I was told my read diff is shot along with a couple of joints. I need to know a few things on this. One, can I change from a D35 to D44 without shaving or shortening my drive shaft? I was told it would have to be done to fit. Two, do I buy a new one or just replace the stuff inside it. Three, where is a good instructional write up on how to change differentials, joints and do transfer case work.

Thanks.
W

 

The D44 will fit no mods needed,the only thing that you might need is u-bolts due to size of the axle tubes. Unless you are familiar with replacing ring and pinions i would just buy another rearend with the correct ratio.

 

with the dana44, you will need a shorter driveshaft. best to just get the one out of the jeep the 44 came from, if possible.

u-joints are easy to change. you can either buy the tool from a jobber or harbor freight, not very expensive.
or just use a bench vise, a couple sockets and a bfh.

changing diffs, if you mean gear swaps, it's a little more involved with proper dial gauges.

transfer cases are just a simple re and re. unless you mean getting inside to replace a chain.

some sites are jeephorizons.com, jeeptech.com there are more and probably better ones, others may contribute.

 

I used the drive shaft that was already in mine which was a 35,mine is lifted 4",maybe that is why I did not have to use another driveshaft,I left the one for the 44 in the jy. If you can do grab the driveshaft to make sure.

 

Gear ratios i know nothing about as well. My 35 is bad, so i figured why not upgrade to a 44? Now would be the time. Are the gears not already set in a rear end when you buy it?

 

When you buy a rearend make sure the ratio is the same as your front diff,you will not have to do anything to the rearend other than clean it if you want and put fresh oil in it,and make sure brakes and wheel cylinders are good.

 

Hey there, Weston. Finding a D44 is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, so if you find one from an '87 XJ with towing package, you're doing really well. Realize, however, that they will be 20+ years old, and may not have been maintained, so you may be right back to the same problem you have now, which is fragged innards that need to be replaced.

Swapping out axles is pretty easy assuming you follow the directions in the Factory Service Manual or a Chilton if the FSM is not available. The most difficult part is bleeding the brakes, and even that is not all that difficult. Back in the day I swapped axles from an '87 XJ into my '89 XJ (four axles being swapped total) and it took me about two days to do the job on my back in my driveway with jackstands and breaker bars. Now I have a hoist, a forklift, and air tools, so it would only take me a few hours now.

Hose all the bolts down with PB Blaster or equivalent like a week in advance, daily, to loosen up the rusted-*** bolts which you'll undoubtedly encounter. If you have a torch of any sort, sometimes heat works well to break them loose as well.

Follow the manual step by step, and you literally can't go wrong.

Let us know if you find a large pile of '87 XJ D44 axles around, and we'll pay you to ship them to us, LOL!

Kevin

 

Thanks guys, I found a diff with a locking switch about 45 minutes away, it comes with the rest of the jeep! 400 bucks with no brakes. I figure 170 for header panel, lights, and grilles and over 300 for rear, not including joints...might as well buy this for 400 and have a few spare parts. Will call later today and update. Thanks again!

The jeep sold in less than five hours. Back to square one.

 

And how do I match the ratios? How do I know what gear ratio a D30 is? Are all 35 the same ratio?

 

Yours is probably 3.07,if there is not a tag on the diff cover that says what it is,the pull the diff cover and look at the numbers on the ring gear,look for the tooth count that will be 43-14 for example. You can look at either diff as they are the same.