Swaping D44 gears to another housing

[hauland]

I am swapping out my D44 axle housing for a spare I have due to a problem with the upper ball joint mounting on pass side.

How do I swap my 410 EZlocker center section and pinion and into a spare housing with 3.56 center section and pinion.

Can I just swap the center section and pinion to the new housing.

Should I plan on putting new carrier bearings?

Should the bearing caps go with the center section or stay with the housing?


Thanks, P.J.

 

[70_Steve]

Can I just swap the center section and pinion to the new housing.

Should I plan on putting new carrier bearings?

Should the bearing caps go with the center section or stay with the housing?

Yes you can swap the carrier and pinion gear to the new housing, but it's not exactly a "just" kind of a swap. You will want to do the same setup as if you were installing new gears. Not all housings were exactly the same. You may be close with the current shims, but that's the best I would expect!

You would be the best judge of whether you need new carrier bearings. If you just installed them 5K miles ago, I'd say "No." But if they're the original bearings, then I's say it's worth the time and $$ to put new ones in. Find someone to remove the old bearings without destroying them, and use them as setup bearings. Same with the pinion bearing and inner race.

The bearings caps are machined with the center section, and as such, are specific to the housing. And they are specific to the side, and top and bottom. Before removing them, make sure they are marked, or mark them yourself with a center punch or letter/number punches. Mine were already marked with centerpunch marks on the top of each bearing cap, and corresponding centerpunch marks on the housing flange.

Here's a link to a very complete tech writeup on setting up a Dana differential. The author is setting up a Dana 60, but the setup is identical on a Dana 44.
http://pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup/

 

[Broncobowsher]

That looks like a good article (I will admit I didn't read it all)
The pinion depth change by reading the pinion gears should make that an easy swap. That was figure 11 and a chart shortly below that.
Then swapping in your carrier. Personally I would try just dropping it in as you took it out with old bearings and everything. Check the pattern and see how it looks. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out really close without needing shims at all.

The good thing about the front axle is that if it isn't perfectly spot on it will generally still be good. As long as you are not way off anywhere and riding on the very edge of the tooth you should be fine. It's not like the front gears get the long, fast highway miles the rears get.

 

[hauland]

Thanks for the input.

So I keep the bearing caps matched to the housings.

I might replace the carrier bearings because at this point I have no idea how old they are.

Have to figure out what to do with my raised track bar mount (self made) on old housing. Trying to decide to grind it off and weld onto new or buy a rtbm from a vendor .

I was trying to figure out a way to avoid breaking open the brake system. I was gonna remove and suspend the calipers and then remove the brackets for the brake likes and pull the axle but then I remembered that the liines go thru the breather and it screws into the housing. but I need to take a close look at that to see what my options are. Any ideas.


thanks, P.J.

 

[hauland]

Looks like I can leave the brakes intact....the breather screws thru a junction block to the housing.