seer1

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility whatsoever if you try this and something goes wrong.

I started out by ordering a custom built D44 from a company (non-sponsor) who pretty much promised me the moon. It was supposed to have Evolution Shafts, Superior gears and an OX Locker. Well after about two weeks I hear from them that OX is not making a locker for the front JK D44 so how about an ARB? (Sorry Aussie Locker fans, but you’ll never convince me non-selectable lockers belong in the front diff.) Okay I say and go about picking up what I needed to make that happen (compressor, tubing, etc.). Welllll after about four weeks I finally call them and they say there’s no way to make an ARB fit in the front Rubi D44 axle. Sooo, how about a Mopar with Evolution axles? Now to give them credit, they gave me a pretty good price so I said what the hell, do it.

I received the Mopar Performance Dana 44 Rubicon axle at the end of March and installed it in the beginning of April. I noticed a small drip coming out of the passenger side before the install, but hoped it was some residual fluids left over from the build. The leak seemed to get worse after putting it in, so I called the two places in town who worked on Jeeps and my first choice was booked through May so off to the dealership I went. The company I bought the axle from was willing to pay for the labor, which was good. They also sent me a couple of replacement seals.
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Now I’d read a while back where Eddie said the Superior shafts were slightly smaller. Worrying about this, I call Superior. “No,” they say, “We use the same seal for our shafts as the stock JK’s." Damn. I wish I had Eddie’s contacts. I don’t know what numb so and so I talked with, but… did I mention I wish I had Eddie’s contacts?

Back from the dealership, everything was cool for about a week then I noticed a drip coming from the passenger side axle tube again. After getting over being pissed off, I got to thinking. There had to be something wrong in there and I figured the only way I was going to find out was to do it myself.

I’ve always paid someone else to do differential/axle work before, so I studied up on these diff’s and they didn’t seem that bad. In I went and here’s how I did it.

I’m going to start by saying I will refer to all bolts by their head, or socket size instead of thread size. It makes more sense to me at any rate. I first opened the plug on the bottom of the pumpkin to drain the lube. After loosening the lug nuts and jacking up the JK, (remember the jack stands my friends) I removed the wheels. I removed the two 21mm bolts holding the LH brake caliper on. After tying it up to the coil spring, I then removed the three 12 pt bolts (13mm, but I found an old ½” 12 pt socket worked fine) that hold the hub and rotor to the steering knuckle off. My axle was pretty new so I didn’t have any problem with that, but I can see how after a few miles, those three bolts could be real SOB’s to remove. With those gone, the axle slid right out. Now as you’re pulling it out, keep in mind the ABS/ESP whatever wires are still connected so don’t pull it out so far it stresses the wires. It just needs to clear the carrier inside the pumpkin. More on that later.
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I then moved to the right side. Since I wanted to look at the axle, I had to do a bit more. I first removed the spindle bolt. It’s a big guy at 35mm. Fortunately I had the socket from where I removed the rear transfer case and rear axle flanges. Then I again pulled the caliper and the hub and rotor from this side. After tying both of these up, pulled the axle all the way out. The company I bought it from sent me the original shafts so I compared the two. Sure enough, the Superior shaft was .010 smaller! No wonder the freakin’ seal kept spitting out 90w.
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Then it was time for the carrier. After removing the cover, you’ll see that there’s no way to do this without first yanking your drag link. (Although now that I’ve mentioned it you might not have to stop to gather up the proper tools to do this like I did.) It’s right in the middle of where you’re working. Just take off the nut of the LH tie rod and I had to use a puller to get it separated. The right sized pickle fork should do well too.
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There are four big bolts and one little one holding the carrier in. The little (8mm) bolt is on the top LH of the pumpkin and it holds the plastic plug that the harness (locker control) plugs into. After pulling the little bolt the plug pries out. There is an O-ring on this plug so you have to work it a bit to get it out. After carefully pulling it out you have to unclip the two blue wires. A small screwdriver prying up works well for that. Now on to the cap bolts. The four (19mm) bolts hold the bearing caps on. The LH side has a silver colored bracket that holds the locker actuating magnet in place. The LH bolts are a tight fit. I had to put the grinder on my 19mm socket (Craftsman if it makes a difference) to get it to fit in. Loosen all four bolts a bit before pulling anything. Then as you pull the caps, have a system ready so you don’t mix anything up. The caps need to go on the same side and same way as they came off of, the bolts need to go back in the same holes they came out of, the bearing races need to go back on the same side and the washers that go between the bearing races and the housing (pumpkin) need to go back in the same side they came out of.
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My carrier was in there kind of tight so I took a pry bar and very carefully placed it under the carrier (NOT on the magnet, but on the carrier between the ring gear and magnet) and into the housing. I pushed down a little and it came right out. Now listen up! THAT SOB IS HEAVY! Be ready for that so you don’t drop it on the floor. Also be ready to catch the bearing races and two washers so you can keep track of which came from where. Once your carrier is removed it’s time for the seal.

