Working on an '88 XJ that I just picked up for my son's future DD and noticed a ton of slack in the rear end. Haven't had a chance to pull the diff cover and inspect but I'm pretty sure the ring and pinion are toast. Would I be better off picking up a good condition complete axle from the u-pull-it yard or just rebuilding what I have? It's a Dana 35 with 3.55's if that helps. We don't plan on having anything larger than 31's on it. 33's for sure. And, no major wheeling, just hunting/camping.

 

Pull the cover and take a peek. No need to start shotgunning parts. Is it noisey on the highway yet?? If you are concerned, just pick up a Chrysler 8 inch rear in the same gearing. Replace the seals and brake hardware and fill with synthetic. Rebuilding a Dana would be pointless really.

 

here's my take on it. the most i would do to a d35 is replace the wheel bearings and seals. if it's anything else, like gears, pinion bearing, disc brake swap, i'd go grab a 8.25 from the junkyard. inspect the pinion, gears and if everything looks good you have yourself an axle worth something.

 

Is the D35 really that bad? I know it would be a weak point for hardcore off-road use but they really aren't worth fixing? Or, is it just that I could get a better axle for the same or less money?

And, yes it's very noisy on the road, even at slow speeds it growls and rumbles like it's got gravel in it. It does have fluid in it but it looks really old and dirty. My son is not old enough to drive yet so it's a slow build process. We just work on it as we have time. Hopefully, I can pull the cover soon and check everything out.

 

Yep. If you plan on running anything bigger than 31s. I'd just go pick up a nice ChryCo 8.25, toss in a few new parts and call it a day. Or.... Grab a set of 4:10s. I did that a few years ago after going to 31s and it was well worth it. Paid $450 for both axles. I used car-part.com and found a salvage yard 3 hours away that had em all set to go. Made a nice Saturday trip with the dogs out of it. A++ would do again if needed.

 

it's more about what you're getting for the money. if you already have tools and can turn a wrench, 100$-150$ for a junkyard axle is way better than 100-150 on new gears for a turdy-five. For driving around they're not bad and won't break, but if you're about to spend money, it'd be best if you invest your money right

 

Gotcha. Yeah, I don't mind doing the work myself. Part of the reason we went ahead and got the jeep now is so we could spend time together wrenching on it. There are several yards close to me so I'm sure I could find a good one.

One more question, the PO took the front driveshaft off because it had a bad u-joint and then lost it. So, I'll need to find a good drive shaft also. Will any XJ front drive shaft work or are there certain years that fit? Thanks for the info so far!

 

Here is a list of all XJ front driveshafts and their collapsed lengths from center u-joint to center u-joint followed by the part number.

Choose wisely!

XJ 87/88 2.5 Automatic 27.950 53003912
XJ 89/93 2.5 Automatic 27.970 53005540
XJ 89/01 2.5 Manual 25.310 53005541
XJ 89/01 4.0 Automatic 30.660 53005542
XJ 89/01 4.0 Manual 29.250 53005543

XJ 89/00 4.0 Manual 27.080 Export 53005544
XJ 89/00 4.0 Automatic 28.620 Export 53005545
XJ 87/88 4.0 Automatic Export 53005260 *
XJ 95/01 Diesel 27.640 Export 52098208

If you ever want to make a SYE rear here are the longer ones from the Grand Cherokee that will work..

ZJ 1993 4.0 Automatic 30.530 52098341
ZJ 93/95 5.2 Automatic 32.870 w/o CV 53008427
ZJ 94/95 5.2 A500 30.625 w/o CV 52087805
ZJ 94/95 4.0 A500 w/o CV 52098790
ZJ 93/96 4.0 Manual 52098344
ZJ 93/96 4.0, 5.2 31.875 w/ 231, 242 52087805
ZJ 93/95 4.0 Manual 30.000 w/231 52088090
ZJ 93/96 5.2 33.000 w/ 231 53008427
ZJ 96/98 5.2, 5.9 31.250 w/ 249 & Model 30 52098379
ZJ 1996 5.2 Automatic 32.875 w/ 249 & Model 30 52098501
ZJ 96/98 4.0 33.000 w/ 242 52098707
ZJ 96/97 4.0 Automatic 31.250 52098850
ZJ 1996 5.2 Automatic 30.750 w/ 249 & Model 30 52099246
ZJ 96/98 4.0 33.500 w/ 249 52099260

 

Awesome, Thanks! Now this may be a stupid question but I assume I measure with the jeep sitting on the ground? (weight on the suspension, not at full droop) Sorry, I'm pretty mechanically inclined but haven't done much work on vehicle drive lines.

 

get the driveshaft out and compress it to its maximum, then measure from center to center (center of the ujoint caps)

like so: (refer to the letter A, it's not a xj driveshaft but the best example i could find)

 

They don't have the driveshaft...

This is an oversimplification (because I don't know the full, exact answer.)
So I think what you guys wanna do is measure from the edge of the yoke to the edge of the yoke, with the XJ sitting on it's own weight. Then use this chart, or go Junkyard fishing to find a shaft that has some play shorter/longer wise.

Here's another version of the chart.

 

Correct. We are missing the front drive shaft. Rear one is fine. But yes, that tells me what I needed to know.

Thank y'all for the info!

 

You and your half assed answers...LOL!!!!!

 

Hey! If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!

I was down this road when I did my SYE on my 242.. I had the chart handy and useful when I went to the pick-n-pull. All of the ZJs still had the part sticker on the front DS. Found the one I needed thanks to that list.

 

You must be an engineer.