Ok, this idiot to remain nameless to protect myslef.... I mean them, let his Dana 44 w/456 gears and and ARB burn up due to lack of lub. while motoring down the interstate. Pulled the rear drive line, added oil.. Yes I, ahhhh.... I mean... they... do have a SYE so no problem with loosing T case lube. From there proceded to limp in 4 high toward home.

First place I,, ahhh they... stoped they by miracle pulled up next to a gentalman in a monkey suite... grease monkey that is, that had a chevy dealers patch on it. He was just sitting there in his car.. what luck! Asked him if it would be ok to limp home on front axil. He said take it easy and it will be fine he's done it himself.

so questions are:

Take it easy? what is that?

A. dont do the Rubicon tommorow
B. Follow speed limit signs
c. Do 55 on the interstate posted at 65
D. Do 35 on same interstate and only shoot every third person that honks at u.
E. Get off the damn Interstate and do 15

How long can I.... ah... they.. drive around on front axil with out damage to front axil or more damage to the rear if taking it easy? ... see above.

A. Park it and ride bicycle in the rain and snow
B. New conversion to front wheel drive.. drive it accordingly
c. as long as u want, just dont go 4wheeling

What should I.. ahhh mean my friend..... expect to have to do with his rear end... THE DANA!... besides replace all bearings

A. Rob a bank and replace everything including axil shafts
B. Replace ARB, Ring and Pinion (pinion can be rattled with a firm handshake from the U joint end)
c. replace spiders in ARB
D. ?

Ok.... let me... ahhh them have it now. <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0">

Did I mention I'm broke! till my condo sells. <IMG SRC="smilies/crybaby2.gif" border="0">

[ 10-14-2001: Message edited by: coachgeo3 ]

Need Help!!!!!! and a gun to shoot myself.. I mean my friend <IMG SRC="smilies/rasta.gif" border="0">

my friend 'james93YJ' drove his around for over a week in front wheel drive (with the fluid dribbling out of the TC) and didn't have any problems...I don't know what you, ahh, I mean your friend... might need to replace in the diff, bearings of course, but the ring and pinion might be okay. They're pretty tuff!

Originally posted by Cutter:
<STRONG>my friend 'james93YJ' drove his around for over a week.......</STRONG>

TY Responder #1 you get the prize behind door number One... (busted axil parts) serously.. thanks for responding

NEXTTTTTT responder please Need all the advice I can get.

NEXTTTT, and who is best gear/axil man in northern OH?

There's really no way to tell once the diff cover is taken off to see what damage has been done. If the gears are shot then there will be visible wear and grooves on the pinion itself. All bearings should be replaced as well as the seals. If there is that much play in the pinion just from yanking the driveshaft around the seals are most likely shot. Replace all to be on the safe side. I personally don't know much about the workings of ARBs so I can't help there. The only way to tell the extent of the damage is by getting a firsthand look from taking the diff cover off. One thing to look for is metal shavings at the bottom of the diff. If there's alot of metal shavings then you are most likely S.O.L. Anyone else have anything to add?

Originally posted by BabyWrangle:
<STRONG>There's really no way to tell till the diff cover is taken off to see what damage has been done...... Anyone else have anything to add?</STRONG>

Ty respnder number two. You get whats behind door number 2. (used 90 weight gear oil with nice shiny flakes of stuff in it) But seriously... I do thank you... and agree about removing cover, but its raining out side right now, and Im not sure all what to look for yet.

LIke he said... anyone got anything else to add <IMG SRC="smilies/question.gif" border="0">

[ 10-14-2001: Message edited by: coachgeo3 ]

I tweaked the diff cover on a AMC 20 - Got on the hiway after wheeling - Mine locked up, tight. Twisted the rear shft into - AAA hauled mine home. Every thing except the housing was toast. Hope you have better luck. <IMG SRC="smilies/smokin.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by Merlin:
<STRONG>I tweaked the diff cover on a AMC 20 - Got on the hiway after wheeling - Mine locked up, tight. Twisted the rear shft into - AAA hauled mine home. Every thing except the housing was toast. Hope you have better luck. <IMG SRC="smilies/smokin.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

I ahh.. they, did not lock up... just felt something go and the smell of oil. Rolled off the road.. Worry mostly about the ARB!!!

[ 10-14-2001: Message edited by: coachgeo3 ]

Driving around in front wheel drive is no big deal, Know people who have done it for weaks at a time even with v-8 and 35's. As far as the rear end new bearings and seals and new gears if there is evidance of bad wear. If the pinion gear is real loose you may want to take it out so it doesnt get bound up and lock the rear end while driving in front wheel drive.

well is no news good news? no one has said anything about the ARB!

