Son breaks rear end..dad fixes

[brian]

HI

My kid took my truck out and busted 3 gears in the rear end.

I want to grab a used rear axle assembly from the wrecking yard and replace the whole thing. my question;

assuming my truck is a stock 89 4x4,inline 6,with 5spd manual...is it a dana 35 or 35c? what's the diff?

is it a 3.07 ratio?

If I use a cherokee, what model/ package will have the right rear end?

I'd be willing to put in the 3.54 ratio or the 3.07.

how do I identify what I'm buying?

thanks a ton

Brian

[jpdocdave]

great time to get your hands on an upgrade, like a dana 44. you need to verify what gears are in yours now, there's not always rhyme or reason to what jeep did in our trucks. the numbers are stamped on the ring gear when you remove the cover, best bet is to buy an axle with the same gearing already, instead of regearing an axle.

 

secondly, after son breaks axle, dad fixes axle.......... dad breaks son :fool:

[brian]

thanks

I admit i don't know what the ring gear is so you may need to be more specific.(this is why i'm not repacing gears) I can do the rear end swap but gears scare me.

Yes I agree I want to replacee with what was there. Hopefully when my kid leaves for college next fall i'll still have a drivable jeep. (my daughter totaled the last one I had).

thanks Brian

[jpdocdave]

ok, at least you admit you don't wanna regear anything. i think thats good.

 

pull the cover off the axle, and the large gear you see sticking out toward you is the ring gear. there's some numbers on it, two pair of numbers will give you the number of teeth on the ring gear and number on the pinion gear, thats your gear ratio. divide them and you'll get 3.07 or 3.56, or 3.73 or 4.10, thats the ratio you'll need your new axle to be.

[ParadiseMJ]

1. Don't let kids drive Jeep.

 

2. I'd swap rearends instead of regear too. If the rear is a D35 or D35c should be stamped into the forward part of the the diff. You should find the tags mounted on the diff itself (if they're still there) with gear (and model #) info on it.

 

Someone here has pictures and info on different rear ends. Just make sure you're matching front/rear gear ratios.

[HOrnbrod]

1. Don't let kids drive Jeep.

 

Amen. The rear diff will not be a D35C - they started in 1991 or perhaps 1990. But an MJ D35c will bolt in to your rig. Gives you more options.

[Pete M]

Never ever fix a Dana 35. Not worth the money (plus it's likely bent).

 

Take this opportunity to upgrade and get a pair of XJ axles that have 3.55 or better gears in them. :thumbsup: Try to avoid another Dana 35 if you can.

[JeepcoMJ]

remember that xj cherokee rear axles are NOT bolt-in. you will need a welder capable of welding thick steel, and new perches, plus something to grind the xj perches off, and an angle finder to set the pinion angle.

[Wildman]

Me think the OP is looking for a direct bolt in :hmm:

 

If the OP would look to the left, and see how most of us have a "location" filled in, he would get someone whom is near him to offer a D35 with 3.07's near him :roll:

 

(If your near me, I have several :brows: )

 

The D35C rear end is Not a "C" clip, which Mr. Hornbrod brought up, the "C" stands for "Custom" as in custom made for the OEM. And yes, it was '91 that the c-clip D35 show up.

 

It would be a great time for an up-grade, even to 3.55 gears, but, that would also mean to replace the D30 with matching gears. And as others pointed out, there's alot of extra work to replace the axles with ones from an XJ.

[Eagle]

All MJ Dana 35s are 35C. The 'C' indicates "Customer," meaning that Dana shipped the axles to AMC (or Chrysler, later) for final assembly. Your '89 has the non c-clip version ... but the 'C' in the axle nomenclature did NOT indicate the c-clip.

 

You have a 4.0L 5-speed, the ratio is 3.07. 3.54 would be a better all-around ratio, but then you'd have to replace the front axle to have it match. Stay with the 3.07.

[brian]

YIKES!

lots of opinions! I'll look at the tag on the rear end and also the stamped numbers on the gear. Thanks for the formula for determining which gears I have from those numbers. As soon as I can force myself under the truck I'l llok at those things. Also, I wasn't thinking that there would be a problem with the front axle gears matching the rear. Thank you for that little tidbit. probably dodged a bullit there!

 

I live on the oregon coast directly east of Portland. Few choices for wrecking yards here.That's why I thought I'd have better luck finding a Cherokee rear than a Comanche rear. So do I understand correctly that there is NO cherokee rear that will bolt right in to my pick up?

Sorry to be dense. when you guys refer to an XJ is that short for Cherokee just as MJ is short for comanche?

 

to be clear here.. I use this as a daily driver, a work- horse and a beach rig....well I did until my kids got old enough to drive. So I just want a simple 'get it back on the road' fix for now. Upgrading is not what I'm after. I've fixed this old jeep too many times to get very excited about an upgrade. When I bought it, it was a heap. I did a lot of body work and put a nice bright yellow paintjob on it and had the wireing redone and put a new seat in and replaced all sorts of parts ..but in the end my kids bang the hell out of it and I rarely get to drive it.

Thanks for the help. I'll try to post a photo

Brian

[bigalpha]

YIKES!

So do I understand correctly that there is NO cherokee rear that will bolt right in to my pick up?

Correct.

Sorry to be dense. when you guys refer to an XJ is that short for Cherokee just as MJ is short for comanche?

