Dana 35 Maintenance?

[dmr22]

I picked up a Dana 35 with 4.10 gears tonight to put in my TJ. I like to play around off road some but nothing too extreme as I still have to be able to take my kids to school in the Jeep and get to work with it. Also, with my budget, the axles out of a 4 cylinder Jeep fit the bill quite nicely.

My question is, while the rear differential is out of the Jeep and in my garage, what should I do to it in order to provide as many maintenance free miles as possible? I am planning on cleaning it up and painting it, changing the fluid (inspecting the gears), and going through the brakes. Anything else I should take a look at or replace while it is easy to work on?

 

[Rob5589]

Sounds like you have it covered. Check the axle seals for any seepage and replace if there is any. Same for the front, if they are leaking you will see oil at the end of the axles tube.

 

[Chris]

Yep, other than what was mentioned, check the seals. Not a bad time to replace the pinion seals and any others. They're easy to replace, and it will mean you won't have to worry about them for a while.

 

[dmr22]

Is the pinion seal as simple as unbolting the yolk, pulling out the old pinion seal, installing new pinion seal, re-install yoke?

 

[TJ Jonny]

Is the pinion seal as simple as unbolting the yolk, pulling out the old pinion seal, installing new pinion seal, re-install yoke?

Yes it is, just make sure to install the nut to factory torque spec. I cannot recall what that is off the top of my head.

Edit: While it is this simple, installing the new seal can be tricky. You have to slowly tap it in while going around the seal. hit too hard on one side, and the other side pops out.

I have done the front and rear on mine this summer. I HIGHLY recommend buying the seal from the dealer. I installed two different aftermarket seals from the local auto parts store on my rear (Dana 35) and I had a constant slow leak. I ended up buying the seal from the dealer and it was only a few bucks more and it did the trick.

Let me know if you have any questions, I just did this and it is fresh in my mind.

 

[dmr22]

Thanks for the heads up! It doesn't appear there has been any seepage at the axles seals. I will replace the pinion seal, per your recommendations, and call it good. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Chris]

No problem! The seal replacement is pretty easy, and that should keep you worry free for a long time to come.