front wheel drive..........long

Today I was on my way to my a restaurant for mothers day and my jeep started clunking. I thought it might be a motor or tranny mount but it sounded like it was coming from the rear. Turns out it was. The rear end was clunking when ever id turn or get on the gas. I went to my grandmas house and took off the dif cover. Silver liquid starts pouring out. Turns out the spider gears are done for. I guess powerbraking with 31"s isnt to good for the ol turdy5. I had a spare axle sitting at my house so I ran home loaded it up in the passenger seat of my dads convertible and drove out there. After a lot of thinking and taking stuff apart(damn haynes manual doesnt tell you how to take apart the rear end) I figured I would have to *$#^@ rig it. I took out the dif. carrier from the spare and took off the ring gear(its a 3.73). Then I took out my carrier and replaced it with the ringless carrier. I put everything back together, put it in 4wd and drove 3 miles to Giant to get some oil. I figured some good ol 10w40 is better than nothing so i put a quart of that in it. Then I drove the 10 miles home. It held up so far so I guess I'm gonna drive to school tomorrow(I need to anyways because I was voted best clunker for the year book superlatives). Now heres the question. Are gears hard to set up? Are there any good write ups online? Also do you think I messed anything up driving it with 10w40 and without a ring gear?

Why didn;t you just swap out the axle?

I think that would have been the smart thing to do.

8 nuts on the u-bolts, one brake fitting, 2 shock nuts, and the d-shaft. Done.

It probably took more time to pull the ring gear off the carrier, and install it than the axleswap would have taken.

For no ring gear, it will not hurt anything, as the carrier will not touch the pinion.

the 10-40 for bearing lube is ghetto, but at least it's got something.

If you pull the rear shaft, you'll have to seal the t-case with something....1 liter pepsi bottles and duct tape will be your friend.

Cherokee=springover.......Comanche=springunder forgot to mention that.

I have a MJ and its spring under. No welder to weld on new perches at gmas.

Aaah. Little details like that are important.

I'd find an auto parts store, and get some gear lube in there pronto.

Gears are not some mystical science, but you need time, time, and more time.

You (usually) need to pull the carrier 3-10 times to get the pattern right....Untill you get some skill at it, and can read, and understand a pattern.

Ill pick up some lube tonight and put it in tomorrow after school. I did find out one good thing though. The extra axle has a limited slip in it. I think I may need new clutch packs for it now.

Well I got it all back together finally. I just took out the dif. and put the ring gear on it. Then I put it in and turned it by hand and it looked good. I dont know what you have to do to set up gears but this seemed to work alright. I drove it 20 miles today and it didnt make any noises. How do I know if its in right or not?

The gears that were on the orignal carrier? OR the ones from the cherokee axle?

If the ones that were in it, it's much easier as the preload, and spacing will not have changed. If they were the gears from the XJ axle, you REALLY need to get some "Marking Compound"(ask the counter guy at the auto parts store..He'll know what you need) and mark the gears to see the pattern. Take a pic of the pattern, and post it here. someone will be able to tell you if it's right or not.

The gears were originally in the axle. I just swapped differentials. The new dif is a limited slip(Trac Loc I would assume). I didn't notice it until today but when I turn to the left and start to move(from a stop) it has a shimmy. I guess thats the word for it. It just feels like it is vibrating a little. No clunking and it doesn't slow down or anything it just shakes a little. What could this be? Maybe the clutch packs in the limited slip? Or is it not shimmed right?

Probably the carrier. They are set up for each carrier....and by changing the carrier, you changed the gear settings.

I'd stop now, and get a new axle before you blow another one up.

If you are hell bent on using the trash lock, check out Randy's Ring and pinion page for an idea of what you are getting into.

I couldn't care less if I have the trac loc or not.....I just want something that doesn't lock up on me. Tomorrow after school I'm going to take a trip to the junkyard. Just to get my terms straight the carrier is the thing that the spider gears are in right and the spider gears would be considered the differential? Also I can run 4.10 in the back and 3.55 in the front til I get a new front axle? I know I couldnt put it in 4wd.

jeeppowermj said:

I couldn't care less if I have the trac loc or not.....I just want something that doesn't lock up on me.

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Keep driving it without checking Lash, and you are on that track again.

Tomorrow after school I'm going to take a trip to the junkyard. Just to get my terms straight the carrier is the thing that the spider gears are in right and the spider gears would be considered the differential?

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Yes.

Also I can run 4.10 in the back and 3.55 in the front til I get a new front axle? I know I couldnt put it in 4wd.

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Unhook the front axle. Just because it's not in 4wd, the input shaft, and output shaft will be turning at different rates.

I just read this http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=56389 and it seems to be whats wrong with mine. I'm going to tell my dad to pick up a bottle at work(he works at a stealership). Hopefully that will fix it........well at least it cant hurt.

Add the friction modifier but you also need to read what the others have posted and set up those gears. Or you'll get to do it again.

Sarge

I have a chance to get a D30/35 for $50. The only problem is that they're out of a 2.8L Auto and I don't know what ratio they have. Does anyone know? I don't know the year because its sitting on top of a stack of cars and I don't wanna risk having it fall down.

3.73's or 4.11's. Depends on what they grabbed that day.