Looks like my rear diff is shot

[Screwjack]

Well, I I finally diagnosed a clunking noise I get when I make a low speed right turn. It's coming from the rear end. checked the fluid level in the rear diff and it was over filled. After the excess drained out I re plugged it and th enoises from the rear seem to have gotten worse. Looks like I'm fixing to have to redo the rear diff. Anybody done this before? What am I looking at in terms of cost, both parts and labor. Am I better off just replacing the whole rear axle? I've got a dana 35 on there now and have considered going to a dana 44 but right now I'm looking in terms of cost. I've sunk too much money in this thing lately. As complicated as I've heard doing the gears in the rear dif is, would I be able to just replace the whole rear end w/ a d44 for cheaper than sending it to a shop and having them redo the gears?

[spt14]

Not sure if the cost would be close to the same but my friend rebuilt his dana 30. I think it was like $350 parts and labor but a week later he seen one in a junkyard for $100 or so. Take a look in any junkyards that you know of im sure you can find something.

[sparkchaser]

Is it a factory posi unit?If it is it may need an additive in the rr fluid.I'm not familiar with jeeps but my truck rr raised hell when I got it because it was straight fluid and no additive.Is it clunking or just noisy?

[NCJeepin]

I'm sorry if i missed it posted somewhere else, but what are are you driving?

[Screwjack]

Whoops, yeah, I guess I forgot to say what I was driving. It's a 93 Jeep Wrangler. As far as I know it doesn't need an additive to the fluid. It's clunking, bad enough something deffinately has to be done soon. $350's not bad I can deffinately swing that. I'll check the junk yards first. I think that's my project this coming week, weather permitting.

[NCJeepin]

What engine do you have? I've got a rear end for ya if you can't find one closer...

[Screwjack]

That might be something. Here's what I've got. 93 Wrangler w/ 2.5 engine and D35 rear axle and 35 inchs tires. I think that means it's currently got 4.11 ratio gears (somebody feel free to correct me if that's wrong) So far as I know it has not been regeared. I've got it at AAmco right now getting their free diagnostic, making absolutly certain it's just the gears that are fubar. I'm going to get them to give me a cost and time estimate on them repairing it, but if they tell me it's going to be more than $500 total odds are I'll either replace the gears myself (with a lot of help from a friend that knows a whole lot more about it than I do) or replace the whole axle. What kind of axle have you got NC Jeepin, and where are you located?

[NCJeepin]

I've got a D35 with 4.10s out of a 4 cylinder YJ It should bolt right in. I'm located on Conway SC but can get it as close as Morehead City NC, Could also get it to laurens SC at the end of the month or i might be making a trip to rockingham sunday.

[Screwjack]

Ok, I talked to the guy at AAMCO today, let me see if I can get this all right. I've got 4.88 ratio gears in there now, the problem seems to be with the locker. Since I'm running larger tires, the guy suggested I go down to 33 inch tires (I had considered this anyway) and put in 4.88 ratio gears, but no locker. How much for your d35 NCJeepin? I know I won't be able to do it this weekend, even if I managed to make a decision that quick. I'm not sure if that's what I want to do now, in light of finding out what gears are currently in there. What all am I going to need to buy to do this? I've found a 4.88 ring and pinion for around $190 and about $100 for the install kit. Am I going to have to do anything specificaly to switch from a locking diff to a non locking one? I have never done this, and while I'm not going to be doing it by myself (I will have help from a friend that does know what he's doing), I'd like to get an idea of what I'm doing now, and it will also help me figure out what it's going to cost to do it one way, as opposed to just getting a whole rear end from you NCJ, and bolting it on.