[rsrxc700]

Have a major grinding noise coming out of front end. Removed the front diff fill plug and the fluid is all metalic. I will pull the cover in the AM to see what happened. My question is which is cheaper and/or eaiser, replace whole alxe assembly with used one, or rebuild diff. I always do my own repairs, but have never set up a diff. before. I have always just put in a "new" junk yard axle. 98 Grand 5.2L 249

Thanks!

 

[CSMDakota]

I just faced this with the rear axle.

In my case I wanted an upgrade from the Dana 35 so I bought a junk yard Dana 44HD.

The way I see it:

Swapping Whole Axle Assembly:
Pro - Easy to do
Pro - Probably not too much $
Con - You take a risk with used hardware

Rebuilding:
Pro - You end up with all 'new' internals
Con - Not easy to do (setting backlash etc)
Con - Probably more $, depending what all needs replaced.

There are tons of Dana 30 front ends out there, you might be able to find one with few miles on it to lower the risk. http://car-part.com/ will allow you to look nation wide, most places should give you mileage and gear ratios.

Get a good data point on a used axle then weigh the cost/risk and go from there.

Good Luck,
--CSMDakota--

 

[ballsout1]

woa, i would autopsy it first, damage might be just bearings. you could get lucky. if you dissassemble it and find that just make a note of where your shims are at and rebearing....it might be a spider problem too.. i`m always a little leary of used stuff but i will agree that theres a time and place for it. find out where your at first. diff stuff isnt that bad if you can take your time with it. theres some short cuts to the "text" way too but you still have to be careful and real concious of what your doing. i think if you doo most of your work yourself and if you can tie the vehicle up for a bit i would tear into it..it might be a good experience for you.

 

[JayH]

woa, i would autopsy it first, damage might be just bearings. you could get lucky. if you dissassemble it and find that just make a note of where your shims are at and rebearing....it might be a spider problem too.. i`m always a little leary of used stuff but i will agree that theres a time and place for it. find out where your at first. diff stuff isnt that bad if you can take your time with it. theres some short cuts to the "text" way too but you still have to be careful and real concious of what your doing. i think if you doo most of your work yourself and if you can tie the vehicle up for a bit i would tear into it..it might be a good experience for you.

[smilie=bal_cool.gif]

Agreed. The stuff is not rocket science and if you take the time to learn why everything is in its place, it's a great confidence booster.

 

[teppy]

Have a major grinding noise coming out of front end. Removed the front diff fill plug and the fluid is all metalic. I will pull the cover in the AM to see what happened. My question is which is cheaper and/or eaiser, replace whole alxe assembly with used one, or rebuild diff. I always do my own repairs, but have never set up a diff. before. I have always just put in a "new" junk yard axle. 98 Grand 5.2L 249

Thanks!

You need to replace the assembly. First, loosen the front wheel lug nuts, but don't remove. Use a floor jack when lifting up the front of the vehicle. Check this out, how to replace an axle assembly for complete procedures.

 

[justdifferentials]

Grand noisy diffs

Being in the differential industry I have seen HUNDREDS of grand cherokees in for differential bearings. It seems as though there were many QC issues at dana and many have over preloaded bearings leading to premature failure. Because this is SOOO common I would NOT reccomend the bone yard as a source for a replacement. I think its actually much easier to re-bearing your existing diff than to swap out for a complete. And it is quite a bit less money. Most the time you can just replace all the bearings. If its been run a long time it might need more.

Have a major grinding noise coming out of front end. Removed the front diff fill plug and the fluid is all metalic. I will pull the cover in the AM to see what happened. My question is which is cheaper and/or eaiser, replace whole alxe assembly with used one, or rebuild diff. I always do my own repairs, but have never set up a diff. before. I have always just put in a "new" junk yard axle. 98 Grand 5.2L 249

Thanks!

 

[yardape52]

From my readings rebuilding an axle requires specialized skills that should be left in the hands of people who do it every day with the appropriate equipment. I'm not saying at all that it can't be done though. On my XJ I'm running a front junkyard axle w/ 4.10's that I purchased for $200 over a decade ago. I figured that the demands on a front axle are not nearly as severe as the rear since most people don't engage 4 wheels most of the time. It was a bet but in my case the bet paid off except that it needs new seals. I just make sure that I keep it filled. One of these days I'll get around to it but then its not my daily driver. Its been a long time since I looked into the cost of rebuilding an axle but as I recall it was well over $1000. I know Jasper rebuilds axles but they won't insure them if used off-road. Also, I bet as a result of the Cash for Clunkers program there are al lot more boneyard parts available. You just can't snatch the engines. LOL

 

[reagd]

I just faced this with the rear axle.

In my case I wanted an upgrade from the Dana 35 so I bought a junk yard Dana 44HD.

The way I see it:

Swapping Whole Axle Assembly:
Pro - Easy to do
Pro - Probably not too much $
Con - You take a risk with used hardware

Rebuilding:
Pro - You end up with all 'new' internals
Con - Not easy to do (setting backlash etc)
Con - Probably more $, depending what all needs replaced.

There are tons of Dana 30 front ends out there, you might be able to find one with few miles on it to lower the risk. O will allow you to look nation wide, most places should give you mileage and gear ratios.

Get a good data point on a used axle then weigh the cost/risk and go from there.

Good Luck,
--CSMDakota--

Finally, just got into some solution. I've been googling for some nice threads about axle assemblies glad I found this one.

 

[RumblinZJ]

Another option, pull the axle and have a pro rebuild it. I'll be doing this in the near future. $250 plus parts. Upper CA bushings labor included.

 

[RockZJ]

There is absolutely no need to replace the entire axle assembly. This is completely unnecessary. Pinion bearings, or even carrier bearings are nothing major and are a simple fix. The only specialized tool need to do the pinion bearings would be an inch pound torque wrench to set the proper pinion bearing preload.

You can always have a professional rebuild it but be weary of a mechanic who is eager to take the job and isnt charging much. Unless you two are pals and you know his track record I would take it to a specialty or 4-Wheel Drive shop. Even with this posting being close to four years old I think its important that people realize these simple facts rather than causing unneeded frustration with replacing the entire unit. Like previously mentioned, getting a junkyard unit you run into the same potential problems. Good luck

RockZJ