I read somewhere that to remove the seal you take an old broomstick, stick it down the axle tube and pop it with a hammer. Don’t do that! All it does is leave wood chips all over the inside of the pumpkin.

I found a 4’ or so length of 1 ¼ “ PLASTIC electrical conduit laying around. I put it into the tube at a slight angle so it would jam up against the seal and one good whack sent that old seal flying across the garage. You need a flat (not wood) surface to drive the new seal in. It’s a damn good tight fit so you’ve got to work it in. Once I had it in flush, it was time to put it all back together.
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Get the carrier sort of up in the housing and plug the blue wires back into the plug through the hole in the housing. Make sure the black thing on the magnet the wires are coming out of is facing forward. The carrier, bearings and washers are tough to get back in. It’s a tight fit. Be patient. Don’t hit that washer with a hammer as much as you might want to. It’s tough, but doable. Also, don’t put it in backward like I did the first time. If you hook the wires on first then of course it can’t be backwards. Once you get it fairly in place and lined up, use the four 19mm bolts and caps to pull the carrier back in place. Keep tightening it back and forth, don’t tighten one side all the way then the other. Make sure that silver colored bracket is in the small groove on the magnet so the magnet can’t spin around. It sits a little loose on the bolts so make sure it’s pushed into that groove. Torque the bolts. Everything I read said 70-90 ft/lbs. I went 80. Put your cover on and torque it to specs. Don’t forget to put your Lube Locker or silicon on first before putting the cover back on.

Now to the axles. Carefully slide one axle (I put the RH stock axle back in as I was having serious trust issues with the Superior Evolution one) in. Be careful so you don’t damage the new seal. You’ll probably have to rotate it a bit to get it back in the splines in the carrier. Bolt up the hub to the steering knuckle with those three 12 pt bolts. I don’t have a torque value for those, but I got them pretty tight. Replace the spindle bolt and torque it to 75 ft lbs. Don’t forget your Loctite on these. Replace the caliper and torque those 21mm bolts to 80 ft lbs. I wouldn’t use Loctite on those. Do all this to the other side, FILL YOUR DIFF (2.77 pints stock, a little more if you have aftermarket covers –check the manufacturer if you’re not sure) get your wheels on and you’re done. It took me 2 ½ hours drain to fill, mistakes included.

Be patient and you’ll do fine.

greenmachine07

you did alot of studying

wish i could take that time to do that....i get impatient

TxCop07

Thats an awesome job I want to do that build eventually.

Bradlybob

Sounds like you need to go work at the dealership where mine sits for the second day getting the pass side axle seal replaced. I could do the job in 5-6 hours chasing kids and drinking beer. There's no reason for the dealership to take 2 days.
Great write up by the way, thanks.

seer1

Thanks. Don't know that they could afford me. Having air and your tools all in one place should add at least 45 minutes to the job...wait, I mean Maybe they had to make a new seal. It takes a while for the silicone to set up. Okay I shouldn't be messing with you with the JK away from home and all. I hate leaving wrenchin' in the hands of others.

JulietKilo

Great Job, and a good read. I may have missed it but did you get a different sized seal? Is it still leaking due to the .010 size difference. What was the final fix action. Sorry but it was a lot to read while watching a 22 month old and having my wife asking me to do things around the house.

RedneckJeep

Nice work. A tip for your tie rods next time.....IF there's a next time. DON'T use a pickle fork. Not unless you want the rubber boot on the tie rod destroyed. Simply loosen the tie rod nut a few threads, and take a large BRASS hammer and smack the spindle where the tie rod stud slides through. This will elongate the hole momentarily, and the tie rod will be free. It may take a few smacks if you have a small hammer. you really want to use brass though, because you want the hammer marred up, not the spindle. There are also tie rod seperating tools available, but I have used the above method for almost thirty years and it works well.

bly109

very nice write up

seer1

Thanks all. What a great tip on the tie rod! I have an old separating tool left over from a CV job on a Subaru I had long ago. It only works on the LH side of the JK suspension. The right side has the two spindles too close together to get it in.

I have heard that about pickle forks, but have been real lucky the couple of times I have had to use them. I have also heard the old trick of threading the nut back on the tie rod a few threads and smacking the nut with a hammer, but that can be very damaging to the tie rod end.

To reinstall the tie rod end I had to put an 7mm Allen wrench in the hex hole in the end of the stud of the tie rod (remembering the Loctite) and tighten the nut with a 21mm box end wrench.

I'm still trying to find the correct seal. As of right now, I'm still running the stock axle shaft with no leaks. I've called Superior and emailed them... It's time to call again. I hope I can get this resolved. If anyone out there knows the name of anyone at Superior who's knowledgeable about the JK axle I'd be most grateful to hear about him, or her. I'd hate to put a bad name on Superior's customer service after all the good stuff I've heard about them.

sport-atv

damn, think I may cancel my superior axles and go with alloy usa


nobody knows which seal to use?