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Bad day on the trail…

Eventyr_JT

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Jeep Gladiator Bad day on the trail… 739289C0-19E0-41D7-B75C-398F6B9C287E

Jeep Gladiator Bad day on the trail… 6A723171-EC67-4AB0-B56F-8A74A4085825

My son and I got turtled on this shark fin rock last weekend. Dented the muffler, bent skid a plate, and knocked weights off the rear drive shaft. It took 3 hours and a lot of help from passersby to get us off that rock!

So, as a noobie JT owner (and first off-road vehicle), I am wondering should I take it to the dealership to have it checked out, estimated for damage, and repaired? Or should I take it to my local 4W/off-road shop?

Again, I can’t thank the Jeep community enough for all the help!
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Orange01z28

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You should be fine. My resonator is smashed and my skid plates all have some bends now
 

XJADDICTION

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You need to get the driveshaft taken care of. Missing weights mean out of balance and you stand the high possibility of ruining seals at the pinion and also on the transfer case.
 

Rokon

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Skid plate and exhaust dings are no real issues. The driveshaft however is. Loss of weights means it is no longer balanced and the possibility of it being bent is there.
Are you noticing any vibration? May only be apparent at a particular speed range. A shop that does custom driveshaft work can check it and rebalance.
Or replace with OEM. Even a small dent in the driveshaft tube is bad.
 

MPMB

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You need to get the driveshaft taken care of. Missing weights mean out of balance and you stand the high possibility of ruining seals at the pinion and also on the transfer case.
This.

Fix/check the driveshaft.
 

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Orange01z28

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What would a driveshaft vibration feel like?

Maybe a slight "thump" on deceleration without brakes?
 

XJADDICTION

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What would a driveshaft vibration feel like?

Maybe a slight "thump" on deceleration without brakes?

Usually you feel a constant vibration, could be speed related or if it’s bad enough it is constantly vibrating.

Even if you can’t feel it that shaft will be out of balance and is worth checking.

You also should check the CV under boot at the front, the carrier bearing for the two piece shaft in the rear, all u-joints as well; ball joints, Trac-bar for looseness and bends, tie-rod ends.

Definitely worth an experienced shop or a trusted dealer to look it over.
 

MrFahrenheit

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Dealer would replace items and not fix them. It would be on your dime regardless. Anything that you actually want repaired I would either just do it yourself or take it to a local shop as they probably have lower shop rates. But like others have said, the only thing worthwhile to do might be to take the driveshaft to a driveline shop and have it rebalanced.
 

PyrPatriot

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Dealer would replace items and not fix them. It would be on your dime regardless. Anything that you actually want repaired I would either just do it yourself or take it to a local shop as they probably have lower shop rates. But like others have said, the only thing worthwhile to do might be to take the driveshaft to a driveline shop and have it rebalanced.
Depends. If that's on a public road of some sorts his insurance might cover the cost
 

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Jeeperjamie

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Take it to the dealership and see what happens. I had something similar happen on my JKU but I came down on a tree and it did something to the driveshaft, not sure what but it had some serious vibration going on after that happened. I played dumb and took it in to the dealership to be checked out and they replaced the driveshaft under warranty. You never know.
 

jac04

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A stock driveshaft isn't too bad price wise, around $400-$600 depending on what model you have. Tom Woods offers a straight shaft for about $1000, but you have to replace flanges on both ends, which is a PITA on the diff end if you want to re-set pinion preload by the book. Spicer offers a bolt-in upgraded shaft for about $1500, it is p/n 10132305.
 

JoseQ_80

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Not judging cause I'm still learning but:
1. Did you not see this rock?
2. Did you see it and try to straddle it?
3. Did you see it and try to put a tire right over it?
4. Was going around it not an option?
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