What would have went out? the spiders?

i did the same thing with my 44 only i got it towed home
after removing the diff cover i noticed that the pinion shaft could be moved by hand not a good thing
closed it back up let it sit for 2 weeks while i talked myself into doing the repares
the hardest part of the whole job was removing the pinion nut
o bought the master install kit put new bearings and races through out and it was not that hard to do
took me most of the day to do it but i would not think it woould take half as long now that i have done it
give it a shot it is all ready fawked up so you have nothing to lose but the cost of bearings races and seals

Originally posted by Chris H:
<STRONG>i did the same thing with my 44 only i got it towed home
after removing the diff cover i noticed that the pinion shaft could be moved by hand not a good thing
closed it back up let it sit for 2 weeks while i talked myself into doing the repares
the hardest part of the whole job was removing the pinion nut
o bought the master install kit put new bearings and races through out.... </STRONG>

sure would be nice if this is how it turns out. But would it be simular or lot more complicated since I got an ARB.

Gear heads out there help me calm my confusion? If it is bearing and races replace issue only... then what gives out or slips thus causing the loosing, or partially loosing, of rear wheel drive?

i can't help with the arb problem
and you won't know till you take it apart

remember keep the bearing caps apart so you know which side they came off of
keep the shims seperated so you know where they go
it is not really that hard of a job
mine was jerking around and what it was was the loose pinion from trashed bearings was letting it bind up
all of my bearings fell apart in my hands they were that bad
but new bearings and race and all is better no wine no slop and no metal shavings in the gear oil i have changed it twicw and run a magnet thru the lube looking for metal
all is good

if you have any questions email me at
hoeltke@visuallink.com

Originally posted by Chris H:
<STRONG>i can't help with the arb problem
and you won't know till you take it apart

remember keep the bearing caps apart so you know which side they came off of
keep the shims seperated so you know where they go
it is not really that hard of a job
mine was jerking........ </STRONG>

Thanks I may just call on ya after my two weeks har har

cept I got to drive it!!!!

It happened to me in a model 20. The ARB was ok

Originally posted by CJ-Jeeper:
<STRONG>It happened to me in a model 20. The ARB was ok</STRONG>


shittt..... u blew it!... "no news is good news"... now since u say it came out ok for you, then I'm going to be jinxed....

J/kiddn... hope its the same fer me! What did u have to do to repair ur differential?

coachgeo3- Tough break...would like to know how the fluid got that low. Nobody would ever forget to add fluid when doing a service change? Anyways, if I was a diff and had no oil in me, I would turn my pinion bearings blue and my seal would be melted. 60 dollars?

Originally posted by ZUK:
<STRONG>coachgeo3- Tough break...would like to know how the fluid got that low. Nobody would ever forget to add fluid when doing a service change? Anyways, if I was a diff and had no oil in me, I would turn my pinion bearings blue and my seal would be melted. 60 dollars?</STRONG>

Service done 4 weeks ago prior to my across country drive.. new fresh oil everywhere. What did me... ahhh.... them in was a known trany fluid leak masking what I am guessing to be an unknown rear end seal leak. Symptoms were there and did not read them properly.

do I have to remove gears and arb from the carrier to change all the bearings and seals? Like do I have to reset all the gears which I have no knowldege on how to do? Are any of the seals or bearings pressed in? Do I need any special tools? I have cheap air tools and sockets but no press or other speicial tools. Also my garage too short. I cant jack up the jeep. only 1/2 inch between the jeeps rack and the rafters.

seems like it would be a real hassle not being able to jack up the gas tank to make access easier to the diff cover....the arb case itself is probably in there really tight and would cause you to cuss big time trying to wedgey it out with tire irons and such.....the pinion nut is not a real issue as long as you have the right socket(1 1/8" I think) and a long plumbers wrench to secure the yoke from turning. let us know what you do and what you find. ZUK
.
.ps---nothing would need to be re-set with a little luck...it is a d44....does not use a crush sleeve....has a solid collar design with an associated shim pack...should be able to re-use the shim on the pinion that set pinion depth and pinion preload. With the pinion in hand you may want to have a shop press off the one troublesome pinion bearing and press the new one one with the same shimpack. Then put the pinion back in the housing, tighten the nut as tight as you can(about 200 foot/pounds) and spin the yoke to see if it feels good. Not tight and not wobbly.

[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: ZUK ]

zuk is right there is nothing to reset if you use hte same shims
thats what i did and it is fine just make sure you know where the shims came out of
i ordered the master install kit from advance auto got it the next day 86 bucks came with new pinion nut 2 pinion bearings and races(inner and outer)2 carrier bearings and races and pinion seal, gear marking compound, little brush to put it on .you can check your pattern if you want i did

cost me like 15 bucks to have the inner pinion bearing pressed off and the new one pressed on
the reason i went with the master kit was the inner and outer bearings races and seal were gonna cost me 56 then when i pulled it apart i need to change the carrier bearings while i had it apart save time later not having to do it all over again
and it was cheeper to buy a kit then seperatly by about 35 dollars

Originally posted by coachgeo3:
<STRONG>well is no news good news? no one has said anything about the ARB!

