Ok, all of you with a 1997-1999 DI do you have a roto flex on your rear drive shaft or a u-joint at the rear differential?

 

My 96 has the rotoflex but between the 126k miles it has on it and my lift coming up hopefully soon I have been weighing the possibility of either a new one or the u joint conversion. What exactly is the difference? Actually I really only need to know which is better if any off road.

 

Spike, why are you asking??
As long as you don't exceed a 3" lift you won't have any problem, except once every 80,000 to 100,000 you will need to replace it.

 

I am asking Mike because there are conflicting reports on what years came with a roto flex and what years came with u-joints.
My '97 has 4 u-joints, so have a couple of other year on here, so I am just trying to see if we can confirm or deny the fact/myth that 4 u-joints were standard on some modle years of the DI.

Mitch-it all comes down to personal preference, neither is better than the other on stock suspension, with a big lift the rotoflex will fall apart.

 

I own a 98 and I don't have the rotoflex. And with the mileage on my truck, the previous owner definitely didn't get the conversion to u-joints.

 

how can you tell the difference between a rotoflex and u joint?

 

If you want to do the convertion you will need this kit.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/9300.cfm

This is a u-joint out of the truck.
http://roverparts.com/Parts/3092.cfm

This is a roto flex.
http://roverparts.com/Parts/TIJ000012G.cfm
The roto flex is a piece of rubber, that all, rubber.

This is what the u-joint looks like on the truck, the brass looking this is the grease zert, or nipple.

[IMG][/IMG]

 

my 97 has a roto flex (and it looks like it may need to be replaced soon) I am asuming that this item is designed to "flex" up and down as the truck goes over bumps, is it made of like a hard rubber or something?

 

chris, yeah it's made out of hard rubber. It eliminates drive line vibrations (think BMW ride component and German over engineering) I know some people on here wheel their rovers hard and haven't had a problem but when mine needs replacing I'm going with U-joints.

 

My 97 has 4 U-joints. I never asked why my u-joints have grease fittings and my drive shaft has grease fittings too?

I have changed the "Guibo" on my wife's 525 and it is a bear. You have to drop the exhaust to get to it, and even on jack stands there is not much clearance.