cracker

:huh???:

X10

The 'durango box' will bolt up to the XJ/MJ as does most Saginaw steering gears. Saginaw makes a couple of different size stearing gears. The ZJ uses the same piston size a the Cherokee/MJ. The durango uses a 1/2" larger pistion and has more power but because of the larger pistion it turns a little slower (a higher pressure pump helps this). The Durango gear is 'stronger' in regards to turning because of this. The durango box works well but there are some issues. Since the piston/gear is larger the gear must be spaced an addition 1/4" from the frame (in addition to the alloy spacer already there) and longer bolts are necessary. The BIGGEST issue with the Durango boxes is the turns from lock to lock. The Durango box has inconsistently come with 3 and 3.5 turns lock to lock. A XJ/MJ requires 3.5 turns lock to lock for a normal turning radius and this is even more crucial offroad. If you get a box that has 3 turns lock to lock you must open the gear up and rebuild it and remove the limiting spacer on the inside and grind the inside the main cap a little bit. This is a very easy thing to do and rebuild kits are available at Napa, O'Reily's, etc. The process can take less than two hours the first time one does this.

I too have seen them look like hammered hell when they are pulled out for some reason. Some of the ones I pull apart look normal and others look like they went through a meat grinder. They really can't get squashed. It is the bearing that will take the hit before those shims would when tightening. I am glad you got it going.

I think mine are alcans, they hold weight pretty good, had a half a yard of dirt in the bed the other day and it barely sagged. they flex fairly well offroad too, but ride a little stiff, i think its mostly the shocks. The Alcans are known for a stiff ride. I had a set and I almost lost my fillings.

Then my Jeep Comanche FSM is wrong. The crush sleeve (which they call a collapsible spacer) is discussed on page H-46 in how to replace the pinion seal, it is shown in the exploded diagram on page H-50 (part # 15), it is mentioned on page H-52 under removing the pinion, it is stated on page H-60 that "The collapsible spacer controls the pinion bearing preload. Do not reuse the old spacer, Use a replacement spacer only." and installation and torquing of the collapsible spacer to set preload is discussed on page H-60. So you have no first hand knowledge of this and are looking at manuals? :shake: Just take one of them apart and you'll see.

That is because there isn't a crush sleeve on them. It is pretty obvious when you open it up and it is not there......

Probably should verify which D44 he has since there have been many different versions over the years. The title said 'MJ Dana 44 Help' so I can only assume it is the MJ D44 he speaks of.

You are wrong. No crush sleeve in the XJ/MJ D44..the pinion bearing spacing and preload relies on shims. I just verified this with the SoCal Naxja gear guy as my 44 didn't use a crush sleve and wanted to see how the others might have been. Early Dana 44s used a crush sleeve but not the XJ/MJ 44s. The 60's and some 70's Jeep rear 44's had crush sleve's, I also have done a waggy 44 (not sure on the year, passenger side drop) had a crush sleve.

Deaver Springs here in SoCal. They might cost you an arm and a leg but they'll ride like a Cadillac.

The inner pinion bearing race might never have been in all the way but that would be EXTREMELY odd. It is not really possible to crush the preload spacers. Try it again by taking it off and re-installing and see what happens. If that does not work, undo the bearing caps on the diff, pull the carrier out and start taking the pinion out. Since all the shims are there you really can't mess anything up (unless you loose a shim). Inspect it. Put the pinion in and tighten it and see how it feels then if all is good then put the differential back in. Measure your backlash and all should be good. This stuff really is not rocket science.

Thre is no crush sleeve on the Dana 44.

:shake: That is NOT a concern. I am sorry but with all the Jeep Speed desert guys out here and all the time I have spent wheeling that hasn't come up (yet). One of the biggest issues is the engine block mounts breaking at the higher speeds. That is why guys like Brown Dog and M.O.R.E make engine bracket kits that bolt into the multiple block holes. http://www.mountainoffroad.com/_e/Motor ... engine.htm http://browndogindustries.com/

Ditch the lift blocks and make a real traction bar.

