ccharc

Good morning. First.... i am no mechanic! AND i'm a newbie. i just bought a '95 cherokee country. I received this build sheet from chrysler customer assistance yesterday by sending them the vin#. As you can see its quite detailed. It says that that it has a corporate 8.25 differential. it's making a metal to metal sound with what seems to be every revolution of the tires. it is consistently speeding up and slowing down with the vehicle. my son and i have had it apart we did notice that there was lots of play in the spider gears but other than that we didn't know what we were looking for. long story.... we ran out of time and put it back together while waiting for new spider gears. i've since been told that it is more likely the ring and pinion gear. what i can tell you for sure is that there is a chrysler logo embossed in the diff casting, the axel has 27 splines and as best as i could measure the ring gear was 8.25". In this article, http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Jeep_Li...rysler_8.25%22 , it claims that a corporate 8.25 has 29 splines. whats up? i would prefer to swap out the entire rear end rather than monkey with working on ring and pinion nightmare. any thoughts on what rear end i should be looking for , year, model etc, that will fit under this otherwise great vehicle? any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

VIN 1J4FJ78S0SL659150
Vehicle Description JEEP CHEROKEE
Model Year 1995
Body Model XJ J L 74
Color PV1- Light Pearlstone
ISD 07/28/1995

Sales Code Description
*R7 Cloth Low-Back Bucket Seats
ADAP Light Group
ADH Heavy Duty Electrical Group
AED Chrome Appearance Group
APAS Monotone Paint
ARXP Country Decor Group
AWH Power Equipment Group
BARP 90 Amp Alternator
BCDP 500 Amp Maintenance Free Battery
BGAS Power Front Disc/Rear Drum Brakes
CACP Low Back Bucket Seats
CBZP Prem Vinyl Door Trim w/Map Pocket
CDBP Reclining Front Seats
CFMS Rear Fold w/Removable Cushion Seat
CGTS Driver Air Bag Only
CKAS Carpets - Floor and Cargo Area
CKNS Cargo Compartment Carpet
CKTP Cargo Tie Down Loops
CKVP MOPAR All Weather Mats
CKWP Carpeted Liftgate Trim Panel
CLEP Front & Rear Floor Mats
CSAP Spare Tire Cover
CSRS Passenger Assist Handles
CUFP Full Length Floor Console
CUN Overhead Console
DGB All 4-Speed Automatic Transmissions
DGSS 4-Speed Automatic AW4 Transmission
DHAS Lock-Up Torque Converter
DHNS Command-Trac Part Time 4WD System
DHSS Floor Mount Automatic Shift Lever
DJHS Dana M30/181MM Front Axle
DMDS 3.55 Rear Axle Ratio
DRAS Corporate 8.25 Rear Axle
EAAC All Engines
ERH 4.0L I6 Power Tech Engine
GAL Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass
GBBS Tinted Windshield Glass
GCBS Front Door Tinted Glass
GEHS Fixed Door Vent Glass
GFA Rear Window Defroster
GNCP Sun Visors w/Illum Vanity Mirrors
GRJP Left Power Chrome Mirror
GSJP Right Power Chrome Mirror
GTJP Power Mirrors
GVBC All Vehicles W/Power Mirrors
GXMP Remote Keyless Entry
HAAP Air Conditioning
HGDP Deluxe Insulation Group
JAYP Instrument Cluster w/Tach
JBGP Instrument Panel Woodgrain Bezel
JCAS 85 MPH Primary Speedometer
JHAS Var Intermittent Windshield Wipers
JHBP Rear Window Wiper/Washer
JJAS Cigar Lighter
JJBS Dual Note Electric Horns
JPAP Power Windows
JPBP Power Locks
JPS Power 6-Way Driver Seat
LAJS Headlamps On Warning Chimes
LBBP Courtesy Lamps
LBCS Glove Box Lamp
LBDP Ash Tray Lamp
LBEP Cigar Lighter
LDAP Underhood Lamp
LDBP Cargo Compartment Lamp
LHDP Headlamp Off Time Delay
LMAS Halogen Headlamps
LPSS CHMSL Lamp
MCAP Front Bumper Guards
MDA Front License Plate Bracket
MFMP Black/Bright Grille
MHAS Black Windshield Moldings
MKGP Bright Front Bumper
MKHP Bright Rear Bumper
MMCS Rear Qtr Solid Window Insert
MMGS Belt Moldings
MMKS Body Color Drip Trough Molding
MNCP Bright Door Handles
MUEP Pearlstone Badging
MWGP Roof Rack
NAAS Federal Emissions
NBKS EVAP Control System
NFAS 20 Gallon Fuel Tank
NHMP Speed Control
PV1 Light Pearlstone
QV1S Lt. Pearlstone Pearl Coat
RAAC All Radio Equipped Vehicles
RAFP AM/FM Cassette Radio
RCG 6 Speakers
RDDS Fixed Long Mast Antenna
SBAS Power Steering
SCGP Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
SDAS Normal Duty Suspension
SHAS Front Stabilizer Bar
SHCS Rear Stabilizer Bar
SUAP Tilt Steering Column
TBCS Compact Spare Tire
TBLS Inside Mounted Spare Tire
TRVP P225/70R15 Eagle GA OWL AS Tires
TZAP Goodyear Brand Tires
WJ1P 15X7.0 Aluminum 5-Spoke Wheels
WLZC All Aluminum Wheels
YAAS Build To U.S. Mkt. Specifications

