just like the title says....the purpose here is to clear all the confusion and speculative tech (or just plain incorrect tech :shaking:) abouth the rear Dana 44 axle Isuzu started using in 1998 in the 2nd Gen Rodeo/amigo/rodeo sport platform.

for this write up i will be using a 2002 Rodeo Rear.

we will be illustrating what it actuallly takes to swap a "standard" Dana 44 ring and Pinion into this "modified" housing.

we will be swapping out factory 4.30's for Yukon 5.13's.

Also, in this particular build we will be swapping otut he factory trak-lock rear diff for an open carrier and an Aussie Locker.

ok.

i get a few calls a week with ??'s on gear swaps for 1998 and newer Rodeos and Amigos and i want to clear the air w/ some real tech on what's up w/ these axles and why you (until now) cannot just simply swap in a "regular" D44 gear.

so let's start w/ what this axle IS.....then we wil move on to what you CAN do (in terms of variations on swap options.the)


this axle DOES NOT have a regular Dana Spicer 44 gear. But we will get to that. First let's get a little background tech:



1. there are factory gear's available. ratios include the most common 4.10 & 4.30 options found in most all of these trucks w/ factory v-6 motors.

2. there are factory 4.77 Dana Spicer gears availabe for these - originally optioned in the 1998-99 trucks w/ the 4cyl. Motor. these can be purchased from Isuzu Direct ...... sold as a "kit" with ring gear bolts and a Pinion nut.

3. MOST ALL of these years have a Dana Spicer Limited slip ....called a Trac-Loc. Althought the word "Lock" is in the name these are in NO WAY a LOCKER. tHis is a super common limited slip using friction disks betweeh each side gear and the carrier. The Spicer Trac-Lock is a less aggressive, street-friendly limited slip suitable for daily driven vehicles and mild off-road use.....thus it is an OEM diff in many vehicles. This unit uses clutch packs and is Rebuildable.

these actually look alot like open carriers and are often mistaken:





4. this leads us to swapping this factory unit for something more aggressive. :D
the typical choice is the Powertrax No-slip as it fits in the typical Trac-lock carrier.



this unit replaces the spider and side gears in the existing carrier.

5. Full carrier lockers - you can run any full carrier locker in this Isuzu rear D44 but, remember you will need to use the oppropriate carrier. meaning: w/ factory ratios (althoght 4.10, 4.30, 4.77) you actually need a 3.73 & down (numerically lower) carrier. This is due to the Thick ring gear Isuzu used in these axles.




ok.............moving on to the actual factory gear vs. the standard D44 gear.

just for reference......here is the stock diff w/ Trac-lok. note the thicker than normal ring gear. this is a 4.30 on a 3.73 & down carrier:

image:

here is the comparison of the ring & pinions out of the housing. Factory Isuzu thick on the left, stock Dana spicer 5.13 on the right. Take note of the larger pinion on the gear on the left.


also as you can see int he pic, the Isuzu gear is a crush sleeve design, the pinion we will be using is a shimmed design.

note that with the crush sleeve collar in place the two pinions are basically the same ......... at least they are within a reasonable tolerance to ship.

side by side...... so far so good.

overall pinion shaft length is the same...........although the new pinion is a smaller diameter. in this pic, cruch collar is removed to show the differences in surface for the outter pinion bearing (small bearing):

ok, so now that we have established that the pinion lenght will interchange and our new pinion will work in "that" dimension, we move on to the shaft diameter.

this pic shows a comparison of the pinion bearing surface I.D.'s

a standard Dana 44 pinion is 1.125" on the outer, and 1.375" on th larger inner bearing.


the Isuzu Pinion is 1.312" & 1.625" ......... so here's where we run into an Issue :( you cannot just swap in a reg, gear and install kit. now we need to do some homework on crossover bearings. That is........a bearing with the same I.D. as the standard pinion, but with an O.D. that will allow us to press the race in the Isuzu Housing.

this pic makes it a little easier to tell.......the splines for the yoke as well as the pinion nut diameter are also much larger.

this looked familiar :D i immediately recognized this to be the same as a Dana 60 (same way that the rear aluminum D44 in the Jeep Grand - ZJ has a D60 Yoke):

so....of course we need a comparison shot..... left to right - standard D44, Isuzu D44 1998+, Dana 60..........

D60 is a larger & longer pinion, but the measurements of the yoke splines and nut are the same as the Isuzu D44.

for comparison, the D60 inner (large) bearing I.D. is 1.750" but the outter (small) bearing I.D. is actually Smaller than Isuzu @ only 1.250"

and YES ......i know you were wondering..............the Isuzu Yoke DOES fit the Dana 60 like a glove :flipoff2:

so when it's time to swap a D60 in your rig you can use your stock shafts and a 1998+ Isuzu pinion Yoke:

Good info, Matt... keep it coming :beer:
________
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on the housing:

the OEM seal is the same I.D. as a D60..........buy the housing O.D. is the same for a standard D44 seal......so the swap continues. :D

tomm i will post comp. pics of the LSD carrier and the open carrier.

wow, I can't believe how beefy that isuzu pinion is! Awesome info man.

Thats sweet stuff Matt you should put this in the FAQ thread if you get a chance. It seems like we get a lot of posts about this maybe it will save a few of the repeat questions

certianly not done yet.....i'll get back on this next week....got a lot going on in the shop right now.

so...mission accomplished.

we have successfully completed the install of a standard Dana 44 Ring and pinion into the 1998+ Isuzu rear Dana 44 housing.

out of this...................i am very excited to say a couple of new options are opened up :D

I now have a Full master install kit SPECIFICALLY for this housing.

