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Dana 35 how bad really?

L

LostintheWoods

NAXJA Forum User
Location
canada
I've got a stock 94 i use for a daily as well as trips to and into the rockies(logging roads or they used to be 1000 years ago i think, washboard gravel and stream crossings) . I plan a R.E. 3.5-4.5 lift and 32's or 33's. I have the dreaded dana 35 rear and was wondering how soon it will crap out and what the most cost effective way to fix or replace is. I realize the questions have been asked before but its a 10 people 10 different answers thing.......
 
If you're not too hard on it it'll be O.K. but if you're going to hammer it you should at least do the Superior super 35 upgrade or equal. But for that $$ you could get a boneyard XJ D44 for $160 or less if you're willing to pull it yourself; it's a direct bolt in and the tubes are 1/4" larger O.D. while the shafts are a little more than 10% larger. Another popular swap is the Ford 8.8 which is more available but will take more work to fit you're XJ.
 
Don't bother with the super 35 upgrade. You can swap in an Explorer Ford 8.8 rear axle with 31 spline axleshafts and disc brakes for less than the cost of the super 35 and you'll have a much stronger axle. A D44 would be a good second choice but it's still not as strong as the 8.8.
 
Some people are so down on the D35 that they want you to think they'll break if you just look at them wrong. The truth is that with stock engine, open diffs, and up to 30" tires they are perfectly fine. But you're planning 32" or taller tires. In that case--like Dyno said--I would recommend a Ford 8.8" or a Dana 44.

Which one of those two really depends on what you can find the cheapest at your local junkyards. A 44 out of an XJ would be the easiest swap, but might be hard to find. The degree of difficulty for a Ford 8.8" is about the same as adapting a D44 from something other than an XJ--both require some work.

Good luck.
 
I broke my d35 on open diff's with 32's, on flat ground, with almost no throttle - i was making a u-turn on a solid rock slab.
 
LostintheWoods said:
I've got a stock 94 i use for a daily as well as trips to and into the rockies(logging roads or they used to be 1000 years ago i think, washboard gravel and stream crossings) . I plan a R.E. 3.5-4.5 lift and 32's or 33's. I have the dreaded dana 35 rear and was wondering how soon it will crap out and what the most cost effective way to fix or replace is. I realize the questions have been asked before but its a 10 people 10 different answers thing.......
Click to expand...

I drive an 85 wagoneer with the non c-clip d35 with a 2.5 inline four. The first d35 went out with a bang. I was in park on the side of the road and put it in drive and gave it about half of the pedal and I got a loud bang out of the rear and stopped moving. Got out and seen a hole in my diff cover. I could not go anywhere because my tranfer case was ruined by the previous owner and would not lock in so I pushed it down the road to a small parking lot and used a big log and some big rocks to block the tires. Got it home and seen that the pin had alot of play and came out, broke in half and took out my spider gears. Got another d35 for $50.00 put it in and it lasted about a year when it broke Memorial weekend by blowing out the pinion and bearings. My jeep has a 3" lift with 31" BFG all terrains with only a 2.5 inline fourand I do wheel it pretty hard. So I think if you wheel it lightly to some moderate wheeling than you should be ok for awhile but not forever. I am going with the 8.8 right now because I don't want to have to deal with this again for a long time. Drive it till it breaks than go with the 8.8.

Kim.
 
I have a 88 with a d35 non c clip. I have been wheelin it since 97. It had an re 3' with ez locker in it until 01. I did alot of trails with it that way. I put 33"s on it in 01 and did the Dusy Ershim trail 3 times on that d35. Last year I did the Rubicon with it and broke an axle on old big sluice. I was pushing way too hard at the time and I knew it. My bad. I have a XJ D44 but chose to save it for my MJ build. I opted for the super 35. I already had 4.56 gears in the 35 so the cost difference between gears/locker for the 44 and the super 35 kit was negligible. If I would have factored in the cost of purchasing the 44 too, it would have more expensive than the super 35. Sooo, it mostly comes down to two things. 1. How well do you maintain your vehicle? proper maintenance is a must for long life, and 2. How do you drive? If you drive like a 16 year old in Dad's rig, you will break it. If you are careful and crawl over obstacles, it can last a long time. I have 35"s on it now and haven't had any problems yet. Still have the 30 up front too.
 
I dunno why everyone trashes the Dana 35. Mine is a 1989 example with 300,000 miles, and I do off-roading, sometimes a litte harsher than I should but they have held up fine. I run LT235-75/15 tires.

If I had to, I would replace with the Ford axle.

