Solved Differential Swap

[Justamessenger]

So what I'm seeing so far is go for a locker or keep them open

It’s simpler than that. Keep them open if you want to get stuck. Limited slip if you don’t want to do $$$$ aftermarket.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

eaton makes an elocker iirc

Oh yeah just noticed that. I really wish someone made an e locker for these.

 

[ThatOneGuy99]

eaton makes an elocker iirc

For the rear but not the front

It’s simpler than that. Keep them open if you want to get stuck. Limited slip if you don’t want to do $$$$ aftermarket.

Have yet to get stuck, the opens do alright for me with the right tires

 

[Fix4Dirt]

For the rear but not the front

Have yet to get stuck, the opens do alright for me with the right tires

the only traction adders for the front afaik are the aussie locker and the torsen

 

[BenDT]

I have 300k on my limited slip. I treat it bad to be very honest. Into mud, punch it, get out, find hole/into mud, punch it. Spinning with its heart to hooking up/stopping very abruptly. I however never have a problem spinning around for round two like many locker guys, it just slips around the turns but when I ask it to do stupid things it comes out and ALWAYS has. I do run BFG m/t (the old design) and my front gear lashing is godly acting like a limited slip under moderate pedal but I wheel with brand new mall crawlers to veteran 7.3 duallies and I go through stuff they wouldn’t dream of touching. When my lsd does finally need a rebuild.... I found several at my local yard with hyper low mileage for dirt cheap ($40-50). Cant even touch that price with locker set ups, and I’ve heard newer e lockers and such have a limited lifespan though I’m no expert. I have been told by an old racer who runs the track locally that you will always have much less hp inherently to one wheel with a lsd. So neglecting wheel spin, an open/locked diff will have a 15% roughly higher hp/torque to wheel than the limited slip because of it always “checking” for slip. So if you want to blast rooster tails or do gnarly burn outs the lsd is not gonna be the best choice. And with my 2 cents for snow and ice... I’ve now recovered two national guard humvees and several stuck ambulances when the weathers gotten bad enough, not to mention my countless friends/townspeople In rubicon’s to z71s. Lockers/tires/winches/lifts only go as far as your foot takes you.

 

[ThatOneGuy99]

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but while I'm doing the rear axle and front diff I figured I'll go ahead and do u joints all around and maybe some minor other things. Anyways does anyone know off the top of their head what the transfer case to driveshaft is? Is it a regular flange or a slip yoke? I've tried looking up pictures and parts diagrams but they haven't helped much, plus there is water falling from the sky outside and I don't want to lay down in it to look at a driveshaft also if it's a slip yoke can someone provide a part number or link to a replacement?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

ill be honest, i dont remember mine, but i vaguely remember when i was looking at an atlas that i needed a yoke front output. but its been a while, and ive probaly forgotten since at least iirc the 1st gens had a yoke. i feel like the laters went to a cv flange, but dont rememebr which year.

 

[ThatOneGuy99]

I know the front is a cv output flange just can't remember the rear

 

[Pat500]

then maybe an LS, if you dont feequently drive in snow. imo it isnt too hard, but if someone who leaned to drive on an open dif drives it, they might put it into a ditch as mentioned. but imo it isnt too hard as long as youre aware of it

What are u talking about

 

[Pat500]

then maybe an LS, if you dont feequently drive in snow. imo it isnt too hard, but if someone who leaned to drive on an open dif drives it, they might put it into a ditch as mentioned. but imo it isnt too hard as long as youre aware of it

What are u talking about

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but while I'm doing the rear axle and front diff I figured I'll go ahead and do u joints all around and maybe some minor other things. Anyways does anyone know off the top of their head what the transfer case to driveshaft is? Is it a regular flange or a slip yoke? I've tried looking up pictures and parts diagrams but they haven't helped much, plus there is water falling from the sky outside and I don't want to lay down in it to look at a driveshaft also if it's a slip yoke can someone provide a part number or link to a replacement?

Call the parts store they'll know

 

[Mbrooks420]

What are u talking about

Should be obvious if you read the thread. It’s been explained.

 

[Mbrooks420]

What are u talking about

Call the parts store they'll know

Most parts store workers know nothing at all about cars these days.

 

[Lee's Automotive]

Most parts store workers know nothing at all about cars these days.

So true these people should at least have to know the basics to be hired

 

[Mbrooks420]

Typically you need a face, and to pass a drug test. Got those two things, and will work for $12 an hour, and you’re in.