It could be a significant factor. I would also suggest considering a drop bracket set up as an alternative to long arms in regards to correcting your geometry. I am not a fan of the drop bracket but it has worked wonders for many looking for a better ride quality.

Bilstein all day long. Nothing else compares. I buy only used 7100s and I rebuild them and charge them with Nitrogen. I save lots of money by doing this.

14 guage is what I would probably consider (maybe 12).

Yes it can have different shaft lengths depending on what vehicle it can come out of. The AW4 requires a shorter input shaft length on a TC in order for it to bolt up.

:huh???: Something doesn't sound right.

It is funny you ask. My buddy used the 2.5 radiator for his XJ with a 350 in it. He doesn't drive it on the road though. Oddly enough it doesn't overheat.

I think a stock 44 with a detroit and even stock shafts would be a good way to go for you. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

This is incorrect. The usual way to eliminate the rear height sensing valve is the remove both the valve and both hard lines from the front distribution block to the rear. Plug the outlet on the bottom of the front distribution block, then run a new hard line from the "nose" outlet directly to the upper end of the rear flex hose. I disagree with my colleague CWLONGSHOT about using an XJ front proportioning valve, though. I've been driving XJs for 22+ years and I was very active in NAXJA for many years before focusing more on MJs. I still have multiple XJs. One of the primary complaints about XJs is that the rear brakes suck. The reason they suck is that front proportioning valve. What most XJ owners who address that problem do is open up the valve, remove the spring and O-ring from inside, and set the plunger to the full-forward position. What this does is disable the proportioning feature. That makes it the functional equivalent of the MJ system ... so why bother? The XJ proportioning valve is a stupid device anyway. When it works (until it gets gummed up inside and sticks), what it does is prevent the rear brakes from doing anything unless you apply extreme pressure -- like in a panic stop. But premature rear lockup isn't a problem in normal driving, it's a problem in ... a panic stop. So what's the use of a device that eliminates the rear brakes most of the time yet provides no proportioning under the ONLY conditions when you need it? Does not compute. I am with CW. I have the XJ prop valve and my braking is now great after eliminating the factory rear sensing prop valve and the MJ OEM distribution block. Good luck. :cheers:

Lance, If you can give us an idea on what you are planning to do with the vehicle it might make a difference but the low pinion 9 is the not a good axle for offroading. The lowest pinion out there (2.25" below the axle centerline). That plus the fact that the pinion is short (10.6") leaves it VERY exposed to hazards (i.e. rocks, etc.). After a while they can be next to impossible to keep from leaking too with some of the cheaper stamped housings (they are also sometimes completely formed out of 3/16"). If I were building a street car I would run a Ford LP 9" all day long but for offroad I would not suggest it. On the other hand, a high pinion 9" like the TrueHi9 (not the currie high pinion crap) is one of the best axles because the pinion is 2.25" ABOVE the centerline of the axle tube. Keeps great driveline angles plus keeps it out of harms way. Formed housings like Spidertrax, RuffStuff, and the newer Currie have proven to be far more durable housings compared to the stamped basic housings. Debates on its ability to withstand big horsepower have surfaced on this though. Since we brought it up...the 8.8 has a 1.5" pinion below the centerline and with the longer pinion (11.7") rotate upwards keeps it out of harms way slightly better. Other than the fact it has C-Clips (where it is only an issue when a shaft fails) it is an excellent aftermarket upgrade from an 8.25 or a D35. I might consider an 8.8 over the LP9" for a light duty rig with 33" tires. For reference, the Dana 44 is not too bad with a pinion 1.5” below the centerline of the axle and a pinion length of 11.375”. Personally I like the low pinion D60 the best (specially when shaved). It has a pinion that is 1.125" BELOW the centerline with a 13.3" pinion. When rotated to point the pinion towards the transmission/tc, the driveline is very much kept out of harms way. Reasonably cheap to build up too and one can run 35 spline semi float shafts affordably.

The rubber seal that was used (on mine) actually goes onto the windshield BEFORE it is installed onto the vehicle. It has a groove that the windshield slides into and there was plenty of room to not need to cut those little nubs off. When I get my new camera in a couple of weeks I will try to get a picture of it.