I have a 2000tj I bought used a few years back, and it had the 30 inch tire package. Now my question is how can I tell if this jeep had an upgraded rear diff (Dana 44) or the regular (Dana 35). I know it might be stamped onto the cover but where would that be? Anyone know?
So, give it to me straight guys. Dana 35 (turns out that's what I have) junk or not? Mostly a weekend warrior in the Wilmington area, with high hopes to visit a trail two, like URE. Also, is there any nifty upgrades for such an axel?
Less then 32 inch tires not to weak of an axle, do carry spare shafts
Bigger then 32" then its pushing it and probably should think of replacing
You can upgrade it with the Super 35 kit that gives you stronger shafts and a locker but most agree that its better to save your money and replace the whole axle if your planning to get serious about offroading. Just my 2 cents
There is a kit made to strengthen the axles and give you a locker. It is called a super 35 kit. That is what I am running and I have been happy with it. I would say if you never plan on running bigger then a 35" tire it would be fine but it is not a cheap kit. It also does not address the other weak point of a dana 35 axle which is the housing. I have heard of several people warping or bending their tubes in this axle. You can make a truss to fix this problem as well though.
I have been running my Super 35 kit with a detroit locker and a set of 33" tires for about 3 years now. I have never had any trouble out of it.
However with all that being said I would not do it again. I am now building a set of axles to replace my stock axles. I am going to end up with as much in both of these as I had in my super 35 kit and gears. That includes axle purchase price, gears, spools, and installation parts.
So after going the super 35 route I would suggest getting a cheap lunch box locker and run it stock while saving for an axle swap. With the swap you get more bang for your buck. The size tires you plan on running would help determine what axle you swapped in. The ford 8.8 is a good choice if you are not going extremely huge, the dana 44 is another good option if you are not building a rock crawler (hard to find one with the 5x4.5 lug pattern though). Both have good gearing options for a part time trail rig.
I beat mine HARD with 33's for 3 years. Only problems I ever had were the spider gears breaking ( about every 7 months) and the ring and pinion once. After the 3rd spider gear swap which cost the r/p to bust I got a real good l/s unit and went with it without anymore problems till I sold the Jeep I never broke the shafts. Depending on the year it will be a c-clip or non c-clip axle. For just a weekend warrior with mild trail use I'd opt for a good limited slip aka limited grip unit or something like a lockrite locker and let it ride until you get ready to swap in another axle
