Dana 35 pinion end play, how deep is my trouble?

I guess I need to open it up and see if my gears are thrashed or not. I really need it to just be the bearing, I don’t want to hassle with the whole rest of the mess, or the expense even if it does mean I get to go to 4.10’s.
 
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I've been telling you to buy a lathe...if you really want a crush sleeve eliminator you could turn exactly the size you want.

Personally I'd just use a crush sleeve.

-Mac
 
macleanflood said:
I've been telling you to buy a lathe...if you really want a crush sleeve eliminator you could turn exactly the size you want.

Personally I'd just use a crush sleeve.

-Mac
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I want a lathe so bad, almost as bad as I want a huge shop to put it in.

And a mill.
 
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Rickyd said:
Re bearing that pinion asap. Worry about patterns and regears later
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Pattern doesn't matter now if you're just changing bearings. You should change carrier bearings while you're in there. Clean it out really good, probably a lot of crap floating around in there.
 
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machoheadgames said:
What did you do on the XJ 35 that you regeared? Crush sleeve?
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It was actually on a XJ Buddy's TJ. It was a crush sleeve, but HE did that step.


hosejockey61 said:
Pattern doesn't matter now if you're just changing bearings. You should change carrier bearings while you're in there. Clean it out really good, probably a lot of crap floating around in there.
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That's the plan. Assuming the gears aren't just thrashed. Unfortunately I won't be able to look at It before about 10pm tonight.
 
I will say I had the same kinda issue with my 8.8 (though not quite as extreme). Before I tore it apart with a buddy who knows how to set up gears, we looked at the pinion nut and decided it had backed off. Tightened it up just snug then a smidge more, no more slop or gear noise. I'm not saying this is your issue what you should do, but as easy as it is to check compared to pulling the diff apart, it's worth consideration. Even if it is a worn opinion bearing, it shouldn't make it worse. At best, it's your issue and nothing else.
 
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Thanks, I probably just need to check the nut for starters. I'm not sure how a pinion nut backs off, but maybe I answered my own question.
 
So, in case you haven't stopped driving this already, you need to stop driving now. I had a situation years ago where the pinion nut on my rear end loosened up, which led to the pinion gear eating straight into the carrier. It reared its ugly head on the way home from work one day, when every time I slowed down to ~5mph, my rear end completely locked up.

IMG_20190713_110331.jpg
 
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Pinion nut is right where it’s supposed to be. Inside the diff looks ok too, aside from that shiny spot, which looks EXACTLY like what hosejocky’s 35 rebuild looks like, and he had the same wandering pinion.

3385871E-E8D0-4F0F-8993-7971D33467D4.jpeg




What I didn’t expect was that she’s got 3.07 gears*. I know everybody ilia going to say I need to go to 4.10s, but honestly it feel peppier than my 97 which is basically identical except on 3.55s. I’m gonna fix the bearings and send it. Live to fight another day.

* check my math here. I jacked up one tire, counted how many turns to spin the wheel twice around. It was a little over 3 times.
 
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hear said:
Pinion nut is right where it’s supposed to be. Inside the diff looks ok too, aside from that shiny spot, which looks EXACTLY like what hosejocky’s 35 rebuild looks like, and he had the same wandering pinion.

View attachment 509534



What I didn’t expect was that she’s got 3.07 gears*. I know everybody ilia going to say I need to go to 4.10s, but honestly it feel peppier than my 97 which is basically identical except on 3.55s. I’m gonna fix the bearings and send it. Live to fight another day.

* check my math here. I jacked up one tire, counted how many turns to spin the wheel twice around. It was a little over 3 times.
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No need to do math. Lol at the markings on the side of the ring gear.
 
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hosejockey61 said:
No need to do math. Lol at the markings on the side of the ring gear.
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I wasn’t expecting to be able to read the markings, and when I was facing the diff I had the wheels on the ground. Then I put the one tire up and got to spinning. I guess I could’ve looked at the ring gear at that point. All I know is that the head on that pinion is frigging huge.
 
hear said:
What I didn’t expect was that she’s got 3.07 gears*. I know everybody ilia going to say I need to go to 4.10s, but honestly it feel peppier than my 97 which is basically identical except on 3.55s. I’m gonna fix the bearings and send it. Live to fight another day.

* check my math here. I jacked up one tire, counted how many turns to spin the wheel twice around. It was a little over 3 times.
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I don't know man. I'd feel mighty uncomfortable keeping that damaged carrier and pinion gear. And you definitely won't regret 4.11s if you go that route. When mine went, I found a dude from this forum just 20 mins from me selling a nice Dana 44 and then had both diffs regeared to 4.11 from the factory 3.07. I actually get to use 6th gear sometimes now.
 
fizzlebottom said:
I don't know man. I'd feel mighty uncomfortable keeping that damaged carrier and pinion gear. And you definitely won't regret 4.11s if you go that route. When mine went, I found a dude from this forum just 20 mins from me selling a nice Dana 44 and then had both diffs regeared to 4.11 from the factory 3.07. I actually get to use 6th gear sometimes now.
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Throwing out a random gear ratio makes no sense. Determine your gear ratio based on all the factors that go into it (i.e. motor, transmission, tire size).
 
fizzlebottom said:
I don't know man. I'd feel mighty uncomfortable keeping that damaged carrier and pinion gear. And you definitely won't regret 4.11s if you go that route. When mine went, I found a dude from this forum just 20 mins from me selling a nice Dana 44 and then had both diffs regeared to 4.11 from the factory 3.07. I actually get to use 6th gear sometimes now.
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I don't think that carrier is actually damaged. Every Dana 35 I've seen apart looks like that, at least to some extent.

1710517290235.png


1710517330443.png
 
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fizzlebottom said:
I don't know man. I'd feel mighty uncomfortable keeping that damaged carrier and pinion gear. And you definitely won't regret 4.11s if you go that route. When mine went, I found a dude from this forum just 20 mins from me selling a nice Dana 44 and then had both diffs regeared to 4.11 from the factory 3.07. I actually get to use 6th gear sometimes now.
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The gears don't show any signs of damage, not sure where you're getting that from. But if you see something, say something.

What will be beneficial is one thing. What gets it back on the road safely for minimal expense is another thing. If it were a dog then changing ratio would be a no brainer, but like I said, it seems to do better than my 97 so I'm leaving well enough alone for the time being. I can always change my mind later.
 
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hear said:
The gears don't show any signs of damage, not sure where you're getting that from. But if you see something, say something.

What will be beneficial is one thing. What gets it back on the road safely for minimal expense is another thing. If it were a dog then changing ratio would be a no brainer, but like I said, it seems to do better than my 97 so I'm leaving well enough alone for the time being. I can always change my mind later.
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Without getting a closer look, no I don't see visible damage that would stop it in its tracks. I just get nervous about it because of what I went through. My rear end was completely locking towards a dead stop when that pinion gear was making best friends with the carrier.

And the whole comment about going to 4:11s (or anything higher, really) is again simply anecdotal. The cost is HIGH, for sure. It isn't like just throwing new plugs in and calling it a day.

So as long as you're repairing it in some safe way and not continuing to drive without doing so, take whatever route you need. You don't want that scary moment like I experienced.
 
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