dana rear ends?

[Klutch]

I own a 1994 X and I was wondering if any X's came with dana rear ends and if they did how do you know if you have one? thanks for your help

 

[Blee1099]

I own a 1994 X and I was wondering if any X's came with dana rear ends and if they did how do you know if you have one? thanks for your help

Nope they never came with anything other than a Ford 8.8 rear end.

 

[Klutch]

Ok thanks for the help

 

[Klutch]

Nope they never came with anything other than a Ford 8.8 rear end.

did the 8.8 rear ends come with a limited slip differential?

 

[410Fortune]

yes the 8.8 in MOST explorer's will be limited slip
Some sports and many 2wd have an open rear carrier.
The ford 8.8 found in the explorer is 31 spline and is as strong/stronger then a dana 60

 

[Maniak]

IMHO only the 3.73 had a chance of being LS on the 1st gens. All of the 3.27 and 3.5x ratios were open diffs.. and 3.27 was pretty common. Our '92 XLT 4x4 came with 3.27 and both my my neighbors 1991's are 3.27 (one 4x4 four door, on 4x2 sport).

~Mark

 

[Klutch]

ok thanks thats good to know

 

[safn1949]

Other then jacking the thing up is there a quick way to tell if I have a LS?

 

[Blee1099]

Door tag under the section that says Axle code or the axle code attached to a tag on the axle diff cover bolts.

 

[safn1949]

I hate to sound stupid but what will it say?I am not used to fords way of doing things,thanks.

 

[boggs1227]

the tag on mine has in it's code a "L" and a "s" meaing limited slip.i also have 3.73 gearing as well. so mine being a 94 sport 2wd.... i got 3.73 LS .

 

[Maniak]

I hate to sound stupid but what will it say?I am not used to fords way of doing things,thanks.

Here is a list of the axle codes.. You find them on the door jamb sticker
http://www.explorerforum.com/ntrprize/Axle.htm

~Mark

 

[Klutch]

what is a open rear end and how is it different from a limited slip

 

[explorerman3]

yes the 8.8 in MOST explorer's will be limited slip
Some sports and many 2wd have an open rear carrier.
The ford 8.8 found in the explorer is 31 spline and is as strong/stronger then a dana 60

Sorry to interrupt, and this might be a little behind topic, but I knew that the 8.8 31 spline is a tough axle, but is it really as strong or stronger than the almighty dana 60? If so, than explorers are way more badass than they are given credit for!

 

[410Fortune]

GOOD INFO HERE:


This FAQ is designed to help sort out the plethora of information available on the web regarding the relative strength of axles sourced from various applications.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about wheeling in mud, except that I hate it. I have no idea what works and what doesn't, but if you follow the rules below, you'll have no trouble in the goo.

Disclaimer #2: The below is for XJ's. They run about 5,000-5,300 loaded for a trail run and a weekend of camping. They have 4.0 to 4.7 liter motors, producing 175 to 240 hp at the flywheel.

Rear axles: The weak link in most rear axle setups is the shaft itself. C-clips, tapered bearings or full-float makes no difference in torsional strength, it's all about axle shaft diameter. Lockers add a huge load to shafts, so you'll see two numbers for each axle. That said:

MTS (maximum tire size):

Dana 35: 31's with a locker, 31's without a locker. (This axle doesn't care if it's loaded or empty. It just plain sucks.) Weak housing, thin tubes, and a small 7.5" gear don't add up to much. I've seen them successfully trussed with a 30 spline kit stand up to 33" tire, however.

29 spline Chrysler 8.25: 33's with a locker, 35's without a locker. I just can't trust a 29 spline shaft to 35's with a locker. MAYBE with upgraded shafts. Good stiff housing, though, which contributes greatly to carrier and ring gear strength. upgrade your 27 spline to 29, and you'll gain these benifits.

Dana 44: 35's with a locker, 36's without a locker. You can super-fy this axle with 33 and 35 spline shafts now, but the pinion becomes the weak link. They are a fairly good axle for most duty, but housing rigidity can become an issue with larger tires and high speed romps. Their tubes are not much larger than a 35. You could go 37's with 35 spline shafts if you kept your foot out of the throttle.

Ford 8.8: 35's with a locker, 36's without a locker. Very similar in strength to a 44. Carriers are a weak link when used in extreme environments. New carriers are being introduced to address the weak 2 pinion carrier design. Shafts are beefy at 31 spline, but no diameter upgrades are available. Pinion shaft is very beefy, same as a 9". Weld the tubes all the way around to the pumpkin, or they WILL spin. When used in high side load aplications, like desert romping at speed, cross shaft wear and bending can occur as the shaft slams into the crosspin due to the nature of a C-clip design.

