Tweezer's 2004 LJ

tweezer said:
I will send you a PM, but I want to say thank you. This community is amazing. I am going to pull both covers this weekend. I want to see firsthand and I will post pictures. I would love to connect with a local Jeep pro, so thank you again. I would love for someone in the know to drive it and tell me their thoughts. I haven't driven it a lot due to the diff issue, and I have owned it for just a few weeks, but every time I drive it I notice something new. @someguysjeep mentioned a shop in NKY. Is that Performance Offroad? I called Highlift Offroad today but haven't heard back from them. I am hoping to find someone to do my regear, install lockers, and remediate whatever is wrong with the diffs. I would have the lift, steering, etc. installed at the same time.
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You’re welcome. I would not recommend Hylift Off-road based on my personal experience. To that point, over a period of several years I have searched but have not found a reliable Jeep shop around our area. Im sure they exist but I’ve had no luck. As a result, I ended up with work that I had to redo.

Blaine has repeated the mantra over the years to “stop paying people to fuck your shit up.” I have found the best resource around here being Jeep clubs and other private owners if you are not mechanically-inclined enough. These are usually like-minded people that have knowledge to help but are not motivated by what profit they’ll make on your Jeep.

However, I’ve also found that much of the work we do on our TJs that appears intimidating, is really not that hard once you push through that mental barrier and dive into it with the right guidance, which you will find in here in abundance. One last piece of advice is that the “right tools” make all the difference in a job.

The moral of the story is “no one will care about your Jeep like you will.”
 
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I'm going to second the "quit paying people to fuck your shit up." thought. Personally, I've had that philosophy a long time, because I can fuck it up for free! Seriously though, when its yours, you want it to be right, and you don't have 20 other customers waiting for time with you, you can take the time to ask questions and do research when something doesn't look, feel, or smell correct. If you're not mechanically inclined, then find someone (s) in a local club who will help you out. @taylormade73 is a stand up guy and I know he'll steer you straight if you can make the drive.

Another personal philosophy when I'm facing something a bit more intimidating. Education is expensive. Sometimes you get off cheap and you only need to spend time on something. Sometimes, you might need to buy extra parts. Almost always though, the labor savings from doing it yourself will outweigh the extra cash you might need to buy more parts, if you DO screw something up. BUT...you'll always learn something in the process. If you plan on keeping the jeep a while, that will come in handy.
 
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I have been working on pulling the differential covers this afternoon. I have the front off. Took some time to get the bolts loose, but I found an 18" long piece of pipe at my local Do It center that served as a breaker bar. Then it took some effort to get the cover off, but it came eventually. Here are some pictures. Would love all and any feedback. The oil looks bad to me. I read that chocolate milk looking oil means there is water getting in. There is some rust on the inside of the cover but I don't see it in the diff compartment.

Front diff prior to cleaning with brake cleaner:
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The diff cover:
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The diff fluid after cleaning with brake cleaner:
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Front diff post cleaning:
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Also, any tricks to getting the rear cover off? Sure is jammed in there with the gas tank.
 
tweezer said:
Also, any tricks to getting the rear cover off? Sure is jammed in there with the gas tank.
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use a jack to lift some of the weight up.

i'm not really seeing the rusty/scaly/pitting that was described to you. not a fan of how that sealant looks to have been spread,
is the vent hose to the diff secure and intact?
 
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someguysjeep said:
use a jack to lift some of the weight up.

i'm not really seeing the rusty/scaly/pitting that was described to you. not a fan of how that sealant looks to have been spread,
is the vent hose to the diff secure and intact?
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Ok, good idea, thanks!

Agreed on the rust/scaly/pitting. It looks pretty good in there to me. Do you mean the gasket when you say sealant? I need to investigate/locate the vent hose. What about the oil that came out? Does it look normal?
 
someguysjeep said:
use a jack to lift some of the weight up.

i'm not really seeing the rusty/scaly/pitting that was described to you. not a fan of how that sealant looks to have been spread,
is the vent hose to the diff secure and intact?
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The breather hose is there and terminates in the front bumper area, though it runs over the top of the trackbar and is not secured at all. It kind of just flops around. It's funny, as I started to work I thought, what is this tubing?
 
tweezer said:
What about the oil that came out? Does it look normal
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looks pretty milky to me.
tweezer said:
The breather hose is there and terminates in the front bumper area,
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it (the front) should be up even with the top of the radiator, over the level of possible water intrusion. the rear usually travels up the fuel filler tube to hold it up high.

i don't see any damage to the RnP or spider gears. i might get the wheels off the ground and spin things ,listen to the carrier bearings make sure they don't sound like they are full of gravel. look down deep under the RnP and see how the pinion head teeth look , wiggle it in/out, up/down check for slop.

a scotch brite pad should get the inside of the cover clean.
 
