Dana 35 Carrier Cap is Broke!

[yostyexplorer94]

Well I was getting ready to install my dana 35 pumpkin under my girlfriend's explorer and I looked over it and saw this.

I am not very happy since this means more work I have to do....

I did not use a pinch bolt that attaches the pumpkin to the beam and I think that might be some of the cause. I destroyed the drivers shaft that took out my axle seal on the pumpkin. I then decided to sas my explorer and put these axles under my girl's explorer. Thankfully I did this because I would have still been wheeling my ex like this and that could have been brutal!

I was swearing for about ten minutes when I discovered this

 

[DeRocha]

Ouch!!! I have never seen one go before.. Be glad you found it now, instead of when it completely broke loose!

 

[ericautopart]

That housing is toast. You'll need a whole new housing now..

 

[KPSquared]

Why is the housing toast? Or is it just that the caps are machined to a specific housing? I think in asking this I figured out the answer...

 

[yostyexplorer94]

Well the bearing caps were on the wrong sides so that is probably the reason for all this. The thing is I am not sure if if they were like that when I got them back from the gear shop or if I got them mixed up when I had them off putting in the locker. I don't think I did, but I am not 100% sure as it was over a year ago, so who knows.

Now I have to pull the pumpkin out of my girl's explorer and swap the gears over. Which will mean alot more work than I thought this was gonna be.

Will dana 44 shims work with the dana 35 or will I need to purchase a mini install kit if anything needs shimmed?

 

[ericautopart]

Well the bearing caps were on the wrong sides so that is probably the reason for all this. The thing is I am not sure if if they were like that when I got them back from the gear shop or if I got them mixed up when I had them off putting in the locker. I don't think I did, but I am not 100% sure as it was over a year ago, so who knows.

Now I have to pull the pumpkin out of my girl's explorer and swap the gears over. Which will mean alot more work than I thought this was gonna be.

Will dana 44 shims work with the dana 35 or will I need to purchase a mini install kit if anything needs shimmed?

Shims are usually the same between the two. Yes, the caps are machined to the specific housing. What year explorer is it? I may have a good core here for you.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

Shims are usually the same between the two. Yes, the caps are machined to the specific housing. What year explorer is it? I may have a good core here for you.

The broke one is out of a 94 that I was going to put in a 1993 explorer but I will end up using the 93 pumpkin now that the 94 is fubar. Thanks for the offer on the core though.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

Well I tore apart the dif today and this is what I find

Spent close to $300 at More Than Tires in Carlisle, PA to get this dif setup and they used a fking punch to get the bearing on the pinion. At least that is what it looks like they did.

 

[rhauf]

wow. the busted it up like that, and sent it out?!?! never, ever go back there.

unless you go back there pissed off to chew them out.

this is why i stopped having other people work on my stuff. even if i don't know what i'm doing, at least i care about it and am careful with stuff.

 

[mr2fix2it]

well thats toast too I would get my money back they F....Ked your rear up!!!1

 

[yostyexplorer94]

I am just so glad I decided to solid axle swap or this axle would have ended up destroyed and I would be buying new everything!!! I have only used this for a year! If I find my receipt I will go and cause a scene in front of customers but I don't expect to walk out with my money back but it won't hurt to try. Maybe it will scare some customers away.

 

[Iron Weasel]

Don't cause a scene in front of other customers.

Ask, politely, to talk to the manager and show him the problem. Calmly tell him what the problem is and what you think happened (don't accuse anyone directly) and tell him that you'd like to have them redo it correctly at their cost. If it's a reputable shop, then they should be willing to eat the cost and redo the work to keep a customer happy.

On the other hand, if they blow you off, take it to an independent shop for a second opinion and get written documentation from that person. Take it back to More Than Tires and show them the documentation and tell them that you expect them to fix it and if they aren't willing to do so, then you'll have it fixed elsewhere and you will bill them. Small claims court is a good option for "persuading" them if they want to be dicks about it.

I've found that the majority of shops are willing to work with you if you're polite and explain the problem rather than accusing them of being hacks or whatever.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

I meant if they didn't do anything to make it right, then I would make a fuss in front of customers. You definitely are right about being polite about it first and it got me thinking about how to approach them about it. Thanks for the post it helped alot.

 

[yostyexplorer94]

I went in and talked to the mechanic who worked on it originally. I told him it had looked as though someone used a punch to seat the bearing on the pinion. The only response I got out of him was that sometimes the press don't seat them down the whole way and they have to tap it some. I told him that I have a $100 press at my house and with a 50 cent piece of pipe, I have yet to have any problems seating the pinion bearing. He didn't have much else to say about it.

The sales guy there got me a new bearing and pressed it on for me in two days, no charge. They were really good about it.

Now I am waiting for my install kit to show up.... stupid 4wheelparts.com lol