--Karl
 
skwerlhauper said:
I have a 88 with a d35 non c clip. I have been wheelin it since 97. It had an re 3' with ez locker in it until 01. I did alot of trails with it that way. I put 33"s on it in 01 and did the Dusy Ershim trail 3 times on that d35. Last year I did the Rubicon with it and broke an axle on old big sluice. I was pushing way too hard at the time and I knew it. My bad. I have a XJ D44 but chose to save it for my MJ build. I opted for the super 35. I already had 4.56 gears in the 35 so the cost difference between gears/locker for the 44 and the super 35 kit was negligible. If I would have factored in the cost of purchasing the 44 too, it would have more expensive than the super 35. Sooo, it mostly comes down to two things. 1. How well do you maintain your vehicle? proper maintenance is a must for long life, and 2. How do you drive? If you drive like a 16 year old in Dad's rig, you will break it. If you are careful and crawl over obstacles, it can last a long time. I have 35"s on it now and haven't had any problems yet. Still have the 30 up front too.
Click to expand...

What he said. Don't thrash it and you'll be fine. I took a locked D35 with 33s around Tellico without any problems, and we weren't doing the light stuff, either.
 
I agree 100%. Everyone's definition of "fourwheeling" is different. Some consider off-roading to be a dirt road with rain ruts, some 4' boulders and rock cliffs. I personally drive on some rugged woods trails, but I don't stand on the gas up rocks as my Jeep bounces and screams. I slowly crawl over things, and my axle is fine with 4.10s and 33s. Don't thrash the darn thing, and you'll be ok.
 
85xjwoody said:
Got another d35 for $50.00
Click to expand...

This says it all. Quality costs money! And as an added bonus, if you break a shaft your wheel falls off.
 
I say score a set of cheap stock shafts and keep them with you. Wheel it until it breaks, until then save your money for a D44 or other axle. People think you have to have the best to do any wheeling. Just go do it. Don't worry about what everybody says. Use your head and not the gas pedal. During this time you will learn a lot about wheeling from trial and error. That is how you become a good driver. It isn't by purchasing the latest gizmo. Its by seat time. Most of the best drivers learned with small tires and open diff's. I can tell you I did a lot more wheeling back then than I get to now, and had a lot more fun.

I can tell you I have seen Jon Jacobs do things with a stock Cherokee that would absolutely astound most of you. Just a word of wisdom, don't ever dare him to do anything.:laugh3:
 
Last edited:
barillms said:
I agree 100%. Everyone's definition of "fourwheeling" is different. Some consider off-roading to be a dirt road with rain ruts, some 4' boulders and rock cliffs. I personally drive on some rugged woods trails, but I don't stand on the gas up rocks as my Jeep bounces and screams. I slowly crawl over things, and my axle is fine with 4.10s and 33s. Don't thrash the darn thing, and you'll be ok.
Click to expand...
What he said
 
Thanks guys. I'm fairly competant with the off-road driving stuff(military driver). I'm just a newb when it comes to jeeps and heard horror stories about the d35, I feel better about it now though.........32's with sensible throttle should keep things together for a while then?
 
LostintheWoods said:
Thanks guys. I'm fairly competant with the off-road driving stuff(military driver). I'm just a newb when it comes to jeeps and heard horror stories about the d35, I feel better about it now though.........32's with sensible throttle should keep things together for a while then?
Click to expand...


I had 32's, sensible throttle, and i broke my dana 35 on more or less flat ground. I had it in low range, used the throttle and the steering wheel at the same time on rock. Under normal circumstance the tires would have chirped a little, being in 4lo on rock and turning, but the dana 35 was weaker than the traction on my well worn off brand non MT/AT tires (remington wide brutes). Run on the 35, but start looking for a 29 spline 8.25/d44 cheap and put it aside, cuz the d35 will eventually break.
 
LostintheWoods said:
on the hunt for a d44 even now......all over it like a fat kid on a chocolate.

are there variants on th d44 or will any xj d44 fit?
Click to expand...

Any xj d44 should fit no problem. Just make sure the gears ratio is the same as your front.

Kim.
 
stupid question, how does a person find out what gears are in the front(yes I may be in over my head a little with a rear end swap but what the hell...)
 
LostintheWoods said:
stupid question, how does a person find out what gears are in the front(yes I may be in over my head a little with a rear end swap but what the hell...)
Click to expand...

I swapped in an axle with one friend helping and it took us about two hours. That was my first swap and fairly easy so I don't see you having any problems if you have some mechanical skills. As for finding out how to see what gears you have I found the numbers stamped on my ring gear and called a local gear shop and they told me what they were. There are other ways to find out your gear ratio. Do some searching and you should come up with a few threads about this.

Kim.
 
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