Correct, XJ = Cherokee

well I did until my kids got old enough to drive.

Brian

 

Backhand.

[brian]

Ha ha! Just so you know..The kid got a dope slap and a major lecture on 'maning up.' He is paying for this new rear end from his bank account. if I can find one. Actually he feels pretty bad about the whole thing and all the repairs over the years are turning him into a pretty good backyard mechanic.

btw I feel I should explain my fear of gears; you see ,when I was in the womb, my pregnant mother was frightened by a 10 speed bicycle!

brian

[bigalpha]

Ha ha! Just so you know..The kid got a dope slap and a major lecture on 'maning up.'

 

:fool:

 

 

:smart:

 

 

:cheers:

[-600JeepMJ]

Welcome to the madness of kids and jeeps :banana:

[Pete M]

car-part.com may help you find a junkyard axle. Also check your local craigslist.org

 

Don't fear using an XJ rearend, as welding on new perches is a relatively simple task that can be done at any muffler shop. :thumbsup:

[brian]

Okay

I pulled the cover ..don't see anything stamped on the ring gear but the tag on the exterior has numbers that I can read just barely. anyone know what these indicate?

 

895 3004682

3 55 605324-5

 

I assume the 89 in the top line indicates year1989 and 3 55 in the bottom line means it is a 3.55 gear ratio?

Is that all I need to know? :dunno:

 

Yes craigslist has a couple w/in 100 miles though I need to verify they are suitable for swap.And I have a call in to the local junkyard

brian

[bigalpha]

895 3004682

3 55 605324-5

 

I assume the 89 in the top line indicates year1989 and 3 55 in the bottom line means it is a 3.55 gear ratio?

Is that all I need to know? :dunno:

 

Yes, I believe you have a 3.55 ratio.

[maddzz1]

Okay

I pulled the cover ..don't see anything stamped on the ring gear but the tag on the exterior has numbers that I can read just barely. anyone know what these indicate?

 

895 3004682

3 55 605324-5

 

I assume the 89 in the top line indicates year1989 and 3 55 in the bottom line means it is a 3.55 gear ratio?

Is that all I need to know? :dunno:

 

Yes craigslist has a couple w/in 100 miles though I need to verify they are suitable for swap.And I have a call in to the local junkyard

brian

 

I don't think any manual transmissions came with 3.55's, only automatics. Is there a chance the previous owner swapped the axles?

[HOrnbrod]

The tag 895 3004682 translates to:

 

D35 3.55 AXLE ASSEMBLY w/o LOCKING DIFFERENTIAL

[one_bad_MJ]

your gear set must match your front diff or when in 4x4 and spinning one will spin faster then the other and you will have a major break them

[bigalpha]

Okay

I pulled the cover ..don't see anything stamped on the ring gear but the tag on the exterior has numbers that I can read just barely. anyone know what these indicate?

 

895 3004682

3 55 605324-5

 

I assume the 89 in the top line indicates year1989 and 3 55 in the bottom line means it is a 3.55 gear ratio?

Is that all I need to know? :dunno:

 

Yes craigslist has a couple w/in 100 miles though I need to verify they are suitable for swap.And I have a call in to the local junkyard

brian

 

I don't think any manual transmissions came with 3.55's, only automatics. Is there a chance the previous owner swapped the axles?

 

None of the 6yl, M/T came with the 3.55's. LINK

[Eagle]

It occurs to me that if the front axle ratio doesn't match the rear axle ratio, that could go a long way toward explaining why the axle broke. If the front axle ratio doesn't match the rear and the vehicle is driven in 4WD, you get some funny reactions in sand and mud but when you hit rocks or pavement ... something's gotta give.

 

My experience has been that it's rare to find a ratio tag on rear axles, but they are usually present on front axles. Check the front differential and report any tags/codes you can find there.

[bigalpha]

It occurs to me that if the front axle ratio doesn't match the rear axle ratio, that could go a long way toward explaining why the axle broke. If the front axle ratio doesn't match the rear and the vehicle is driven in 4WD, you get some funny reactions in sand and mud but when you hit rocks or pavement ... something's gotta give.

 

My experience has been that it's rare to find a ratio tag on rear axles, but they are usually present on front axles. Check the front differential and report any tags/codes you can find there.

 

Good idea! I hadn't even thought of that. My thinking is too linear.

[Wildman]

It occurs to me that if the front axle ratio doesn't match the rear axle ratio, that could go a long way toward explaining why the axle broke. If the front axle ratio doesn't match the rear and the vehicle is driven in 4WD, you get some funny reactions in sand and mud but when you hit rocks or pavement ... something's gotta give.

 

My experience has been that it's rare to find a ratio tag on rear axles, but they are usually present on front axles. Check the front differential and report any tags/codes you can find there.

 

 

Good point :thumbsup:

 

It is rare that a 4.0 with a 5 speed manual would have 3.55 gears :hmm: Not impossible, but not common, where it should have the more common 3.07's for that combo.

 

Very good chance that some one else swapped that D35 in there, and caused the problems now.

 

So........young son driving, might not have done anything wrong :eek:

 

Might be a very good time to check the ring stamps in both the D30 and the D35 to confirm what gears you actuality do have now. Plus, it's a good excuse to change the oil in both :brows: