Throwing a Grand Cherokee 44 in the back of the cherokee

[Jared]

My friend has a ZJ with an iron rear dana 44. Not all of them were aluminum. Check before you buy.

Jaredatriot:

 

[cherokeekid]

My friend has a ZJ with an iron rear dana 44. Not all of them were aluminum. Check before you buy.

Jaredatriot:

if it's iron it has either been swapped in or it was shipped in from S america.

ZJ/WJ only came with AL44 or D35, some books say 8.25 also, but no one has ever stepped up to verify it.

 

[Beezil]

if it's iron it has either been swapped in or it was shipped in from S america.

ZJ/WJ only came with AL44 or D35, some books say 8.25 also, but no one has ever stepped up to verify it.

not iron.

center sections are cast steel.

big difference.

 

[cherokeekid]

not iron.

center sections are cast steel.

big difference.

they are reffered to as Iron44 by all the guys with ZJ/WJ's I would guess only because sounds cooler not because they are :roll:

 

[TiRod]

I'm reopening this thread - because I just ran across a Superperformance Web page stating their authorized Cobra replicar uses an alumininum differential with D44 gears.

Yes, I see some apples and oranges. At this price level they could even get Dana to special make them, but I doubt it if they are already in production for the Grand. And a light, 2200 pound replicar with 400 HP is a different kind of stress than articulating a 4000 Cherokee with 200 HP. Differential strength is important - especially with 35" + tires torquing the axle tubes.

But, and a big but, ( don't you like big buts?) if you can get some kind of traction control and run 31's, whats the problem? A D44 is still built to take more stress than a 35 - and it is under a GC. Putting it under the lighter Cherokee will only increase the performance margin, just like putting a 94 Mustang drivetrain in a Cobra replicar increases the performance and reduces breakage. After all, a drivetrain built for a heavier car put in a lighter one is common to reduce breakage - not because we want a 450 pound axle.

I'm not recommending this course of action for rockcrawlers - but stuff built for that extreme form of fourwheeling isn't necessarily the best for a daily driver. Or so the guys running D60's say.

It's all a moot point if no locker is available - but again, it doesn't make it a POS for everybody. It seems to work OK in the GC, and there hasn't been a lot of street talk like the Aerostar or Dodge Cummins pickup.

I'd run one - sure makes putting on discs easy - they'd come with it.

Maybe we need to rethink what's really going on here as availability of the iron D44 gets scarcer.

 

[ECKSJAY]

Maybe we need to rethink what's really going on here as availability of the iron D44 gets scarcer.

That's easy: It's not a Dana 44.

Chrysler had these made specifically for them by Dana and insisted that it be called a 44, though it was not a DANA model 44. It's c-clip and aluminum housing. The only thing 44 is the name, and some bearings share interchangeability...but then so do a lot of Dana axles.

In conclusion, if you want to run disks and have something to call a '44', go for it. I'd rather my Jeep sit inop on jackstands before I'd put one or a 35 in it.

 

[RCP Phx]

I'm reopening this thread - because I just ran across a Superperformance Web page stating their authorized Cobra replicar uses an alumininum differential with D44 gears.

No axle tubes involved here,thats a center scetion only w/ half-shafts!

 

[gregmondro]

what a waste of a swap

Grand Cherokees have LOW PINION D30s with CV Joints instead of u-joints. The d44 behind them is a D44a. Doesn't share parts with real d44s.

Do some research on NAGCA before you waste your time and money.

 

[5-90]

I don't think anyone said it isn't a stock axle. I think people are telling you that this "deal" comes with a LOT of red flags.

The ZJ and WJ "Dana 44s" both have aluminum center sections, and do not accept standard internal parts. They also bend and warp. At one time, Chrysler rejected a huge shipment of new axles because the weight of the center sections caused them to sag and bend during shipping from Dana. The last I knew (which was ahile ago), Tractech had said they would not offer a Detroit Locker for the aluminum D44 because they didn't think the housing was strong enough to handle the loads that would be put on it. The FSM for the '99 WJ specifically says NOT to jack up the back end with a floor jack under the differential because it'll bend the axle tubes (actually the housing where the tubes fit in). Does that give you some idea how strong it isn't?

I had one in a WJ. It whined something awful, starting at about 4000 miles. Dealership reset it, and it started whining again soon after. Factory sent in a special technician to work on my WJ (it had other problems, too). He spent a full week doing nothing but my WJ. The rear axle made more noise after he "fixed" it than it did before he touched it.

Forget the price. You are not getting a "deal" here. That axle isn't worth anything, so if it's a factory what you're really looking at here is a $300 Dana 30. If that's a good deal to you, go for it. Otherwise, walk away. Quickly.

The fact that it is described as a factory axle with a Detroit suggests that he either doesn't know what he has; he's not being truthful; or Tractech is offering a Detroit for the aluminum D44. I don't know how to tell the difference visually, especially from photos. Up close and personal, I'd just slap a magnet on the housing and see if it stuck but I assume that's not an option for you.

You forgot one other potential option - it's an upgrade by the PO, and it just happens to be a D44 under a ZJ/WJ.

If you're not sure, take a magnet when you go look. If it stick to the centre section, you're good. If it doesn't, then don't look back. You won't raise enough from scrap metal to make the price you pay come down to what a D30 is worth, and I haven't finished my crossover guide to tell you what else the shafts will fit (but if you can give me a BoM number off of the axle tube, I can look it up especially. I just haven't sorted the guide out yet, and won't get to it for a little while - I'm working on gathering and sorting casting numbers at the moment...)

5-90

 

[TiRod]

I understand the concern about parts, or even the ability to call it a real D44 simply because it doesn't share commonality. But ratios don't share common carriers at the extremes, either, and various BOM's don't always cross over.

As for strength issues with the center section, that's why trusses are built - one that bolts on the the diff cover pattern would work. Admittedly the point of diminishing returns comes into play, but for the DY'er who fabs, lack of cash flow is sometimes the mother of ingenuity. I've seen plenty of photos of trussed up D44s - I guess they were too weak to handle that combination of tire size and driving style.

Knowing what Dana rates them in terms of 1k pounds per degree bending across the differential would be helpful, especially in comparison to others in their product line. It doesn't mean the D44a is worthwhile, but F1 racers bolt the front subframe to the engine, the rear suspension on the transaxle. The aluminum engines don't seem to care and turn 15,000 RPM+ in the corners. So just because its an aluminum center section in the D44a really means nothing. Its the engineereed degree deflection and availability of upgrades that matter. I'm certainly reasonable enough to listen to caution in those areas.

My wallet gets the final say, often enough.

 

[CanMan]

They use the same gears as the 'D44s' found in Corvettes and Vipers. Check out Summit racing or Jegs if you want to polish a turd.