Posted: 2/4/2011 5:25:07 PM EDT
| I have a 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 4wd. I had some noise from the rear axle, so I took it in. Apparently a shim had broken and so now it is just a matter of time before it goes out. He said it could go out a mile down the road or it could last forever. In my opinion, it is worth fixing and the cheaper route seems to be to find an axle assembly and replace the entire thing. I mainly use the truck to haul firewood and hunt, so it isn't an essential every day vehicle. I feel like I can do it myself, but don't want to get halfway through it and realize I need a special tool or something like that. Any thoughts? |
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Quoted: rear axle swap is easy. Rear axle rebuild is not so easy. It can be done, but is better left to people who are familiar with them. Yep. I swapped the axle assembly on my pick up about a year ago after the pinion bearing went out. Get a friend to help you. The assembly is heavy and there are a number of components that will need to be swapped over. Not difficult, but it is time consuming when you are not in a fully equipped shop. |
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Be sure to get one with the same gear ratio as the existing unit. It wouldn't be an issue if the vehicle was 2wd, but with 4wd, the gear ratio must be the same in both differentials or you will destroy the transfer case. I'm not sure how dodge identifies the gear ratio in their differentials, so you'll probably want to do some googling or call a dealer to ask. From what I know, the rear end on dodge trucks is prone to failure. The swap will be pretty straightforward, just unbolting stuff, removing the old unit, sliding the replacement in, and bolting everything back up. You'll need at least two floor jacks most likely, and pneumatic tools would probably be nice. As far as I know, you won't need anything special. Find a factory service manual(best), or buy a haynes/chilton manual(will work, not as good though). Either should list the tools you need. |
| Good thing is FIL is a Ford Certified mechanic and has 35 years worth of tools etc to use. I am confident that I should be able to do this now. Also ordered the Chilton manual from Amazon earlier this evening. Would there be a difference between the 4wd and 2wd rear end? I am pretty sure mine is 3.55, but will look and make sure tomorrow. |
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You can save some time by pulling out the axle shafts first thing, and then removing the brake backing plates from the ends of the axle tubes, without undoing either the emergency brake cables or the brake lines. You won't need to bleed the brakes afterwards. I had to do this with my '94 Suburban late last fall, after the pinion started to disintegrate on me. My machinist little brother did the rebuild for me, and then getting all of parts still cost me less than getting a used axle out of a local wrecking yard would have. I bought my parts from http://www.ringpinion.com/. I wouldn't hesitate using them again. |
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Quoted: Good thing is FIL is a Ford Certified mechanic and has 35 years worth of tools etc to use. I am confident that I should be able to do this now. Also ordered the Chilton manual from Amazon earlier this evening. Would there be a difference between the 4wd and 2wd rear end? I am pretty sure mine is 3.55, but will look and make sure tomorrow. That I don't know. Dodge may have used different rear ends, or there may have been special orders for a specific beefed up model. The repair manuals should say one way or the other. |
| Your rear axle should be a Dana 44, though I would double check to verify. There should be a tag on the rear axle near the diff cover that has the 8 digit assembly number, your gear ratio, and then a bill of materials number that Dana uses for parts (I think). Should be pretty easy to spot, might need to hose off the axle to get dirt and grease of it. Axle swap is pretty much a piece of cake on these trucks. |
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Quoted:
Your rear axle should be a Dana 44, though I would double check to verify. There should be a tag on the rear axle near the diff cover that has the 8 digit assembly number, your gear ratio, and then a bill of materials number that Dana uses for parts (I think). Should be pretty easy to spot, might need to hose off the axle to get dirt and grease of it. Axle swap is pretty much a piece of cake on these trucks. Dodge 1500 of that year should have a 9 1/4" Mopar rearend. I've never seen a Dana 44 in the rear of any newer Dodge trucks. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Your rear axle should be a Dana 44, though I would double check to verify. There should be a tag on the rear axle near the diff cover that has the 8 digit assembly number, your gear ratio, and then a bill of materials number that Dana uses for parts (I think). Should be pretty easy to spot, might need to hose off the axle to get dirt and grease of it. Axle swap is pretty much a piece of cake on these trucks. Dodge 1500 of that year should have a 9 1/4" Mopar rearend. I've never seen a Dana 44 in the rear of any newer Dodge trucks. Whoops... You're right. I think the front is/was a Dana 44, and the rear is definitely a Chrysler/Mopar 9.25" axle. |