Dana 35 Question...

[500 MJ]

So I went to replace my wheel bearings on the D35 in my white MJ this weekend and I about went out of my mind when I could not pull the axle shafts out with the puller. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but from my knowledge, all D35's in MJ/XJ's were non-C Clip versions...?

 

This is what I assumed anyway, so after I could not pull the shaft out, I started wondering... I took a good look and noticed that there was no retaining plate for the wheel bearings on my axle, with a non C-Clip axle this would be there. So I pulled the diff cover to find C-Clips in the version of D35 I have...how did this happen?

 

Did this axle come stock in my MJ? - It appears to me as it did. However, I could tell that the diff cover was pulled before. Maybe someone else messed with it and converted it to the YJ/TJ version?

 

I did get the bearings replaced. I took the numbers off of them into the parts store and we got it all taken care of that way.

[Pete M]

Early MJs/XJs had the non-C-clip. Later MJs and XJs had the C-clip. I forget what the year cutoff was.

[jtdesigns]

Whats a c-clip? And why would anyone not like them?? :dunno:

[500 MJ]

Aha! :cheers:

 

I almost went insane there yesterday! Thanks Pete! :yes:

[Pete M]

This is a C-clip. It is used to retain the axleshaft in the housing by anchoring the shaft from the carrier instead of at the outer ends of the axle using the bearing retainer plate.

 

The reason no one likes them is that, in the Dana 35 the axle shafts are pretty weak, and when they snap in a C-clip axle, this happens:

 

[jtdesigns]

OOOO I C...... Make sense to me...

[Eagle]

And I believe 1990 was the year Chrysler began using the c-clips.

 

Hint -- the designation "Dana 35C" does NOT indicate that the axle is a c-clip axle.

[mvusse]

Right! It stands for Custom, meaning Dana shipped an incomplete assembly to be finished by the car manufacturer.