What would have went out? the spiders?</STRONG>

I doubt there is anything wrong with your ARB. The spider gears don't turn very fast even at highway speeds (unless you have a mini spare on one side and a 44 on the other) Only other worry would be where the races press on the carrier. If the bearings locked up and the races spun on carrier, then you might have a problem, but I doubt it. The same also holds true for the axle ends, if those bearings spun, either the shaft or the housing would be shot. I doubt that's happened though. I had the pinion bearing go on my chevy's 10 bolt once. (that clunking sound I assumed was a u-joint...wasn't) <IMG SRC="smilies/frown.gif" border="0"> The pinion finally gave way with a loud bang. Ruined the ring and pinion and the housing (from the pinion being ground into it), but the carrier, spider gears, shafts were all OK.

As far as driving on the front end, no you can't hurt it (unless you really abuse it), but if either of the aforementioned bearings are spun then you might do further damage to the rear. I doubt that you have to worry about that though.

I drove my jeep around for a week in front wheel drive and did not damage front axle at all, now mind you I was not drag racing local vettes that week, but drove it just the same. I am wondering how the hell you run out of Lube in an axle? there is not a cobustion chamber in there. Sounds too me like you have much bigger problems,. Who put the ARB in? Who was in the diff last? Someone screwed your pooch.

[ 10-15-2001: Message edited by: James93YJ ]

I had a shop do my repair. I think they replaced everything but the ARB.

Coach.

Pull the ARB apart and look at it. If it has any melted plastic in it you should replace the plastic parts. Let me know I can get them for ya.

e mail me. I might be able to help you out.

If you dont want your dana 44 ARB anymore I'll take it and the axles. It would be nice to have a spare laying around. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Sounds like the ARB will be ok just maybee a cheep part melted from the heat. But we can fix/ replace that . ARB will most likely warrenty it. They have helped me out so many times I cant even remember them all. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> ARB likes me. I am their OFFICAL USA TEST VEHICLE! (no joke) <IMG SRC="smilies/usa.gif" border="0">

Originally posted by BellyUp:
<STRONG>Coach.

Pull the ARB apart and look at it. If it has any melted plastic in it you should replace the plastic parts. Let me know I can get them for ya.

e mail me. I might be able to help you out.

If you dont want your dana 44 ARB anymore I'll take it and the axles. It would be nice to have a spare laying around. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Sounds like the ARB will be ok just maybee a cheep part melted from the heat. But we can fix/ replace that . ARB will most likely warrenty it. They have helped me out so many times I cant even remember them all. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> ARB likes me. I am their OFFICAL USA TEST VEHICLE! (no joke) <IMG SRC="smilies/usa.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

AAAAahhhhh just pull it apart? The ARB... Like will things spring out at me that I wont know where the hell the go when I put it back together? Where into the pull apart are plastic things? what are the plastic things I'm looking for?

As to the others comments on how could ahhh they.... have run it dry?... I suspect it had a rear seal leak. Sometimes it looked like I had one but it was so hard to tell cause I had a nasty tranny pan leak that was coating my underside good. I had been coaxing thaat along till recently when I replaced that pan gasket.. I thought at first I botched the job when I saw oil again afterwords... I should have inspected the oil viscosity closer. A trip across the US probably just exasberated the problem.. I drove 10 hours a day overloaded some and pulling an overloaded jeep trailer too.

I have been somewhat worried all along in my front axil cause twice a shop found that the carrier bearings were scarred bad and its a 97 TJ and that was in late 98 and again in 2000. (limited slip install and an ARB install)

Never had a problem with the rear till this. This has been thru a roll! in 2000... a black ice accident that pushed us... I mean them ..... over a bank and rolled down it 2 3/4 times. Arb's and new gears went in not long aftr that. Thanks insurance company..

so I dot know what up? besides my roof rack and the sky

What was the prognosis?

Originally posted by ZUK
What was the prognosis?

1000 dollar later (includding labor) its up and running.

the whole thing was toast. The ARB rebuildable.. all the plastic and seals had to be replaced cause they melted

apparently my diff cover rubs my gas tank skid so not only was I leaking at the pinoin but I had rubbed a pin hole leak further up.

thats still a problem.... I have not corrected yet... not sure what to do...

got to pull the skid and modify it I guess.

Now my ARB compressor is out... the big O ring on the little tank broke and wont hold air.

cant win fer loosing.