freegdr

Late 96 and up got 29 spline yours if still factory is gonna be 27 spline . Only way to confirm is pull a axle and count them.

PocketsEmpty

Late 96-01 rear axles would be a good swap, Ford 8.8's with a little fabrication. Just be sure to avoid the Dana 35.

ccharc

i have access to a dana 35 that only has 50k and i do no off road. how do you feel about that?

PocketsEmpty

You'd probably be okay if you don't do any offroading or towing. Just general driving, you'd probably be fine. Anything more than that, keep looking. Don't pay a lot for it!

ccharc

One more question. so this entire rear end should be a direct fit? that is to say, unbolt from junk jeep...... bolt up to mine? i really appreciate your help.

67 GMC

I don't know if I would consider removing an entire rear end a "bolt-up" kind of job. Lots of bolts, u-joint, brakes, springs, shocks, e-brake, brake lines to be removed and replaced etc. How rusty is your donor Jeep, will you need to cut it out due to bolts on suspension parts being rusted solid.

I think it would be a lot of work if you were only swapping like for like but their are probably others on here that could advise if swapping in something different is easy to do.

ccharc

.....current diff is making a metal to metal sound with what seems to be every revolution of the tires, . it is consistently speeding up and slowing down with the vehicle. my son and i have had it apart we did notice that there was lots of play in the spider gears but other than that we didn't know what we were looking for. if the spider gears were bad enough could they be my problem? i have a new set complete with axel gears,shims etc.

PocketsEmpty

If it is from a junked Cherokee, then yes it will bolt up.

It's really not that bad. It depends on the donor axle--it would already have brakes and stuff on it most likely. It will be a bolt up job if the donor axle is from a Cherokee already. Shocks are no big deal, but you do have to worry about the bolts breaking, the lower bolts particularly. Happened to mine, just had to weld a new one on. E-brake cables aren't difficult...the main brake line for both rear wheels isn't too bad, but you'll have to bleed them. Driveshafts are just 4 bolts with some loctite.

Overall, it is likely way cheaper and easier to swap a donor axle in then to take the current axle to a shop, get it checked out, and get new gears put in it. That's going to cost a lot more than an axle from the junkyard.

They could be the issue. But if you already have new gears and shims and stuff, then you're already halfway to rebuilding your current axle. But it's a pretty complex job--not for the average backyard mechanic--I hope you know this! Have you tried putting the Jeep on some solid jackstands, and maybe (very carefully of course) put the Jeep in gear and apply some gas to see if the noise is in fact coming from the axle? You never know, it could be as simple as a driveshaft U-joint.

67 GMC

I don't know, the OP said he was a newbie. I know I get frustrated if the bolts are stripped, broken etc. I see lots of Cherokees in that age range for under $1000 up here. Sometimes it's better not to get too attached to the one you start with. A hundred dollars here and there starts to add up and unless you're sure the body, transmission and engine are good, do you want to tie up a lot of cash in a rear end, new shocks, springs, brakes, brake lines etc.

I had a Suburban that I wanted to fix up but I got to a point where it was giving little return on investment due to all the issues. It had a rear end (diff) issue that my mechanic didn't want to fix and numerous control module, wiring harness issues. The kicker was the leaking intake manifold gasket and the Dexcool coolant oozing out so I traded for the Cherokee and haven't looked back.

Your call-this forum is a godsend for advice. Good luck.

Turbo X_J

"it's making a metal to metal sound with what seems to be every revolution of the tires. it is consistently speeding up and slowing down with the vehicle."

Wheel bearings and or brakes - drums. Spiders only come into play on turns.