Toyota 8": 35's with a locker, 36's without a locker. I'm always very impressed by Toyota quality, they are worlds ahead in quality control and tolerances. The Toy 8" uses the same shaft size as a Dana 44, 30 spline (different pitch however), but with a bunch more ground clearance.. The case is more rigid, and has a bit more hypoid offset too, which helps in R&P strength. The Toy guys flog this axle pretty hard with 37's, but I have seen enough breaks with that size tire under 22RE 4 cylinder power to make me keep the limits at D-44 levels for a much torquier 4.0.

Ford 9": Special mention for this axle. It is very stout. Shafts are available in 28, 31, 33, 35, 40 and maybe 46 spline. All are not created equal, though. A crappy OEM housing and center section will flex like a wet noodle. Do yourself a favor and get a good Strange nodular iron case and a nice stiff Currie Extra HD housing as a base. Built this way, and with 35 spline shafts, it has no trouble holding 39" tires. The pinion is way low on these, which is why most of us that run the deep rocks shun this axle. The pinion always seems to be spinning on rocks. The new series of high pinion cases made by Currie and TrueHi9 deserve special mention. The Currie unit is truly a Ford reverse spiral 8.8 from the front of an F-150/Expedition. They lack the third pinion support and hypoid offset of a 9" ring and pinion, and thus have limitations when used in the rear (remember, that's running on the coast side of the gear set). 35's is the limit on these, even though you can get it in 35 spline, it's a waste, because the ring and pinion are weaker than a 31 spline shaft. The TrueHi9 folks have addressed this by having Richmond cut a true 9" reverse spiral gearset for them. They have also included extra ring gear deflection support and a nodular housing for extra beef. 35 spline axles plus this case and you're good to go to 39's. This will be my next axle when I finally break my 8.8 (again).

Dana 60: Second to a Tru Hi9, the most desirable axle for a Jeep running 37's or larger. Can accept 30, 35, 40, and 46 spline shafts. Very stout cases and large tubes make this a desirable axle. The pinion is very large, the ring gear is 9.75", and the carrier bearings are huge. This is the axle you want if you want to run 40" tires, larger if you go with a 40 spline shaft. A high pinion unit will accept less than this due to running on the coast side of the ring gear, but still, it would have no trouble with 38's. Easily trimmed and weldable case make this axle fun for shaving and adding link mounts. Be careful with OEM 60's as they often came with 30 spline shafts that are no stronger than Dana 44 shafts. Early units came with even smaller diameter shafts.


I also think our 31 spline 8.8 is alot stronger then he gives credit for here I have seen them go 300K miles no issue and handle 37's locked no issue with 4500# explorer's on top of them

 

[explorerman3]

Where did you get all this info from? And was that you who said that you dont like wheeling in the mud, or him? Sorry, Im just curious. But I agree, the 8.8 can easily handle 35/36" tires! I know that from personal experience. I mean the new 500hp gt500 mustangs still come with the 8.8, and they are doing just fine! I think the 8.8, along with our ttb dana 35's are very underated!! And what most people dont realize is that axle stregnth has a lot more to do with than just the size of the ring gear!

 

[Blee1099]

The full floating Dana 60 30 spline and semi-floating Dana 60 are both pretty strong. The early F150 & FSJ had 35 splines. A full floating Dana 60 35 spline is definately stronger of the bunch. A Ford 8.8 31 spline is still weaker than a 60, regardless of the spline count, mostly due to the C clips and the fact the tubes can twist easier in the housing.

 

[HahnsB2]

what is a open rear end and how is it different from a limited slip

A "normal" diff is typically an open diff. It uses spider gears, it allows the 2 axles (and tires) to travel at different speeds for cornering. A limited slip clutches the 2 shafts together using clutches and a spring (the rest is just like an open diff), it helps fight the habit of spinning only 1 tire (An open diff will spin the tire with the least traction and you won't go anywhere), they help mainly on road, off-road they are about useless. Welding or locking the axle with a locker will ensure you transfer power to both wheels and increases off-road ability by a huge amount.
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/Feb 06/tech.htm

On a side note, even the 28 spline 8.8 is strong, I know a couple people running 37s on them locked (lunchbox locker, not a full carrier), one of them has a farily built 302.

 

[410Fortune]

Google is where I got that info
I like Mud I just dont like the clean up or working on the truck after mud underneath, it takes several clean ups to get all that gooey crap out from my driveline and frame LOL

The BII is mean bi&$% in the mud, unfortunatley here in CO if you are playing in the mud 99.9% of the time you are off the trail... and that to me is no good

 

[ericautopart]

An 8.8 is approx 120% stronger than a Dana 35 say from a Wrangler or Cherokee but it's not as strong as a Dana 60 by any means. The 8.8/D35 combo is very under rated if you ask me.