Hello All,

For the past week I've been noticing a slight rubbing/grinding noise coming from the rear of my 92 2WD XJ. I checked the drive shaft for play, it seemed to be fine. I assumed it was my bearings, I figure I'd replace them this week, but while driving to my GF's pad, the grinding was louder, and all of the sudden I felt a slight tug and snap. The car wouldn't move, the drive shaft spins and I can shift into every gear. I'm assuming my Dana 35C is broken since I am running 31's and love to play in the dirt from time to time. My question is, where should I start to diagnose the problem? Should just fork out the $300 and slap in a Dana 44 or C 8.25 to avoid future breakage? Help!!

 

Jack it up with the e brake off. Bet you can pull a wheel right out.

 

Hahaha! With my luck I probably can. If so, would this be an easy or inexspensive fix? Or should I just save myself the trouble and replace it with a stronger unit (D44 or 8.25)? My XJ is a 2WD 4.0L Manual. Which gears would i be looking for? I found a D35 for $100 and a D44 for $300 that has 3.54 gears.

 

grab that dana 44 i just did a swap from a d35 to a chrysler 8.25 and paid 250 for it. 300 for a d44 is insanely gud. at least in my area. and since ur 2wd u dont need to worry about matching the exact same gears up as ur d35 either

 

Thanks for the reply, I am crossing my fingers I can snag that D44, I've been wanting a 8.25 or D44 for a while now. I figured it would be a matter of time before I broke the D35C. HAHA I am a lil rough of her on the dirt trails. How long did it take you to do the swap? Is there any torque specs I should be aware of?? Help!

 

Very simple swap. The only part you gotta be sure of is bleeding the brakes. Oh and get the u bolts with it. They're different.

 

Cool, I the U Bolts come with this D44 too. But Since I have a 3" RC lift I guess I'll be using those instead??

 

The axle tubes are different sizes from the 35 to the 44. Idk are you gonna check out your 35 to see if its a simple fix or are you set on this 44? And where are you getting it?

 

Well I called the guy that had the D44. Apparently he has already sold it. It looks like I will have to go with a Dana 35 Non C-Clip just to get my daily driver back on the road. So I guess I will be using my old U Bolts.

 

It's.probably a fairly easy fix.now. if.you broke an axle its. Really easy to replace. Bearings arent bad.either.

 

I'll jack my car up when I get home and yank on the tires to see if the tire pops out. ha! But since i live in Los Angeles I gotta take what comes my way and get my bucket back on the road. I'll follow up with pics later. Thanks for all your help!

 

ok, well I jacked up the rear end, pulled on the tires and nothing. very slight play in on the passenger side. pulled off my tires, pulled on the axles, still nothing. next is to open the diff cap. what should I expect to find?? nobody has got back to me about the rear ends that I wanted to buy. lameo!!

 

Put it in neutral and spin the driveshaft and tell us what happens.

 

hahaha you know what happens?? nothing at all. ha!! I pulled the cap off and found that all my bolts inside the housing were busted. I only found 3 busted bolts sitting at the bottom of the diff!! not to mention a few broken teeth on the drive shaft gear. pics to follow shortly.

 

photos did work, I'll try again...