I did the diff fluid today, front and rear, and was wondering when they should be rebuilt? I have 180,xxx on the odom and they appear to be in excellent condition.

My front pinion seal leaks, and I just replaced the passenger side hub assembly. The rear end looks good, no leaks.

So should I rebuild the front one? New bearings, seals, and replace the drivers side hub as well? Thanks.

 

the time to rebuild them is when you blow the carrier offcourse lol

replace the front pinion seal and you'll be fine with what you got.... unless your gonna run bigger tires and your gonna Gear-up i would worry about re-building them

 

just make it not leak unless you find something else wrong IMO

 

Im going to 31" tires for now. So sounds like I should be fine then. Thanks, just checking for piece of mind.

 

Yeah dont fix what isnt broken...Especially when it comes to axles. Leave them alone unless something is wrong....There are quite a few very high spec parts in there, so unless you know what you are doing, just leave it alone. If it breaks fix it, but they can either last longer than your cherokee, or randomly (like my front axle) start breaking.

 

Take it to your locale axel shop. Have them go through it and see how it looks. You cannot do a complete inspection by visual means. Many times when the pinion bearing starts leaking it's telling you that it's time to have the axel looked at. Besides just having 180k on the clock.
You otta' call your locale shop and see what they would charge to go through it. Good peace of mind... While your doing that take your driveshafts in and have them take a look at them. They will most likely look at them for free. The shop near me charges $20 to spin balance a driveshaft. That can make a surprising difference in any driveshaft. Many people have slight vibrations in their drive system they don't even notice. A vibration in the drivetrain will accelerate the leaking of pinion seals...
Mike

 

Thanks Mike. Sounds like a plan. I have gone through pretty much everything and the axles were last on the list. Wanted to make sure she was sound before I dumped money into lift, tires, and all the other goodies.

 

You are a smart man!
Mike