We will now offer re-gear kits for the 98+ rodeo/amigos in 4.56 gears...to replace the 4.10's and 4.30's from the factory.


so....guess i'll post up the installation and show you guys the new product 1st.

:grinpimp:

Nice work Matt :smokin:

That opens up a lot of options :D

bump?

thanks i hadn't forgotten.....just got really busy.


i'll finish this up

So here's where all the tech went.....Isuzu section....who knew? :D

We will now offer re-gear kits for the 98+ rodeo/amigos in 4.56 gears

Matt-What about 5.38's??

...so when it's time to swap a D60 in your rig you can use your stock shafts and a 1998+ Isuzu pinion Yoke:
That's worth a beer, right there, Matt! :beer:

Collect in Moab! :flipoff2:

Randii

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that to you Randii........i did actually think of you as i was putting that yoke on the D60 pinion. :flipoff2:

i now have pics of the fianl install kits


need to re-up my yeller star to post the rest o' the pics

-matt

Newbe here. Thanks for the information Independent4x.

Question: Can I use the Rodeo Dana 44 small carrier and wide 4.30 gears in a Jeep J10 pickup with existing Dana 44 diff's front and rear?

Thanks in advance.

yes...technically you can.....BUT, you would need the 4.30 r&p from the older (97-93) rodeo rear D44 - leaf sprung. you would not be able to run this newer 1998-2004 r&p (coil sprung rear) as it's pinion diamiter will not go into a reg D44 Housing.

yes...technically you can.....BUT, you would need the 4.30 r&p from the older (97-93) rodeo rear D44 - leaf sprung. you would not be able to run this newer 1998-2004 r&p (coil sprung rear) as it's pinion diamiter will not go into a reg D44 Housing.

Ok, yes, that makes sense. One more newbe question and then I'll stop bugging you.

So with the r&p from the 93-97 rodeo rear D44 - leaf sprung, my existing d44 yoke should slide onto the pinion with no problem?

Thanks again inde4x. It sure helps getting info from someone who knows what the hell he's talking about.

yes...

so here's the solution for installing the ring and pinion... we put together this special master install kit, including special bearing and custom made sleeve for the housing. heres the image... so now we'll run down how to install this:


https://id211.chi.us.securedata.net/independent4x.com/merchantmanager/images/uploads/98d44masterkit.jpg


item on the website, $224.99:

https://id211.chi.us.securedata.net/independent4x.com/merchantmanager/product_info.php?cPath=46_51&products_id=282

Hey...allot of good info but, what I need is still not clear. I have an 02 Rodeo LS. I think it is an open diff because i put the passenger rear tire on ice on a slope and it just spun with no vehicle movement and nothing on my window sticker, from purchase, mentions anything about Limited Slip. After doing research online I decided to get a Powertrax no-slip but, could never get a straight foward answer as to which one I needed, even from the manufacturer. I bought a part #443000 to try but, I want to get as much info as I can before I tear into it. Did I get the right one?? Is it going to require shims or Mods?? Any info would be appreciated........Steve upintherockies@yahoo.com

read my thread "dana to dana" and welcome to my hell.

I just got my hands on a brand new Detroit locker for a Rubicon D44. Can I install this in the Rodeo rear D44?

with what R&P?

factory or aftermarket? ..... just need to know the exact combo you want to run

with what R&P?

factory or aftermarket? ..... just need to know the exact combo you want to run
factory 4.10 R&P

great tech, one quick question though:

Since this article is about 98+ Isuzu D44s, is that to say that 97- uses a standard ring, pinion, and carrier?

Since this article is about 98+ Isuzu D44s, is that to say that 97- uses a standard ring, pinion, and carrier?
Yes, the early Isuzu D44 uses standard R&P and carriers. They come stock with thick gears and the corresponding carrier.

thanks.

I have heard that in some years that they were filled with a 4.56 and a LS?

If its true, any ideas what years would be most likely to find them in so I can keep an eye out?

thanks.

I have heard that in some years that they were filled with a 4.56 and a LS?

If its true, any ideas what years would be most likely to find them in so I can keep an eye out?

I don't think the D44 ever came from Isuzu with 4.56's. You really only find 4.10 and 4.30. The 4.56's came in the Trooper which uses an Isuzu 12-bolt, which is stronger than a 44.

i have a 2000 isuzu axle im putting in my jeep and i need to change the pinion yoke to 1310 will any pinion yoke from a dana 44 work or do i need something different? or is there an adapter i can get for that flat flange type yoke?

I don't think the D44 ever came from Isuzu with 4.56's. You really only find 4.10 and 4.30. The 4.56's came in the Trooper which uses an Isuzu 12-bolt, which is stronger than a 44.

Yup some pre 98 2wd rodeos had them,JoeD just picked one up not sure on if it was a 4cyl or 6 cyl tho'

It has been two years and still have not found out if my PowerTrax No-Slip locker (part #443000) will fit into my 02 Rodeo LS V6 2WD with an open diff Dana44. Has anyone done it??? My drivetrain warranty (120,000 mi) has expired and I am itchin to put it in.

So if I am reading this right I can run a Dana 60 1310 Yoke on my 01 Rodeo rear end that I am putting in my S-10?

Does anyone have a part number for the No-Slip locker for the 98+ rear with the TracLock?

OK another rookie question by a penny pinching jeeper. I was wondering if the R&P from the 93-97 rodeo d44 rear would work in my front d44 on my 79 J10. The stock 3.54's w/ 35's just don't cut it. I'm hoping to use my carriers to cut cost, considering I'm having trouble even buying the rebuild kit for my 258. Also, is it possible to swap the whole carrier in the rear d44 on my J10? Mine has the center pin welded in (long story)