Bad Rear Diff Bearings

Took the jeep to a shop and the guy said he found out why it was shaking so bad, he said the bearings in the rear end are bad and quoted me 700 bucks to fix. Now im not very familiar with gears, bearings, ring and pinions. all i know is lockers and upgrading gears. So does this seem right? and is this something i could do myself with some help???

good gawd. Thats too much. If the bearings he's referring to are the wheel bearings at the end of the axle tubes, those are easy to swap out. Just requires removing the axle shafts.

If they are carrier bearings or pinion bearing, then you will need to find someone who has the tools and gear experience.

If you know someone with gear install expierence, it isn't a bad job. But essentially you are setting up the differential again, and all your clearances, preloads, and backlash have to be checked and maintained.

It isn't a hard job, but one that requires expierence. A master install kit from randys ring a pinion is about $100 to $125 dollars that includes everything you need to do the job right.

There are a few folks that may be close to your area. Ask around on www.tidewaterfourwheelers.org for some help.

Do you have stock gears? Swap in junkyard axle with gears that match your front. Try www.car-part.com

Cherokeekid88 said:

Took the jeep to a shop and the guy said he found out why it was shaking so bad, he said the bearings in the rear end are bad and quoted me 700 bucks to fix. Now im not very familiar with gears, bearings, ring and pinions. all i know is lockers and upgrading gears. So does this seem right? and is this something i could do myself with some help???

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if the bearings were bad, wouldnt it shake all the time and not stop? i would get a second opinion.

Just assuming that the carrier bearings are the problem, the $700 quoted may not be out of line.

Average gear setup would be about $400.00 (labor for setup and bearing replacement)
Install kit supplied by the shop, lets say $150.00 (shops make a profit on parts)

Now most shops are also going to want to replace the outer bearings and seals and the labor to do so. Let's say another $150.00 for that.

To do all of that, shops are going to be looking at 4-6 hrs shop time for the mechanic or mechanics involved.

Yes, $700.00 is a lot of money, but for what they would be doing, a fair price.

Tim_MN said:

Do you have stock gears? Swap in junkyard axle with gears that match your front. Try www.car-part.com

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And this is probably the best bet if you can do it.

Tim_MN said:

Do you have stock gears? Swap in junkyard axle with gears that match your front. Try www.car-part.com

Click to expand...

if it really is ur rear berrings thats ur cheapest bet. 4 new ubolts, 4 driveshaft bolts and ur ebrake cable and brake cable to unhook. I've done mine before in 40 minutes with nothing but a jack and handtools. also if you have a 35 it would be a perfect time to upgrade if gears are in ur future grab a 44, if stock is fine grab an 8.25 (cheaper/more plentiful) I picked up my 30/8.25 29 spline combo for $150 to replace my axles. A 30 with bad wheel berrings and a melted knuckle (long story) and a turdy5.... which is crap anyway

Cherokeekid88 said:

Took the jeep to a shop and the guy said he found out why it was shaking so bad, he said the bearings in the rear end are bad and quoted me 700 bucks to fix. Now im not very familiar with gears, bearings, ring and pinions. all i know is lockers and upgrading gears. So does this seem right? and is this something i could do myself with some help???

Click to expand...

Swap out that "turdy-5" with a cheap junkyard 29 spline 8.25 if you are still on stock gears. I just swapped my 90 out with a 8.25 that I set-up myself but these axles are cheap, easy to find and are relatively tough.

Well i talked to the guy and he showed me what was happening and was super nice, i made sure i asked questions to make sure he knew what he was talking about and he obviously did. we got to talking about jeeps and i told him about mine and he actually knows my best friends dad, so we got to talking more about his drag car and long story short, he knocked off 100 bucks and told me that i could pay him half when i pick it up today and the other half whenever. But it all seems to add up, the bearings were $200 and some change and then gear oil and lube for the bearings and then pressing the bearings in and reassembling the gears, so all in all its not that bad. but the gf's Xj has the Chryco 8.25. Im the one with the turdy 5 after this work gets done, im thinking about swapping axle on her one night, she'll never notice