to the front axle) that slides in and out like that. None of them had a dust boot and all went well over 160k (or 200k on two of them!) before they were sold without any issues with the driveshafts.

So, in summary, while it is annoying, I wouldn’t be worried by it.

 

[WILDHOBO]

As long as it’s still balanced, just grease that thing up with some good quality grease (I’d need to look up what that shaft wants). And call it a day. Dana Spicer would likely send you a new boot, but you can’t get it on without taking the shaft apart.

 

[Rusty PW]

That's the slip joint of the drive shaft.
If you are worried about. Clean the area up. Spray some grease into the joint. Then wrap the area with a couple wraps of saran wrap and electric tape.

 

[Aleph]

Alrighty folks, so it’s been over a year and I completely forgot that I broke off the slip joint boot. It looks pretty gross and dry as a bone now:

My question now: Is it just too far gone and I should just replace the whole thing with an another OEM or better driveshaft? I am not lifted but have the AEV 2 inch Mojave kit waiting to get installed. I'm about to go on a 4k+ mile trip and terrified of this stranding me on the road.

I did find someone selling their take off front and rear driveshafts on FB Marketplace for relatively cheap. Would I be able to just drop in their rear driveshaft or would I need to get their front driveshaft as well?

 

[WILDHOBO]

Alrighty folks, so it’s been over a year and I completely forgot that I broke off the slip joint boot. It looks pretty gross and dry as a bone now:

My question now: Is it just too far gone and I should just replace the whole thing with an another OEM or better driveshaft? I am not lifted but have the AEV 2 inch Mojave kit waiting to get installed. I'm about to go on a 4k+ mile trip and terrified of this stranding me on the road.

I did find someone selling their take off front and rear driveshafts on FB Marketplace for relatively cheap. Would I be able to just drop in their rear driveshaft or would I need to get their front driveshaft as well?

I’d replace it. You can just do the rear. Call Adam’s. They make a higher quality two piece and I’m guessing it’ll be around the same price as oem.

 

[Aleph]

I’d replace it. You can just do the rear. Call Adam’s. They make a higher quality two piece and I’m guessing it’ll be around the same price as oem.

Gotcha.
The 2-piece Adams rear would be about $1600. Their 1-piece rear is $1120.
New OEM rear would be $690.
I can get a used 2023 OEM front and rear off of Marketplace for just $100. Getting the Adams would be a tough pill to swallow, especially since I'm not running huge tires and plan on doing just a 2 inch lift.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Gotcha.
The 2-piece Adams rear would be about $1600. Their 1-piece rear is $1120.
New OEM rear would be $690.
I can get a used 2023 OEM front and rear off of Marketplace for just $100. Getting the Adams would be a tough pill to swallow, especially since I'm not running huge tires and plan on doing just a 2 inch lift.

One piece isn’t the right way to go with these. Tons of people are going to go nuts on me right after this post. But it’s true. For your case, snatch those marketplace shafts and just install the rear for now. Keep your old one as a spare and keep the front until you kill your existing one.

 

[Aleph]

One piece isn’t the right way to go with these. Tons of people are going to go nuts on me right after this post. But it’s true. For your case, snatch those marketplace shafts and just install the rear for now. Keep your old one as a spare and keep the front until you kill your existing one.

yep, from what I’ve read 2 piece is the way to go given the JT’s wheelbase. Future-proof ability would be nice with the Adams but it’s hard to say no to a $100 driveshaft!

 

[WILDHOBO]

yep, from what I’ve read 2 piece is the way to go given the JT’s wheelbase. Future-proof ability would be nice with the Adams but it’s hard to say no to a $100 driveshaft!

I’d do the exact same thing.

 

[49Gramps]

No matter how the driveshaft looks, if there's no vibration or lateral play at the junction of the two pieces, I wouldn't be in a hurry to change it.

 

[Rusty PW]

I would go with the Market place driveshaft if the other options are too much $$ for you.

 

[WILDHOBO]

No matter how the driveshaft looks, if there's no vibration or lateral play at the junction of the two pieces, I wouldn't be in a hurry to change it.

I see your point, but it looked pretty rough, and has a near free replacement option. I’d jump on it.

 

[Aleph]

No matter how the driveshaft looks, if there's no vibration or lateral play at the junction of the two pieces, I wouldn't be in a hurry to change it.

I agree to an extent. It has been over a year so far with no problems. Aside from a creaking sound with turning and articulation that I wonder might be the driveshaft but likely just the OEM underbody panels/crossmember or shocks or some bolt somewhere.

But I’m about to drive 4,000 miles on my move to Alaska in a couple weeks with all of my life in the truck. If I have a driveshaft fracture/failure in the middle of rural British Columbia with no signal because I skipped on a $100 driveshaft, I’ll never forgive myself. Service/parts are definitely more expensive up in Anchorage.

So I’m going to pick up the Marketplace driveshaft this weekend and get it installed next week. Hard to say no to a $100 take off driveshaft.

Thanks everyone. This was incredibly helpful.

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