PDA

View Full Version : How to ruin a trip to Moab



dads5.9
04-16-2008, 11:12 PM
How do you go from this?



http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii133/verlans/Moab%2008/P4120050-1.jpg

To this?

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii133/verlans/Moab%2008/P4140054-1.jpg

Blow the Currie High 9 rearend...

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii133/verlans/Moab%2008/P4160057-1.jpg

After two months of preparation we headed to Moab. We got to run Metal Masher on Thursday and we were running Kane Creek on Friday when it all went to hell.

Justin and Josh both made it over the first big obstacle as you climb up from the creek. Then came my turn and I heard a metallic cling/clank. I had Justin check the driveshaft and he said everthing looked good, so I gave it another try and it was clear that I wasn't going over the obstacle. We backed it down the hill to the flat area so that we could diagnose the damage. We lifted the rear-end and were able to confirm that the axles were intact which meant that the ring and pinion was gone.

We tried to limp it down hill, but it was clear that wasn't going to work. We stopped almost immediately and pulled the rear drive shaft to avoid further drive train damage. We limped it down to the next flat spot and pulled the third member even though it was getting dark. We got it pulled and booked our way in the dark back down to Moab.

The next morning we started looking for the parts to get the third member rebuilt, but no luck... We decided that the only way that we had to get my Jeep off the trail was to take the third member out of Justin's Jeep and to take it back up and install in mine. So it took us all afternoon to pull of the rescue mission and drive mine back out.

Fortunately, Justin got a spare third member when he bought his axle. Unfortunately we had decided to leave it back home in the garage so we had to convince our wives load it in the mini-van and round trip it to Moab on Sunday so that we could put it into Justin's Jeep and get them all back home before we had to be back at work on Monday. That round trip to Moab will cost us both a lot of landscaping this summer.

I had thought that the Currie 9" was going to be strong enough so that I wouldn't have that sort of breakage. I'm pretty disappointed that it looks like the weak point of the drivetrain is the ring and pinion.

elmer_fud
04-16-2008, 11:16 PM
That sucks, but atleast you made it back home.

jfowlzj95
04-16-2008, 11:22 PM
That sucks! Guess this means you should upgrade it to a Hi9 third member. ;)

dads5.9
04-16-2008, 11:27 PM
That's what Justin is recommending. But I'm second-guessing dumping another $1700 into the axle.

Only one thing worse that grenading your $3000 axle it is grenading your $4700 axle...

naturalbornmudder
04-17-2008, 12:14 AM
man, that blows

canadian_driver
04-17-2008, 12:48 AM
is the currie one just a 8.8 ring gear? i would think that someone was wrong with the gears. it shouldn't have broke IMO, then again isn't a reverse rotation in the rear running weaker than in the front?

IndyZJ
04-17-2008, 02:00 AM
From what I've seen the currie high 9 is relatively weak - I think Iremember something about it using 8.8 gears, too. I would go with a regular nodular third member (low pinion) in a rear axle and something like this http://www.fourtreks.com/yoke_guard.html. Granted it wouldn't have the clearance of a tru hi-9, but it'd be a hell of a lot cheaper than one and a lot stronger than your current setup.

OverkillZJ
04-17-2008, 08:54 AM
I'm not a huge fan of the currie high 9, I have no personal experience, but I see threads like this pop up on various boards from time to time.

Sorry man, I know how that feels.

JohnBoulderCO
04-17-2008, 10:33 AM
Sorry about your trip. Long hours, frustration and $$$.

I second the thought on going with a low pinion third member.
Cheaper and stronger, driving the gears on the strong side.

I hope we can do some summer wheeling trips together!

Ted_Z
04-17-2008, 11:03 AM
Glad you made it home. I'm sure the wives will make you pay dearly. Once you got your jeep back on the pavement, could you have pulled the ring gear, reinstalled the center section and drove home in front wheel drive?

jsteves
04-17-2008, 11:05 AM
I am still thinking about a true hi9 as I like having the driveshaft out of the rocks. I don't know how many hundreds of $$ I have spent on rear shafts.

The Currie 9 as we come to find does use a reverse cut 8.8 ring gear from front Ford applications. Which is why it appears to be the weak link here. While true hi9 are still reverse cut and still drive on the coast side of the gears they are much thiker than even a d60 ring and are custom made by Richmond Gear. Unlike these which appear to be :poke: genuine gears.

