Excessive play in front axle

[busterswt]

Hello all,

Since I've been working on replacing all the suspension components and checking out others, I've noticed excessive play in the front driver's side axle. My curiosity led me to open the front diff cover and the fluid ended up being a milky brown color. I'm guessing water got in there at some point. Anyway, I've got a few questions about my observations.

1. The axle has what I would consider a lot of play. Any suggestions on where to look or what that issue may be? I created a video to demonstrate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Q2FsCQZHc

2. It looks like someone welded the gears in the housing. Not exactly sure what those gears are called. Anyway, the welds have since broken. What's the best recommendation on resolving that issue? Pics below:




3. What kind of damage am I looking at if water did get in the housing?

Thanks - James

 

[BC CJ]

Oh boy... that is a "lunch box" style aftermarket locker in the diff. Aparently someone didn't like how it clicked and clunked when operating so they welded it. You could re-weld it if you want a spool in the front axle but I'd look into redoing that front diff.

As for the play... there is suppossed to be some play but I'm not knowledgable enough to say if that is technically too much. It isn't an impending disaster though. If you only lock the hubs for slow going it should be fine. If anything is going to cause a break it's the now spooled locker; with your hubs locked both front tires will always turn together at the same speed which is going to make steering difficult and put a lot of unneccessary strain on the axle shafts and hubs.

 

[BC CJ]

let me try again to give more clear answers:

1- play is OK, too much may not be ideal but should not be a big problem.

2- aftermarket locker which has been welded up. This is a mess and should be replaced. What to replace it with depends on your plans for the Jeep: trail rig only, daily driver, etc...

3- water doesn't cause damage per-say. but not changing the fluid for a long time means the oil wont act properly to lubricate the gears which could heat up more and wear poorly over time. Probably no big deal in the front axle which usually isn't engauged. Just change the oil.

 

[NorthwestCJer]

If you want to change that cluster %#$! out. I have a set of Dana 30 spider gears. PM me for details. You will need to re-use the center rod. That will put you diff back to original condition.

 

[JR74CJ5]

Any buying or selling should be done via PM or better the classifieds section



~ Jr

 

[CJim7]

Wow! I've never seen anybody weld a Lockright. And techinically, there really isn't anything wrong with that other then it takes away the differentiating properties of the locker....in essance, they turned it into a full time locker.

A little play is ok, change out the fluid and make sure your vent line is attached and clear. Avoid flushing the diff with any solvents...there's bearings in there that need the grease to stay where it's at.

 

[busterswt]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Glad to hear it's not as bad as I first thought.

I don't plan for the Jeep to be a daily driver, but it will likely see more asphalt than trail for a while. Not interested in a full-time locker, either, I will likely return to stock (if possible) or aftermarket if the costs is near the same.

The PO told me Chevy 3/4 ton axles had been swapped in there. Is there any way to easily identify that? Would that make any differences to the recommendations made by others?

As for the vent tube - where should that mount to? Does anyone have a pic of what that looks like when installed properly? The vent hose is connected to the diff, but the end of the hose is just tucked into the front frame rail right now.

Thanks - James

 

[CJim7]

Either Dana 44 's or a 44/10b combo I would imagine.
If the vent hose is connected to the diff you are good to go...I would probably pull it and make sure its not leaking where it attaches, and make sure it's not plugged. A good place to keep it suspended is up on the inner fender. Some people go as far as to run them all the way to the cab. These are people who plan on submerging their rigs...lol

 

[73CJ]

Wow! I've never seen anybody weld a Lockright..

Me either.

Take them out - yes

weld std spider gears - yes

Humm

What do you want to do with this CJ?

 

[busterswt]

So I checked and it's definitely a Dana 30 . I don't know what, if anything, would have been carried over from a Dana 44 like the PO mentioned. Like other things, he was probably full of . To be honest, I didn't really care for specifics when I bought it. The price was right and that was enough.

Anyway, the plan for this CJ includes beach trips and light crawling. I don't plan on any extreme rock crawling or anything like that. Just play in the mud whenever we manage to get some rain. I'm working on dropping a 350 in there right now since the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l was trashed. I do expect most of the 4x4 to occur in the sand down at Port Aransas.