rear diff woes...need some advice

[Lud]

Last trip out I noticed more diff fluid sprayed all over the back under the Jeep from the vent line. My rear ARB has quit working. Looks like drivers side axle seal is also leaking.

I'm afraid to open this thing up yet again and find more metal in it. It would be my third set of gears in 3.5 years.

I'm trying to figure out what my options are as I'm tired of taking this thing apart all the time. Wondering if 35" tires and lockers is too much for this TJ D44.

I've thought of ripping it out selling the good stuff like shafts and going for a D60 rear or a Currie 44 or an 8.8?

What do you all think?

[iaccocca]

8.8 and sell me the shafts. Ask the others, but I think the 8.8s are still going for bargain prices.

[Lud]

If I do that I'll still have 2 sets of shafts to sell you. Stock Rubi shafts and chromoly shafts.

[iaccocca]

If I do that I'll still have 2 sets of shafts to sell you. Stock Rubi shafts and chromoly shafts.

You have chomos and stock shafts spare?

[White trash]

What ratio are you running? I'd grab a rear 60, shave the lower lip off of it then slap a tj bracket kit on there and weld 44 bearing ends on it and reuse your 30 spline shafts & brakes.

With your constant issues I'd say your housing is tweaked or the gear setup isn't being done right. I'd lean towards a tweaked housing...

[Lud]

Running 4.56s and a ARB. I don't really think I've been all that hard on this Jeep, spends most of its time on the road.


I have the stocks spare right now all assembled in case I break a shaft like I did a few years ago. The chromos are currently in the Jeep.

[iaccocca]

I think the D60 is over kill for our 4.0s and your 35"s, but if with WT's suggestion you don't lose clearance, what's wrong with overkill. (Hell, you do like the skinny pedal.)

[Lud]

The gears have been done by different people.

I picked up this housing for 100 but never checked to see if it was tweaked before I put it in and started throwing money at it. Big mistake. I've had the Jeep aligned several times and no ones ever mentioned if it was tweaked.

[iaccocca]

My guess is no one would check your rear alignment unless you asked; I don't think there is any adjustment. I'm with WT, I think your housing is tweaked.

[Lurch]

Being as I set the gears up at least once and everything looked good at the time I would lean towards your housing being tweaked or the carrier being messed up from getting to hot when the first person didn't get the gears right.

[Lud]

I'm thinking the housing too, if the ARB is toast I'd rather spend the extra cash and put together a whole new assembly as the ARBs run $700 easy.

[Lurch]

Just talked to our alignment guy. He said he can do a 4 way alignment and tell you if it's tweaked. As for the leaking seal I would say the arb not working caused air pressure in the diff and pushed the gear lube through the seal. Or there is metal in it and it tore the seal.

[White trash]

If you want to know the low down send the ARB in to wild west fab up in tenino. They are the go to guys in the pnw for ARB. They'll pull it apart and diagnose any issues for ya.

[Lud]

I'd really like to find out if its tweaked and the condition of the locker before I do something like get one of these...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DANA-60-REAR-AXLE-HOUSING-SEMI-FLOATING-JEEP-NARROWED_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33728QQitemZ360164830705#ht_1375wt_939

[White trash]

Thats a whole lot more than I'd give for an empty housing. Once you add up all the little things you have an easy $600 and no gears or locker.

Just pick up a used axle and build it. Just need to weld on the housing ends and use your shafts. That housing is surely made for the J series 35 spline semi float shafts. Which honestly would be a great axle for you once you have the axle flange drilled for your 5 x 4.5"pattern.

[OldGreen]

I have a spare set of J series 35 spline D60 shafts. . .

[oddball]

Sounds like your air line is pressurizing your diff. ARB not working, seals leaking and fluid coming out your vent tube.

[Lud]

The fluid is coming out the vent going down the highway with no lockers engaged. I'm sure its getting hot in there forcing the fluid out the vent. No whining gears yet though.

I think I have a plan of attack here:

Put in my spare shaft with a good seal.

Take it to Firestone where I confirmed that they can do an alignment to check the condition of the rear axle housing. I have lifetime alignments through them.

If the housing is good, that ARB is getting shipped out to find out what is wrong with it. While its out I'll find a way to strengthen this axle housing. Maybe truss it??

If the housing is bad I'll just drive it as is and put a plan for a swap.

[Lurch]

Is it overfull?

[White trash]

Is it overfull?

Probably not after a few trips to work.


I'd say its worth a pull of the diff cover to have a looksy at the gears and maybe a swap to synthetic oil if its getting so hot its pushing fluid.

[Lud]

I've been running synthetic since put it in. I'll get diff apart and let you all know how it looks.

[Lud]

I think I'm gonna get away cheap. I got the diff apart, gears have a normal wear pattern with no metal present in the oil. There was plenty of oil in it and it wasn't even burnt. The diff breather was very plugged, however, probably building up pressure causing the heat problems and then finally pushing fluid out the vent through the small passageway and out my driver's side axle seal. Also not helping was the aftermarket cover that has a much higher fill hole than stock which may have caused me to overfill it, so I'm putting a stock one on to see.

I had a 4 wheel laser alignment done and from what they could tell the housing is fine. I figure if the center section was messed up then the gears would be toast too.

The locker had a fitting on the inside of the pumpkin that was loose that let air run by I'm sure. Anyway the ARB works and holds air for over 10 mins now. I even jacked up one tire and left the other on the ground and engaged the locker to make sure and I drove it right off the jackstands. I'm thinking about a test run to make very sure everything is working.

Well maybe now I can put some money into tires and a exhaust on my truck.