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Dana 44 Rear Axle

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by tripilio, Jan 13, 2020.

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  1. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    Hi, I need a good rebuild guide to do my rear axle. Also, if anyone have the part numbers of the bearings and seals (shaft seals included) would be much appreciated. Thanks!
     
    tripilio, Jan 13, 2020
    #1
  2. duffer

    duffer Rodent Power

    The place to start, IMO, is the Factory Service Manual. You can find those on-line. Nothing else is really needed but viewing a few on-line videos may give you a head start.
     
    duffer, Jan 13, 2020
    #2
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  3. FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Metalshaper has some great videos on YouTube....ill see if I can post a link....
     
    FinoCJ, Jan 13, 2020
    #3
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  4. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    Actually, I am intereated mostly in the part numbers of the bearings and seals. The videoa of metalshaper I have seen. They are really good.
     
    tripilio, Jan 13, 2020
    #4
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  5. Stano316

    Stano316 Member

    I bought all of my parts from https://xdiffautoparts.com ....when I rebuilt my front and rear axles. I just bought their nitro master install kits that come with everything you need to rebuild as far as seals and bearings...
     
    Stano316, Jan 13, 2020
    #5
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  6. colojeepguy

    colojeepguy Colorado Springs

    Is is tapered axle or flanged? That'll make a difference.
     
    colojeepguy, Jan 13, 2020
    #6
  7. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    After some search: tapered.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2020
    tripilio, Jan 13, 2020
    #7
  8. jeepstar

    jeepstar Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Is there a nut at the end of the axle? If yes, its tapered.
     
    jeepstar, Jan 13, 2020
    #8
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  9. Keys5a

    Keys5a Sponsor

    I've got the puller you can borrow to get the hubs off the axles, provided your workplace doesn't have one.
    -Donny
     
    Keys5a, Jan 13, 2020
    #9
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  10. Rick Whitson

    Rick Whitson Detroit Area 2024 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Would it be less expensive to just find another axel? You don't say what axel you have, but you might be able to up grade your brakes and axel all at once by finding a newer axel to start with, like a flanged Dana 44 with 11" brakes, and with self adjusting brakes, and rear parking brakes. Just something to consider. there are more axels than CJ5 Jeeps still around. Just a suggestion, I know shipping is a PITA but you may find something close enough to pick up near you. Good Luck
     
    Rick Whitson, Jan 14, 2020
    #10
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  11. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    Thanks, Donny! I will let you know as soon as I get to it. I'm sourcing the parts first.
     
    tripilio, Jan 14, 2020
    #11
  12. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    I might do a search, but down here in SoFla there is a severe scarcity of cj parts. I have no problem driving some distance if is worth it. I'll keep looking. Thanks!
     
    tripilio, Jan 14, 2020
    #12
  13. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    Which vehicles coud be a viable source of dana 44 axles? Or any dana 44 will work?
     
    tripilio, Jan 14, 2020
    #13
  14. colojeepguy

    colojeepguy Colorado Springs

    If you're running the stock model 18 transfer case, the only viable option (without building a custom one-off axle) is the 70-71 CJ offset flanged 44.....they're pretty scarce but do come up for sale occasionally.
     
    colojeepguy, Jan 14, 2020
    #14
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  15. Keys5a

    Keys5a Sponsor

    Alex, Any jeep CJ axle from the late-40's through '71 would fit. You should have a 19 spline axle being a '62. For your F-Head powered Jeep and your intended purpose, the stock axle is more than adequate. When I finally got my drivers' license and really started to drive my Jeep, I beat on it like any 16 year old kid. I broke my crankshaft, and swapped in a Buick 215 V8, and beat some more. I never broke anything in the axles in 25 years!
    The D44 axle is really durable, and the only thing that kills them is water getting inside. Have you have your back cover off to check the general condition? I'd be suprised if you need anything more than seals.
    -Donny
     
    Keys5a, Jan 14, 2020
    #15
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  16. tripilio

    tripilio Proud American!

    Donny, I opened the pumpkin and it looks ok, but there is a lot of play in the yoke in and out. My guess is that the bearings are toast. I will replace the seals and the bearings on the pumpkin. I will look into the brake area, if I see no oil leak, should I also replace those being that is already diasasembled?
     
    tripilio, Jan 14, 2020
    #16
  17. Glenn

    Glenn Kinda grumpy old man Staff Member

    It's generally worth it to do it all at once unless you know something isn't very old and is in excellent shape. Otherwise you'll be wishing you had fixed it or replaced it.
     
    Glenn, Jan 14, 2020
    #17
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  18. FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    I did a complete redo of my rear axle when I did my locker install. Its slightly different from yours as its the later 30 spline 'flanged' D44. As I was installing a new case (often called the carrier) with the locker, I had to reset the R&P measurements (backlash etc), but still, it wasn't as difficult as I had worried it to be. Assuming you are using the same case and R&P, and just replacing the bearings - you just need to buy a good rebuild kit including bearings and shims (for both the carrier and pinon). Most likely you won't be able to remove the carrier bearings without damaging the shims, so measure carefully the ones that come out, and replace exactly the same. Before removal, I would check gear pattern and backlash to make sure they are in spec...assuming they are (hopefully?), you are not really setting up the R&P from scratch and you can reinstall all new shims and bearing just as was (measure with a caliper to .001")....If you are at all concerned that the present set-up isn't right, then you might want to consider some set-up bearings that can be easily removed and put back on the carrier which will allow you to test fit with some different shim thicknesses...The final set-up will require a bit of a press-fit of the bearings that generally cannot be removed without damage.

    As I had a flanged 44, I am not sure if the carrier and pinon bearings are exactly the same as the tapered 44, but I believe they are. I used a Richmond gear kit. Additionally, the axle shaft bearing are different as well (tapered 19spline axles uses a tapered bearing whereas the flanged axle uses a unit bearing - this can be a bit confusing when shopping for parts), so the part numbers won't transfer to you....all in all, I found it kind of of a 'fun' project. If you do it, remove the axle from the jeep and build a stand (from saw horses or whatever) to set the axle on and work on...I couldn't imaging doing this under the jeep with some of the tedious measurements. As for some speciality tools - you'll need a good caliper that can measure to .001" and dial indicator (probably with a magnetic base) that can also measure to .001" (the HF version worked fine for me). You will also need a bearing puller/splitter to get the old bearings off. I also had to add some new bearing and race drivers to my collection for driving in the pinon races. Its a step up from doing a transmission/TC rebuild, but only a bit harder. It helps a lot to have a current set-up that will provide a great starting point for pinon depth and shim pack thicknesses, and helps remove some of the trail and error (but maybe not all) associated with setting up an R&P from scratch....

    this may be more info than you want...but it has some useful info on it and some parts info (again - this is for a flanged 44): Fino's 1970 Mini Build Thread
     
    FinoCJ, Jan 14, 2020
    #18
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  19. FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    FinoCJ, Jan 14, 2020
    #19
  20. 47v6

    47v6 junk wrecker! 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    19 spline and 30 spline bearings are different.
     
    47v6, Jan 14, 2020
    #20