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Axle & Differential
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Amc model 20 rear axle
This very popular axle axle that was used in so many jeeps from 1976 to 1986 on models such as the CJ-5, CJ-7, and the Grand Wagoner. These axles have some areas in design that make them weak but they also have a lot of attributes that make it very strong.
The ring and pinion gear set is large and very strong, the spider gear set also shares in the same design strengths. The most common failure areas are with the axle shaft and tubes. The original two piece axle has a very weak spline and key connection. The most popular way to repair this weak link is to install a set of one piece flanged axles that come in a complete kit. There are stronger kits like full floating axle kits that give greater load carrying ability while removing that duty off of the axle shafts. The axle shafts only function then is transmitting the rotational torque to the tires.
The next area that is common to have failures, especially when the jeep is used in low gear with larger tires, is the tube connection at the center section. The tubing has a tendancy to rotate at the press in connection. This is remedied by welding the tubes to the housing.
Lastly the spring perch on the tube should be replaced with a heavy duty replacement. We have used the perches designed for the dana 60 one ton axle with 3’ tubes with great success. Warrior products has some good parts that will work.
If you are considering keeping this axle on your jeep these improvements should be on the top of the list of modifications to be under taken.
Dana model 35 rear axle
This rear axle was used on jeep models from 1987 through 2004 that I am aware of. These models included wrangler, Cherokee, & grand Cherokee although other axles were used in addition to these this unit was the most common. The axle has many weak points and problem prone areas.
The main problem is that the axle’s meager size of it’s components allows it to be prone to major failure of ring and pinion gear, differential side gears, and axle shafts. Further more the housings and tubings are common to be misaligned as such that if you look down an empty housing through both tubes you actually see the out of line tubes.
Although a lot of jeeps are running the dana 35 this is a common cause of trailside repairs. Low gearing, larger tires, and the ever popular heavy foot will cause quicker demise of these units. In all honesty any large sums of money spent on this unit is not a wise investment and the recommendation would be to upgrade this unit to anything but this.
If you are having trouble finding a jeep part or are unsure about a part call a helpful jeep specialist 954-441-0399. |
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