Dana 30 oil passage in housing

[jkosten]

I am currently replacing my 3.73 gears with 4.56, and noticed that the housing is not fully machined to allow oil to drain from between the pinion bearings. The top is open to allow gear oil to be slung into the area.

It could be intentional to force oil to collect and lubricate the bearings, but it seems like a sludge trap and odd to halfway machine / cast something. The oil also has to be forced through the inner bearing to return to main housing.

Pictures from front and rear for reference.

 

[hosejockey61]

I think you kind of answered your own question...

"...oil has to be forced through the inner bearing..."

That sounds like a good design to me.

 

[Mike_H]

Yeah, that is a mini oil sump.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

X3, don't do a thing... it's working and manufactured as it was meant to be.

 

[jkosten]

X3, don't do a thing... it's working and manufactured as it was meant to be.

That's what I thought, and it didn't fail in the first 123k miles, but I would rather ask, than assume.

I will try to do a full project write up when complete. Drivelines just came back from the balancing shop with new joints and cleaned up shafts (now within .005", oem is .010").

I also ordered a Dana carrier and pinion clamshell puller, so that should be here tomorrow.

 

[jkosten]

Started tracking the build here: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/jkosten-02-tj-sahara-build.68051/