I've watched Youtube videos, read threads, and can't really see why more people don't do there own gears. Am I missing something. What can I get my self into if I do my gears. $1000 +/- a little, is a lot of money just for labor. I can buy the tools, and a whole new set of gears and try it again if I screw up the first time. The question still stands, why do people say, pay to have your gears done its worth it. I'm obviously trying to talk myself into doing it, but it is a brand new jeep, so I guess I'm looking for someone to talk me out of it too. Is it really that hard????

 

It has been done successfully by people who have never done it. Lots more people, those who have never done it before, and those who have done a few of them, have not been successful.
It's a delicate operation, with little room for error.
If I were to need new gears, I would like to get a junk axle to practice on.

 

Everyone who's ever done gears had to have a first time too. It does take a few specialty tools, but it's really not that hard. Get the book from Randy's ring and pinion for about $25. It gives all the specs you need to set up the axles, shows and explains how to use most of the specialty tools, etc.... I did mine and had a knowledgeable friend give me a second opinion on my gear contact pattern before I closed them up.

 

You can do it with the prior proper planning. What makes it daunting is the cost of failure is soooooooooo high., but everyone who is an expert did their first one at sometime

 

Its not the cost of labor thats expensive. Price out a good gear set front and rear ,master over haul kits and gear lube and you will see the labor is the cheap part of the job. Ive been a mechanic for 15 years and have done one set of gears in the life of my carreer . I would do them myself but with out proper tools setting pinion depth correctly can be time consuming and seein how my jk is my daily driver I cant afford to have it down also like said the damage if done incorrectly can be very costly even for me getting parts at wholesale price. I have ask other guys in my shop if they would do it or help me do it and everyone of them said hell no . Some things are just better left up to a guy who specializes in that for the peice of mind that its correct and if he does screw up it wont cost you anything to have it fixed.

 

I know a guy who is a motorcycle mechanic that decided to re-gear his JK. Never did one before but he was good with a wrench. He ended up needing help from a guy in our club who is a certfied mechanic who has done gearing jobs before. What it came down to was having the right tools for the job in order to get the precision needed. I watched a lot of the process and it was time consuming getting everything right. Believe it or not the hardest part of the install was the rear crush sleeve which needed significant torque to start. Air impacts, breaker bars, pinion wrench all failed. it took a 3/4" ratchet and a 48" pipe wrench to get it started. I suppose they could have used the press to start the it but that didn't come to midn until after the trip to Harbor Freight for the 4 foot pipe wrench!

 

I replace the gears in my TJ myself and I would never do it again. It was pure hell and I had the book from Randy's ring and pinion.

 

I would say have a shop do it. I set up my own gears with help from a experienced tech and they whine had them reset by a shop and they whine even louder. Its good to have the knowledge and know how but I will gladly pay a shop to do it next time.

 

My thoughts as well. Helped a buddy do a set on his TJ years ago (Axles were removed doing an axle swap), put them in, pull them out. Shim here, remove a shim. Dial indicator, more grease....

 

Stick with the pros!! Had mine done for a 1000 bucks and it sure feels good driving out of the shop knowing it was done correct (thanks OffRoadEvolution)and if their are problems it can be taken back to the shop to be fixed with no money out of your pocket.