Please help me understand

[berb]

Below I have 2 videos.

The Video on the Left is my 2020 Sport S with 37,000 miles on it The Video on the Right is a New 2023 Rubicon

I thought I had an issue with the part that connects the drive shaft to the rear end. On the left you will see part turn quite a bit and do a double take when the truck is shifted from Park into Reverse. On the Right you will see the part move slightly. Now I just had to have my automatic transmission replaced because the D Clutch went out. (warranty covered it, thank goodness) So, I'm paranoid and I think there's an issue here especially the difference between my 2020 and the new gladiator. When I took it in the service department said everything is OK and they compared it to an employee's gladiator and their truck acted the same as mine. I disputed the truck was fine then, we looked at another Rubicon on their lot and that Used Rubicon acted the same as mine, so at this point I can no longer argue there's an issue.

If anyone would be interested in posting a video of their gladiator shifting in and out of Reverse, I would love to know if this is normal operation or not. Mind you when I asked the service department how the part is supposed to function, they could not explain it to me. They just said the other used gladiators work the same as yours so it must be how it works. OR this is the beginning of a recall. I am not mechanically inclined. All I know is the new Gladiator works differently than the used ones. Oh, and to add to more of my doubts, my 2019 Wrangler performs just like the new Gladiator, which is why I thought I had an issues in the first place. Thanks, in advance.

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[Artsifrtsi]

The silver end you see is the CV joint that connects the driveshaft to the transmission. When watching the video, the driveshaft moves with it, or rather it moves with the driveshaft. If you follow up to the rear of the transfer case, there is another one there too, and it probably has just as much of the movement you see at the axle.

The CV joints if bad will not be as tight as those are, yours look to be in good condition. As far as I can see from your video, there appears to be nothing wrong.

 

[berb]

The silver end you see is the CV joint that connects the driveshaft to the transmission. When watching the video, the driveshaft moves with it, or rather it moves with the driveshaft. If you follow up to the rear of the transfer case, there is another one there too, and it probably has just as much of the movement you see at the axle.

The CV joints if bad will not be as tight as those are, yours look to be in good condition. As far as I can see from your video, there appears to be nothing wrong.

Thank you. Is there a reason why the new gladiator is much tighter than the used ones. Is it just a matter of the CV joint “breaking in”. And why on my 2019 is it just as tight as the new one. I’m asking so I better understand. Again I am not mechanically inclined. Thanks.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

What I hear is some of the play in splines and pinion backlash - normal.
Looks tight to me.
There's always going to be some differences - stackup of tolerances, stackup of the play in each joint and connection, all adds up.
CV joints won't have play - and I didn't see any play in the joints there, just the other areas where play is normal.
Some new parts have rough edges - splined joints, for example. As those wear in, as parts are burnished, you add just a tiny bit more play to each connection.
New will always be just a bit tighter. It doesn't mean the used is bad, just that the machined surfaces that mate together have knocked down the rough edges resulting in a bit more movement.

 

[PlayfulBird]

Ours does the same

 

[berb]

What I hear is some of the play in splines and pinion backlash - normal.
Looks tight to me.
There's always going to be some differences - stackup of tolerances, stackup of the play in each joint and connection, all adds up.
CV joints won't have play - and I didn't see any play in the joints there, just the other areas where play is normal.
Some new parts have rough edges - splined joints, for example. As those wear in, as parts are burnished, you add just a tiny bit more play to each connection.
New will always be just a bit tighter. It doesn't mean the used is bad, just that the machined surfaces that mate together have knocked down the rough edges resulting in a bit more movement.

Thank you.

 

[berb]

Ours does the same

Thank you

 

[Jteakus]

Different backlash in the R&P. Different carriers too.

 

[Belcher24256]

What I hear is some of the play in splines and pinion backlash - normal.
Looks tight to me.
There's always going to be some differences - stackup of tolerances, stackup of the play in each joint and connection, all adds up.
CV joints won't have play - and I didn't see any play in the joints there, just the other areas where play is normal.
Some new parts have rough edges - splined joints, for example. As those wear in, as parts are burnished, you add just a tiny bit more play to each connection.
New will always be just a bit tighter. It doesn't mean the used is bad, just that the machined surfaces that mate together have knocked down the rough edges resulting in a bit more movement.

I agree, reverse puts it under tension as the pinion gear engages the ring gear. Shifting to park releases that tension and the newer gear set is not broken in yet and binds more during engagement so it has a lot more tension to flex back on release.

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