 

[Josh P]

Typically you need a face, and to pass a drug test. Got those two things, and will work for $12 an hour, and you’re in.

No experience or work ethic required.

 

[CDW6212R]

How much do lunchbox lockers cost these days? For a mild off road rig, those would be the cheapest way to gain rear traction. But there you are having to set up the backlash at least also.

FYI, buying FMS gears are a little hard these days. I finally received a set I ordered along with an FMS install kit, almost three months was the wait on the install kit. The gears are surely more plentiful, but tons of items are back ordered. I got the 3.08 gears, and Jeg's has just shipped the front gears(Spicer/Dana as Ford never made 3.08's for the D35 front).

To the OP, use the best gear oil you can, most problems come from poor grease or running in 4WD on good pavement etc. Do the u-joints as you planned, those are cheap but not that easy sometimes.

 

[ThatOneGuy99]

To the OP, use the best gear oil you can, most problems come from poor grease or running in 4WD on good pavement etc. Do the u-joints as you planned, those are cheap but not that easy sometimes.

I've got my press, vice, and hammer ready just in case. Anybody got anything else to add in while I'm doing all of this? I wanted to go ahead and replace the pinion seal too but setting the preload on that but scares the hell out of me

 

[Fix4Dirt]

How much do lunchbox lockers cost these days? For a mild off road rig, those would be the cheapest way to gain rear traction. But there you are having to set up the backlash at least also.

FYI, buying FMS gears are a little hard these days. I finally received a set I ordered along with an FMS install kit, almost three months was the wait on the install kit. The gears are surely more plentiful, but tons of items are back ordered. I got the 3.08 gears, and Jeg's has just shipped the front gears(Spicer/Dana as Ford never made 3.08's for the D35 front).

To the OP, use the best gear oil you can, most problems come from poor grease or running in 4WD on good pavement etc. Do the u-joints as you planned, those are cheap but not that easy sometimes.

iirc it was between 350-400? the no slip for the LS was a hair over 400, but the one ofr the open was maybe 375

What are u talking about

the LS has more of a tendency when the wheels are broken loose to send you sideways, theres a reason why they are used in drifting and offroading (to try to keep both wheels spining at the same rate)

 

[CDW6212R]

I've got my press, vice, and hammer ready just in case. Anybody got anything else to add in while I'm doing all of this? I wanted to go ahead and replace the pinion seal too but setting the preload on that but scares the hell out of me

You mentioned having the pinion seal replaced before. The rear may be failing due to that seal R&R, and they didn't replace the nut properly. It's a risk to R&R the pinion nut to just replace the seal. The 8.8 is very strong and reliable when everything is set up right, and it has good grease in it always. So usually all they need are the axle bearings and seals replaced every long while apart, say 100k-150k miles. When a bearing goes or a seal and grease leaks out, the old grease and high heat cause problems.

Try to have the two diff's rebuilt properly. Done right it shouldn't cost $750 for labor, possibly under $500 depending on your location(economy). The parts, bearings, gears, seals etc, might be $300 or so each for everything. I paid just over $300 for the rear gears and rebuild kit, the front should be more because the D35 gears are more expensive than the 8.8 parts.

That's why others did suggest finding good used diff's. If you can find units that seem to still be good, you can get those for far less, just swap them in place of the old ones.

 

[ThatOneGuy99]

You mentioned having the pinion seal replaced before. The rear may be failing due to that seal R&R, and they didn't replace the nut properly. It's a risk to R&R the pinion nut to just replace the seal. The 8.8 is very strong and reliable when everything is set up right, and it has good grease in it always. So usually all they need are the axle bearings and seals replaced every long while apart, say 100k-150k miles. When a bearing goes or a seal and grease leaks out, the old grease and high heat cause problems.

Try to have the two diff's rebuilt properly. Done right it shouldn't cost $750 for labor, possibly under $500 depending on your location(economy). The parts, bearings, gears, seals etc, might be $300 or so each for everything. I paid just over $300 for the rear gears and rebuild kit, the front should be more because the D35 gears are more expensive than the 8.8 parts.

That's why others did suggest finding good used diff's. If you can find units that seem to still be good, you can get those for far less, just swap them in place of the old ones.

That's kinda what I'm thinking honestly, the shop that did the tear down of the diffs said the yoke on the diff was bad so I wonder if the pinion nut wasn't tightened down properly and worked itself looser, the front diff idk I'm kinda wondering if they didn't fill it all the way when they changed the fluid.