Dana 30 Carnage; What Happened?

[bulletpruf]

Bought a Dana 30 to build for my '69 Bronco. Yes, I know they're weak; it's just a stopgap measure until I build a D44.

Anyway, I pulled the front cover yesterday after work and found some carnage. Fook.

There were a few smallish chunks of metal in the oil when I drained it; some were just a tad larger than coarse ground salt bits.

Several of the ring gear teeth are chipped on the end.

The cover showed signs of internal violence.

Several ring gear bolts showed evidence of a meeting engagement, and a bunch were loose! Not even finger tight. Whoever reassembled this sucker needs a class on torque specs and Loctite, I think.

I don't think the seller knew anything about this, and it's not a huge deal, since I only paid $75 for it, and I still have the complete Dana 30 that's installed in the Bronco now. Should be able to make 1 good diff out of the 2.

Anyone want to take a guess as to what happened? The loose ring gear bolts could have caused all kinds of problems, I guess.

 

[73azbronco]

that looks fine, drive it. was it making noise?

 

[bulletpruf]

that looks fine, drive it. was it making noise?

I don't know if it was making noise or not; got it from a guy for $75 and he didn't have any history on it.

I don't plan to run it as-is. I'll go ahead and rebuild it. Between this D30 and the D30 that's in my Bronco now, should be enough good bits to make one good one.

 

[jamesroney]

I don't know if it was making noise or not; got it from a guy for $75 and he didn't have any history on it.

I don't plan to run it as-is. I'll go ahead and rebuild it. Between this D30 and the D30 that's in my Bronco now, should be enough good bits to make one good one.

It's a lot more common that you would think. You will find that one of the ring gear bolts actually fell out, and that is the source of your carnage. It usually ends up in the drain pan, so you never even know that it was there.

You got lucky. that D30 has a high ratio (3.50) Power Lock in it. It's worth way more than the $75 you spent. They are good.

In the 60's, Dana would use left hand threads on the power lock case bolts in front axles to prevent loosening. They would also use a bolt retainer lock set on the ring gear. That gave way to the serrated under-head ring gear bolts that prevented loosening. If you use a standard ring gear bolt in the front axle, you really do need some kind of locking feature. Loc-tite has become the standard.

Nothing wrong with that gearset. But for the cost of a dana 30 ring and pinion...why risk it? If it was a Dana 41, or a Dana 53...it would absolutely be re-deployed. Funny how the requirements change when the parts are not available.

 

[bulletpruf]

It's a lot more common that you would think. You will find that one of the ring gear bolts actually fell out, and that is the source of your carnage. It usually ends up in the drain pan, so you never even know that it was there.

I actually think all the ring gear bolts are still present, just some worse for the wear.

You got lucky. that D30 has a high ratio (3.50) Power Lock in it. It's worth way more than the $75 you spent. They are good.

Thanks for that info. Good to know.

In the 60's, Dana would use left hand threads on the power lock case bolts in front axles to prevent loosening. They would also use a bolt retainer lock set on the ring gear. That gave way to the serrated under-head ring gear bolts that prevented loosening. If you use a standard ring gear bolt in the front axle, you really do need some kind of locking feature. Loc-tite has become the standard.

This might be a good time to break out the red Loctite.

Nothing wrong with that gearset. But for the cost of a dana 30 ring and pinion...why risk it? If it was a Dana 41, or a Dana 53...it would absolutely be re-deployed. Funny how the requirements change when the parts are not available.

Thanks. I'll give it a good inspection; hopefully the pinion gear is intact.

 

[jamesroney]

I actually think all the ring gear bolts are still present, just some worse for the wear.

Awesome! Since you are running the high ratio carrier, the ring gear bolts hit the cover before they fall out. And you caught it fairly early. Usually by the time they get to me...one of the bolts has already fallen out and made it's way thru the mesh. Or there will be an "exit wound" thru the cover.

Dana Spicer still services the serrated ring gear bolts as part of their kits. If you can't find some, I'm sure I've got an extra set you can have.

I don't like to use the replacement grade 8 fasteners from the aftermarket kits. The factory used an 11/16 head, and the replacements are 9/16. I'm not saying that there's a good reason for it, but there IS a reason.

 

[bulletpruf]

Awesome! Since you are running the high ratio carrier, the ring gear bolts hit the cover before they fall out. And you caught it fairly early. Usually by the time they get to me...one of the bolts has already fallen out and made it's way thru the mesh. Or there will be an "exit wound" thru the cover.

Dana Spicer still services the serrated ring gear bolts as part of their kits. If you can't find some, I'm sure I've got an extra set you can have.

I don't like to use the replacement grade 8 fasteners from the aftermarket kits. The factory used an 11/16 head, and the replacements are 9/16. I'm not saying that there's a good reason for it, but there IS a reason.

I'll see if I can find the serrated ring gear bolts from Dana Spicer.

Thanks

 

[bulletpruf]

Ok, so this is what I need, right? https://torqueking.com/product/40209/qu40209-dana-44-ring-gear-bolt/