tj wrangler rear axle issues

[blackxt]

hey all

i have a 97 tj wrangler after replacing most of the front suspension and rear uni i noticed i could move my rear wheels side to side like the rear wheel bearings gone or something

i then went onto read that the axle could be held in by a clip on these models

and i got to thinking mabey the axles stuffed

now im not going to find the the time to look at this issue until next weekend
and wanted to see if this is a problem people have

and if so i can hopefully sort some bits before i pull it apart to prevent the down time abit

thanks for eny help
nathan

[brenttj]

no that's the american rear axles dana 35 all aussie tj's have a 44

[mika]

As stated the axles that are held in with C clips are on the Dana35. The dana35 is the common rear axle assembly on american TJ's and XJ's.
In Aus TJ's all have a Dana44 Rear. The Dana44 wheel bearings and axles are held in with a backing plate. These backing plates can warp or cone slightly and it is possible to get some (like 1mm) in-out movement on the axle.

[blackxt]

oh thats good news then , it must just be bent backing plates , the back flexs alot so i guess there is massive strains on them

[mika]

how much movement do you have? and is there any up-down movement?

[blackxt]

up and down no , side to side is more thank a mil both sides , ill rip it apart on the weekend , shouldnt be to bad if it has retaining plates to fix

[kim-joshy]

up and down no , side to side is more thank a mil both sides , ill rip it apart on the weekend , shouldnt be to bad if it has retaining plates to fixhad mine out yesterday .four 14mm each side and out they come ..give it a good clean first ,brake cleaner is good .

[mika]

only way to get the backing plate off is to cut the bearing and retaining colar off

[blackxt]

yeah i no you have to take the bearings off to get the backing plate off , ive got two wheels bearing kits comming and if the plates worn or bent ill machine up some mega tuff ones . ifs there room ill machine up some wider ones out of some decent metal

[Morgs]

Blackxt I hope you got things sorted. Rather then starting a new thread I thought I should hi jack this one.

Can anyone explain why both my rear axles move in and out by about 8mm. Not up and down or left and right but in and out of the axle tube. I have just got back from Cape York and the guys that did the wheel alignment pointed out the issue. Some how the bearings do not appear to be overheating. The slack is really noticable around corners as the jeeps weight shifts or when the camber of the road changes on the highway. You can actually feel the rear slide around and on the highway I have to correct the steering as it is that bad.

I had the ring and pinion replaced in Rockhampton by a diff shop that hasn't given me much confidence in their work. I have now read the FSM re the dana 44 and the only way I can see something causing so much movement is by the wheel bearings being pressed on too far. The backing plates are both straight. Before I go paying another mechanic (I don't have a press) to fix the last mechanic's stuff up (who was replacing the ring and pinion as they advised that the diff was not set up in the first place correctly by the first mechanic), I thought I better check. All help is greatly appreciated.

While on the issue of the rear diff I am eternally grateful to Wayne and Campbell from the Brisbane Jeep club for giving advice on fixing the leaking axle seal I had due to the diff shop smashing it on at the time of installation. That silicone job held on the way North and South on the corrugations and I would recommend to anyone who pulls their rear axles out to smear a very small amount of diff gasket sealant/silicone on the outer edge of the axle seal where it seats in the end of the diff.