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Found the mounting location and will return it to it's intended spot. I am also going to look at the connection on the diff to make sure it is sound. Other than axle seals, what else causes of water in the diff? I am going to lift it and spin the tires, as I want to see it move. I do plan to regear the R&P and put in a locker, so the water is bothersome.

I just bought a jack/stand/creeper kit, an impact driver and sockets, and 1/2" and 3/8" torque wrenches. I am going to try to do a lot of this myself. I spent a lot of time under the Jeep today just looking at what shit is and how it goes together. As @taylormade73 said, it's intimidating, but it doesn't look overly complex. I think I can do it. I will need to find someone to do my regear. And, I need to buy a Sonos for the garage. :) I am going to wait to open the rear until the new tools get here. It was a PITA today using a crappy 3/8 socket driver, laying it what ever shit was on the garage floor. Kudos to my wife who after washing her car, cleaned the garage while I was working. Teamwork! Lol.
 
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tweezer said:
Found the mounting location and will return it to it's intended spot. I am also going to look at the connection on the diff to make sure it is sound. Other than axle seals, what else causes of water in the diff? I am going to lift it and spin the tires, as I want to see it move. I do plan to regear the R&P and put in a locker, so the water is bothersome.

I just bought a jack/stand/creeper kit, an impact driver and sockets, and 1/2" and 3/8" torque wrenches. I am going to try to do a lot of this myself. I spent a lot of time under the Jeep today just looking at what shit is and how it goes together. As @taylormade73 said, it's intimidating, but it doesn't look overly complex. I think I can do it. I will need to find someone to do my regear. And, I need to buy a Sonos for the garage. :) I am going to wait to open the rear until the new tools get here. It was a PITA today using a crappy 3/8 socket driver, laying it what ever shit was on the garage floor. Kudos to my wife who after washing her car, cleaned the garage while I was working. Teamwork! Lol.
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Depending on timing, I may be able to come down and help with a few things if you’d like.
 
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taylormade73 said:
Depending on timing, I may be able to come down and help with a few things if you’d like.
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Jason, that would be amazing. I read through your build thread over the last couple of days and it's remarkable. It would be awesome if you could help me make sure everything is installed right and dial everything in. That's the part that seems to be the most difficult. I am going to start ordering parts and I'll let you know once things start progressing. Whenever you are free, I will make myself free. Thank you, you are incredibly generous.
 
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TRE3TOP said:
I can’t believe that guy wanted to sell you entirely new differentials…
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Agreed. I feel like sending him a couple of pictures of the front, not to be a dick, but more for an opportunity for him to learn, but I guess that could be perceived as being a dick too. I am just glad I didn't go that route and the jeep is in my garage, which it's going to be for awhile. I reordered jack and stands late last night after realizing I should have ordered 6 ton. The tools and stands should all be here by the weekend.
 
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not sure how many average mechanics are comfortable working in diffs anymore and some that are, shouldn't be.
almost seems like they were giving you a piss off unless we can make a wide margin quote.

the 14B i picked up last yr was trashed for no more than a bad pinion bearing, they don't wanna go inside they'd rather sell you a new bolt in. and to beat it all the pinion on a 14 is easy to get to.
 
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Yep, other than the milky fluid, that will clean up just fine. Check the vent hose to see if it is cracked somewhere, which could have allowed water to get into the diff.
 
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Did some shopping last night and ordered pretty much everything on my list. I am off of work for a bit starting on Friday and plan to spend some time on the Jeep. That said, my brother and his sons are coming to down in a couple of weeks and his youngest is ridiculously excited to ride in the Jeep. So I might focus on the sound system install and other smaller projects so that I know I can take the kid for a ride. Not having done the mechanical work before, I am a little worried about getting it all done and the last thing I need to do is rush. I also am unsure if the lift and other parts will arrive as quickly as some of the other stuff I ordered. My first focus will be getting the Dana 30 cover back on and oil in, and then do the Dana 44.

