DANA 44 rebuild question

[ftwflh]

Ok I am going to rebuild my rear Dana 44 that broke a pinion shaft.It was an open dif .What would be my best bet a Tru Lock ,Trac Loc, back open or what?
I use this for mild - medium off road ,some sand and roads to get there.

 

[Torxhead]

I like the full time type lockers, since they balance out the load going to the axles. Getting into low traction off road conditions with a Transfer Case in low range and a heavy foot on the throttle, things can break. They can be tricky to drive on the street though. My $.02

 

[ftwflh]

I like the full time type lockers, since they balance out the load going to the axles. Getting into low traction off road conditions with a transfer case in low range and a heavy foot on the throttle, things can break. They can be tricky to drive on the street though. My $.02

I need something street friendly due to driving on blacktop to get to where we run gravel roads ,trails and river bottoms.Plus the little lady likes to drive at times and she dont need it to be more of a handful than it has to be

 

[IOPort51]

first choice OX locker or ARB if you want to deal with the compressed air.

pros: locker when you need it and open when you don't. No possibility it can start thinking for itself on a wet or icy road. and when I say locked I mean locked

Cons: expensive, Of course you can spend more on an axle than a motor. And that scary when you start crunching numbers. All I can say is you want to get this one right the first time, by this I mean the whole axle. this is the time to go all in because you are not going to want to go through it again. choose carefully.


I like the reflective OX. Looks thermonuclear.

 

[tarry99]

Ok I am going to rebuild my rear Dana 44 that broke a pinion shaft.It was an open dif .What would be my best bet a Tru Lock ,Trac Loc, back open or what?
I use this for mild - medium off road ,some sand and roads to get there.

In my eyes , One of the best, multi-purpose short of going to a full air , cable or electric operated Locker is the old Dana 44 Powr-lok.......( IE;posi-traction) been around forever not easy to find can be rebuilt and set up at several different levels of tightness by mixing the clutch disc's up internally........ The result is a very compliant traction devise for both on the road (no surprises) and also off the road for that medium to mild use you mentioned..........Used one for years and always liked it.

The one shown in the picture is a D-44 30 spline #4 carrier break.......which is 3.92 ratio and up........you would need a #3 carrier which is 3.73 and down.

 

[Hedgehog]

Similar to the air locker, I prefer the Electronic locker. It uses an electro magnet instead of an airbag to operate. Wire is more forgiving that air lines and can easily be repaired in the field. Other than Air vs electricity they both work the same way. Open differential when driving around, solid locker when you need a more traction. I watched craigslist and got some decent deals on an E-locker for the rear and a track lock for the front.

Tarry - has some good points in his thread.

I'm glad that you didn't destroy your Dana 44 as you were afraid might have been the case. It would take a LOT to spread your axle damage far enough to ruin the housing.

I very much like the OX locker, but you need deep pockets to get'em.

 

[Old Dog]

For a LSD I always liked my Eaton Tru-trak that I ran for a number of years, it has gears instead of clutches.

 

[Hedgehog]

As Old Dog wrote, the Tru-track by Eaton is a very cool system. All gears instead of clutches. I have the Tru-Track in the front and an E-locker in the back. Both were Craigslist purchases. Both were new and un used. Essentially both were purchased for the price of one.

 

[ftwflh]

Got me a an Eaton TruTrac coming.

 

[Torxhead]

Good choice! When you get the housing apart you should check it for straightness.

 

[Hedgehog]

I agree, great choice in traction devices.

Are you planning on installing the carrier yourself? If so make sure you are well schooled on how to install a carrier. Lumpy schooled me a few months ago, it isn't hard, but it isn't easy. More fiddly than hard. You will need a few specialty tools as well.

This is important! Don't throw away your spacers, even if they are damaged. You will have 4 sets. 2 under the right and left hand bearing, one set under the pinion bearing race and a set under the rear pinion bearing race to set the proper bearing preload. You will need to keep the shims to help get started. Rob at Willys Works mentioned that he's had guys bring in beautifully cleaned up and theoretically "Ready" axles. Unfortunately they pulled the carrier and pinion without regards to saving the shims. Big start over type mistake.

ALSO, get the GM gear patterning compound, the thick and sticky yellow/brown grease you frequently see on Youtube. It is easy to find at your local GM dealer parts department. I made my own and redid my work about a dozen times just to end up right back with the Shim sets I hit on with the third try. The right stuff makes the job a whole bunch easier.

Also, the carrier instructions are is all about the newer Dana 44 axles where the bearing shims are designed to go on the OUTSIDE of the side bearings, I.E. between the race and the axle housing. The newer D-44's are machined to accept much thicker shims, actually a really good idea. The older, our, D-44's are designed to have very thin shims go between the carrier and the bearing. No matter what they say, you can remove the pressed on bearings if you have the right "Clam Shell" bearing puller without damaging the bearings.

 

[ftwflh]

I agree, great choice in traction devices.

Are you planning on installing the carrier yourself? If so make sure you are well schooled on how to install a carrier. Lumpy schooled me a few months ago, it isn't hard, but it isn't easy. More fiddly than hard. You will need a few specialty tools as well.

This is important! Don't throw away your spacers, even if they are damaged. You will have 4 sets. 2 under the right and left hand bearing, one set under the pinion bearing race and a set under the rear pinion bearing race to set the proper bearing preload. You will need to keep the shims to help get started. Rob at Willys Works mentioned that he's had guys bring in beautifully cleaned up and theoretically "Ready" axles. Unfortunately they pulled the carrier and pinion without regards to saving the shims. Big start over type mistake.

ALSO, get the GM gear patterning compound, the thick and sticky yellow/brown grease you frequently see on Youtube. It is easy to find at your local GM dealer parts department. I made my own and redid my work about a dozen times just to end up right back with the Shim sets I hit on with the third try. The right stuff makes the job a whole bunch easier.

Also, the carrier instructions are is all about the newer D-44 axles where the bearing shims are designed to go on the OUTSIDE of the side bearings, I.E. between the race and the axle housing. The newer D-44's are machined to accept much thicker shims, actually a really good idea. The older, our, D-44's are designed to have very thin shims go between the carrier and the bearing. No matter what they say, you can remove the pressed on bearings if you have the right "Clam Shell" bearing puller without damaging the bearings.

I have a friend that has done this many times and he is the one going to help me.Thanks for the input.

 

[Hedgehog]

Excellent, it's always a good thing to have a knowledgeable friend. Help him out and learn as much as possible. When I did mine the front axle, a Dana 30 , the process took a long time. I mostly chased my tail attempting to do the things suggested, but ended up using a spacer set I landed on near the beginning. None the less, it was a great learning experience. The rear, Dana 44 , was MUCH easier and MUCH quicker. Taking what was learned with the D-30 to the rear the old bearing sets were used, I took some measurements, made the adjustments and the darned thing was perfect. That made me nervous so over a week many measurements were taken and retaken with the very same results. Now it's very noticeable that the original Carrier needed some work. The new carrier and gear set is quiet with very little gear sloppiness. When I drive with my friend he said, "You did a great job on the gears. They are very quiet and seem smooth." I can't help but smile. The point of all that is watch and if possible help your friend with the regearing.