I bought my grand cherokee from a dealer and the rear axle bearings have been replaced 3 times in the last 6 months. They looked at it and found the axle was bent so they ordered a reman axle assembly for the rear. I read online that the rear axle is made of iron so Im wondering how much force would it take to bend the axle????

 

That question doesnt have a simply answer, but the axle tubes/axle shafts are steel and the center section is iron. Basically it would take a lot of force, or at least enough that you or whoever should have known why its bent.

Many things could cause axles or tubes to bend like jumping truck, hitting curbs, accidents/collisions, roll-overs, being overweight etc...

 

I'm guessing your grand cherokee is 96-98 and that it has the V8? If I'm right then it means you have the Dana 44a rear axle. "A" stands for aluminum centersection, the pumpkin is not made of cast iron- its made of aluminum which doesn't take alot to warp the housing. Those axles are notorious for going through pinion and carrier bearings.

 

No I have a 2004 jeep grand cherokee and the axle was bent before I purchased it thats why Im guessing the last owner traded it in. The dealer replaced the axle bearings before I bought it then the day after I bought it and now the bearing went again 6 months later. They said they would cover the bearing but it went so often they looked at the axle and found it was bent. They purchased a new rear axle assembly gears brakes and all and are installing it. Im just wondering how much effort it takes to bend one because this jeep is stock Im wondering what the previous owner was doing. I dont go off road so I dont think I have to worry I just have to deal with Buffalo winters so I should be good.

 

Since your grand is the 6 cylinder variety, it might very will have a D35 rear. if that is the case all you have to do is look at a D Turdy-5 wrong and it will bend or brake, unfortunately.

 

i dont know, i have a 96 with a V8, it has a D35 in the rear and i take it to the dunes and bounce the thing up and down, my freind said i got it almost a foot off the ground. hasent broken yet... im not sayin the things bullet proof, i guess i just got lucky

 

If your jeep has a v8 then its a dana 44A HD- aluminum center section etc.

 

The first 3 or 4 months of 96 still had the Dana 35, very few tho. Dana 35's have cast iron diff,which is alot stronger then aluminum. Problem with the 35's is the shafts and ring and pinion

 

thats gay you figure they would make the whole thing iron its not like their made for the tracks wtf why do they take short cuts

 

If its an upstate truck (snow and icey roads), odds are some one lost control and checked a curb, bending the axle shaft or even the wheel flange on the shaft. It dont matter if its a D35,D44, or a Rockwell, if its slid sideways into a curb on snow or ice, it will most likely bend the axle shaft. The odds that the HOUSING was bent are slim. Yes, it does take a good bit to bend an axle.

 

Ya if anything is vent its the axle tubes or shafts, I'm just saying the aluminum housings tend to warp under pressure and eat bearings

 

Gotcha. I guess the steel tubes at the aluminum housing could be an issue too. I missed the aluminum part.....oooops...

 

but dont get me wrong those Dana 44A's are not totally a P.O.S.- i trussed and lincoln locked my buddys and he beats the **** out of it with no problems so far, he actually blew up his 242 t-case but the 44 was fine

 

Bit of an over exaggeration. Guys run 35s without issue.

Not saying they are the best, but they will handle more abuse than dirty looks.