Friday morning I placed a call to HiLift and heard back from them today. The guy I talked with was extremely nice and answered a lot of my questions. Though, he mentioned a JK axle swap instead of building up the Dana 30. Unless I learn otherwise, my plan is to just regear and put in a locker. That is not a bad choice, right? They did send me a itemized quote for all the work and it was good to see what the gear swap and lockers will cost for both front and rear. I am a little weary to use them based on others experiences with them, but it's slim pickings around me.

Oh, and my new Ohio plate arrived today. I really like the Ohio State Parks plate.

IMG_1277.jpeg
 
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tweezer said:
Did some shopping last night and ordered pretty much everything on my list. I am off of work for a bit starting on Friday and plan to spend some time on the Jeep. That said, my brother and his sons are coming to down in a couple of weeks and his youngest is ridiculously excited to ride in the Jeep. So I might focus on the sound system install and other smaller projects so that I know I can take the kid for a ride. Not having done the mechanical work before, I am a little worried about getting it all done and the last thing I need to do is rush. I also am unsure if the lift and other parts will arrive as quickly as some of the other stuff I ordered. My first focus will be getting the Dana 30 cover back on and oil in, and then do the Dana 44.

Friday morning I placed a call to HiLift and heard back from them today. The guy I talked with was extremely nice and answered a lot of my questions. Though, he mentioned a JK axle swap instead of building up the Dana 30. Unless I learn otherwise, my plan is to just regear and put in a locker. That is not a bad choice, right? They did send me a itemized quote for all the work and it was good to see what the gear swap and lockers will cost for both front and rear. I am a little weary to use them based on others experiences with them, but it's slim pickings around me.

Oh, and my new Ohio plate arrived today. I really like the Ohio State Parks plate.

View attachment 341026
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JK swaps are great but you can easily get into the 5 digit mark once you factor in all the suspension you need/want to redo plus you’ll still want to gear and lock the axles. I would regear and lock the axles that you have. As long as you stick to a 35” tire or smaller you will be just fine with them. I would probably throw in some chromoly shafts in the front, which at that point you have the decision to go with a 30 spline shaft and locker, or stick with 27 spline, but you’ll need to make that decision then, otherwise you’ll be changing your locker twice if you get 27 spline then decide you want 30 spline.

Another thing to think about, depending on mileage, age and condition, since you’re doing a lot of work to the front end. It may not be a bad idea to put new unit bearings and ball joints in as well so everything is kind of on a clean slate and the same schedule.

Inspect brake pads and rotors at this time as well and also think about a possible upgrade in that department.

Lastly I would definitely think about upgrading your steering as well. Currie currectlync is a tried and true pretty straight forward upgrade.

Hope that helps.
 
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TRE3TOP said:
JK swaps are great but you can easily get into the 5 digit mark once you factor in all the suspension you need/want to redo plus you’ll still want to gear and lock the axles. I would regear and lock the axles that you have. As long as you stick to a 35” tire or smaller you will be just fine with them. I would probably throw in some chromoly shafts in the front, which at that point you have the decision to go with a 30 spline shaft and locker, or stick with 27 spline, but you’ll need to make that decision then, otherwise you’ll be changing your locker twice if you get 27 spline then decide you want 30 spline.

Another thing to think about, depending on mileage, age and condition, since you’re doing a lot of work to the front end. It may not be a bad idea to put new unit bearings and ball joints in as well so everything is kind of on a clean slate and the same schedule.

Inspect brake pads and rotors at this time as well and also think about a possible upgrade in that department.

Lastly I would definitely think about upgrading your steering as well. Currie currectlync is a tried and true pretty straight forward upgrade.

Hope that helps.
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This is super helpful, thanks. I hadn't thought about upgrading the shafts, but that is a great thought. I looked at the Big Black brake kit when I was shopping last night but didn't yet buy it. I am assuming I will need to though once everything is installed. I did buy the currectlync last night when I ordered the Savvy lift. Though I didn't get the anti-rock, I got the ORO Swayloc instead.
 
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