Jimh64

I just purchased my first 95 Grand Cherokee. When I bought it, the rear axle bearing and seal was shot. Made obvious by the grease all over the drum and the horrible howling sound it is making. Also the pinion seal is leaking.

There are some great posts on these repairs and I am confident I can do them, my question is that when I remove the differential cover, how can I tell if there is any damage to the gears due to the leaking of the fluid and bad bearing? Will it show anything obvious?

Thanks!

Bustedback

Look at the gear oil for a metalic sheen and look at the gears for signs of pitting and chips. Silver flakes in the oil is a sign of a bad bearing.

Jimh64

ok, as I mentioned when I purchased the 95 XJ it had a bad rear passenger side seal and bearing. I replaced both bearings and seals and also cleaned out the differential. Everything looked good inside, no broken teeth no pieces of metal.

I put everything back together and filled it up with Mobile 1 75-90. It is not Limited Slip, so I didn't put any additive in it. I also do no towing.

I backed it out of the drive and it sounded good, however, when I went forward, the howling noise was immediate. I thought maybe the gear oil needed to slosh around a bit, so I went up and down the street, but nothing changed. No noise in reverse, but a howling bearing sound going forward.

It is definitely coming from the back end somewhere. Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks!

Bustedback

Pinion bearing or a carrier bearing.

Jimh64

That's what I was afraid of. Am I better off getting a whole new used axle from a jy that is newer and less miles?

I have seen them for between 200 and 300

Bustedback

I would cost less to swap in a used axle than to rebuild the one you have.

Jimh64

Well, I finally got plates, so I took my Jeep for a run and sure enough, replacing the wheel bearings did not fix the howling noise. It sounds like it is definitely coming from the differential. My son say he can just turn the radio up real loud,,lol! but it is driving me nuts because everything else seems to be ok.

How difficult is it to remove the whole axle? It is a D35C with a 3.73 Ratio. Mine is a 95, do I have to stay with 94 or 95 or can I get a newer year with fewer miles?

I don't want to go through the time to switch out the axles and then find the donor one has the same issues.

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated!

ok93zj

You can get one up to a 99 I believe. I replaced my 93 zj's 35c with a 96 zj d44a. It's a direct bolt in upgrade. And may I suggest to take the control arms if the bushing look good. Learn from my mistake.

Jimh64

So i can use a Dana 44 Also? which one is better?

ok93zj

Yes and ppl will say that the d44a is weak because it has the housing and it doesn't have a lot of aftermarket support. But I have had no problem with mine and and it is stronger than a turdy five.

Bustedback

For a daily driver the D44a will work just fine, and it is a bit stronger than the D35. It's super easy to swap the axle, four control arm bolts two shock bolts, one track bat bolt, the driveshaft, and the brake lines and cables are the only things that need to be removed. It's about a 45 minute job to get the axle out.