• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

couple ?'s about swapping gears

93xjpos

NAXJA Forum User
Location
nova scotia
i want to put 4.10/11's in my 1993 auto cherokee. is all i need the ring and pinion gears? would gears out of an 89 xj fit in mine? is there a difference between low pinion and high pinion gears?if so how would i tell what my jeep would be? and what gears would my jeep have i cant find a tag on it to find out. its just a sport model automatic.any chance gears out of a danna 35 would work in my 8.25?
 
Gears are specific to each axle, so gears from a dana 35 will not work in a 8.25.
Low pinion means that the pinion enters the axle and contacts the ring gear below the centerline of the axle tubes, where as high pinion is the opposite and enters the axle above the centerline. All XJ's with the exception of the '00 and '01 year are high pinion axles.

You most likely have 3.55 gears, which means the driveshaft will rotate 3.55 times to turn the wheels one revolution. To tell your gears, spin the wheel, or have a friend drive while you lie on the ground and watch the driveshaft spin.

Now to the bigger thing. There is a ton of work and specialized tools to set up gears, its no where near a bolt in affair. Not to be mean, but if you are asking questions like these, you most likely shouldn't be setting up gears. But to answer your question, you will need not only the gears, but also a master install kit with all the shims, bearings, and seals you need for the axle. Used gears are even harder to set up, as they have already been broken in for a different axle, and will make noise most likely in a different axle. You need to make sure your pattern is good when you set up a differential, and that includes setting the proper pinon depth, shimming the carrier to get it in the perfect place, setting the backlash, pinion bearing preload, carrier bearing preload, etc. It takes lots of time, and patience.

Its easier and cheaper to search around for a junkyard that has factory axles that already have 4.10 gears in them. Search around for cherokees with 4 cylinders and manual transmissions.
 
Last edited:
i didnt realize there was so much work. i had a guy do it on my old xj. i brought him the front and rear end i got out of a parts rig,but it was a dana 35. as far as i understood he just swapped everything needed over. he didnt say anything about a master install,shims or anything like that. i had no noises drove the jeep for about 6 months then had rear welded and drove it for another year or so till smashed it. hes now out west so i cant get him to do it again. but if its that much work he only charged me $75 to do it and only took an evening. so mayby i will wait for him to come back.
 
i didnt realize there was so much work. i had a guy do it on my old xj. i brought him the front and rear end i got out of a parts rig,but it was a dana 35. as far as i understood he just swapped everything needed over. he didnt say anything about a master install,shims or anything like that. i had no noises drove the jeep for about 6 months then had rear welded and drove it for another year or so till smashed it. hes now out west so i cant get him to do it again. but if its that much work he only charged me $75 to do it and only took an evening. so mayby i will wait for him to come back.
if that is the case, I would NOT wait for him to come back.

the master install kit should have cost $75 or so by itself, which means 4 new bearings, pinion seal, new ring bolts and pinion nut (which really shouldn't be reused), and new unmangled shims.
you could probably get away with re-using all of that, but it is cheap insurance if you ask me.
 
Back
Top