Morat

Hi folks, I'm rarely in the modified forum because my Jeep is just a Daily Driver but she's in dry dock with a (really) worn out rear axle. The Trak Lok LSD has been an open diff for a while now, should I take the opportunity to replace the clutch packs or go for a Tru Trac while the half shafts are out and the diff is getting rebuilt?
The difference in price is about 380 dollars which is pretty significant right now with all the other bits I need to replace, but is there a difference in operation that I would notice? I know the Tru Trac is more durable but honestly my Jeep is showing 170k miles right now and I reckon a refreshed Trak Lok would see her out.
Use case is realistically on-road snow/ice and some mild offroading on muddy fields/tracks so I'm going for an LSD for on road manners.
Before we go down the "don't bother upgrading a D35" route I get it but I'm only running 235/75s and this is a DD not a trail monster...

What do you reckon?

CR-Snow

00t444e

So it has a Dana 35 in it now and not the Chrysler 8.25? If so then yes replacing the clutches in the trac lock would be the thing to do, don't put a bunch of money into a Dana 35.

4.3L XJ

I have never been a fan of the trac lock since they came out some years back. The clutches wear to the point of an open diff, as you have seen. If you want to upgrade, then the true trac is a much better option

downs

For your use I'd think that just replacing the clutch pack would be the more cost effective option.

derf

How much longer do you plan to keep it?

If you don't expect it to last another 5 years, I'd go with rebuilding the stock Trac-Lock.

If you want it to last forever and will put in the money to keep it going, the TruTrac will last far longer. Sure, it's more money up front but it won't have to be rebuilt.

00t444e

A Truetrac is superior to the track lock but you have to remember he said he has the Dana 35 axle. I wouldn't spend the money on a Truetrac for a Dana 35, I would swap a Chrysler 8.25 in and put a Truetrac in that.

Morat

All good advice, thank you. I do intend to keep the Jeep as long as possible and she's OK for rust at the moment. What I'm really wondering is if there's a noticeable difference between a Tru Trac and a Trak Lok in use - maybe an LSD is an LSD as long as they're both working. But going on what was said above I think I'll rebuild what I have and swap later if the packs wear out again in my ownership.
Sadly 8.25 rear ends are a rare thing over here in England as all XJs came with ABS and Dana 35s. At least the ones I've seen.

Jeepy2013

Trac-Loks have been around for ever, I had one in a '75 Dodge Power Wagon w/ Dana 60's, they work pretty well when rebuilt with new clutches, the limiting factor with them is your tire size. the larger the tire, the less effective they are. Yes, the Truetrac is a heavier duty unit, but as mentioned above, I wouldn't spend the money on the D35, rebuild what you have and you'll be fine.

investinwaffles

I would also vote rebuild the stock lsd. Also check your spider gears and thrust washers for play, somehow mine were worn out and even with new clutches I had some strange clunking/moaning after the rear axle was rebuilt (mostly). Turned out my spider gears were factory original and super worn out, allowing alot of play.

Just something to check if you aren't getting a 100% full master rebuild kit when rebuilding the rear end

tinytrax78

+1 for trac-lock no need waste money on dana 35 if you don't need too just rebuild what you have and save up for a 8.25 or 8.8 upgrade if ever needed

derf

If it will only ever see light duty daily driver status, I don't know that I would go to all that trouble. A 35 under an on-road only Cherokee with stock size tires will last just fine.

If I was planning on keeping it forever and investing money into it to keep going for half a million miles, I'd probably find an 8.25 (or D44) from an XJ and rebuild it (brakes, bearings, seals, etc.) and do a TrueTrac while I was in there. Then just swap it in when I was ready. But if I was just going to drive it until it's really worn out from on-road daily driving, I'd stick with the 35.