The Tru9 also uses a thrust blocker to prevent deflection of the gears which is typically what causes failure.

Knowing what I know now I probably would have kept my trusty XJ 44 but in the end it too would be much weaker than a LP 9. So I guess I really just don't know what to do right now. Even with a LP9 I would have to get one ($75), gear it ($500) and put an ARB in (I could use the one I have but would not be able to sell it as a complete 3rd so either way it will cost me $$).

jsteves
04-17-2008, 11:06 AM
I hope we can do some summer wheeling trips together!

I hope so too but my back may be hurting!

canadian_driver
04-17-2008, 11:15 AM
id buy the 3rd without the carrier, if that makes a diffrence, lol

Pearce
04-17-2008, 12:11 PM
Oh man that sucks. I had the Currie Hi 9 in my ZJ but I was only running 33's and the inline 6. Probably would never have gotten that axle to begin with but it was to good of a deal used. I've also heard of people doing damage to them like yours.

ILikeMud
04-17-2008, 12:32 PM
Time for the Mega Hi 9 in 40 spline :D

That sucks though man. At least you were able to get home.

dads5.9
04-17-2008, 12:39 PM
Yeah, the whole 8.8 gear set came as a surprise. I went back to the Currie website and they are very careful to pick their words like '9" housing'. They never once say that it is an 8.8 gear set.

John, Like Justin said we look forward to doing some wheelin' with you this summer as soon as our backs recover from all the landscaping work that we owe our wives.

Ted, I think that you are right that we could have removed the ring and went home in front wheel drive.

jsteves
04-17-2008, 01:09 PM
Ted, I think that you are right that we could have removed the ring and went home in front wheel drive.

It was Sun. by the time we though of that and the CO2 tank was empty from being left on twice. I don't think we could have gotten it off without the O2.

jsteves
04-17-2008, 01:33 PM
Probably would never have gotten that axle to begin with but it was to good of a deal used. I've also heard of people doing damage to them like yours.

That makes two of us! Which I guess is why I am less hesitant to put more money into it than my dad.

Comp. guys seems to be having good luck with Tru9's. I did some reading on Pirate and it seems that only about 1% (3 of 300) of people running Tru9's have broken the gears. And one of the 3 admits to being "Waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than hard on the axle."

Cody
04-17-2008, 03:55 PM
I never had any problems with the LP 9 in my buggy. I never took out a rear driveshaft.

There were a couple of times that my rear shaft tapped some rocks, but no destruction. Maybe that would have caused it to go out of balance, but it wasn't a concern for me.

Pitch
04-17-2008, 09:55 PM
What about keeping the current setup and getting the R&P cryogenically treated? It is supposed to boost strength by 30% (or so I have read, and everything on the internet is true!)

jsteves
04-18-2008, 10:17 AM
I never had any problems with the LP 9 in my buggy. I never took out a rear driveshaft.

There were a couple of times that my rear shaft tapped some rocks, but no destruction. Maybe that would have caused it to go out of balance, but it wasn't a concern for me.

That was my problem. I still drive it to the trails so every damn time I touched that shaft it would be out of balance. I stripped the splines on yet another and bent the splines on yet a third.

As for Cryo it is worth looking into but I just don't like the idea of using cheap gears that were designed to be driven on the other side.

SCAMPER ZJ
04-19-2008, 01:04 AM
Ouch. I'd been thinking about doing a Currie hp9" (http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/curriechpRE.aspx). Never mind!! Guess I'll be spending a little more time on this site (http://www.truehi9.com/).

jsteves
04-20-2008, 04:57 AM
Ouch. I'd been thinking about doing a Currie hp9" (http://www.currieenterprises.com/cestore/curriechpRE.aspx). Never mind!! Guess I'll be spending a little more time on this site (http://www.truehi9.com/).

YEP! That is what I am thinking about getting with all the extras I have for this 9 that I have I could be into one of those for about $700 once I unloaded it all. Really thinking about doing it.

jp4lo
04-24-2008, 10:42 PM
FWIW I thinlk if you got the tru hi9 3rd you would have a stout rear axle and you keep the extra DS clreance. If I had the coin thats what I'd do:cool: