Front Dana 44 removal
 

I have a truss, C gussets, lower control arm skids, and ball joints that I want to get installed at the local off road shop (Off Road Innovations in Twin Lake, Michigan). I drive a 2014 JKUR. It has a 3" Mopar stage 3 lift that includes limiting straps. I also have a Tera flex monster track bar in it. After speaking to the shop they told me that if I can remove the front axle and bring it to them that I could save myself $200+ in labor. So, that brings me to my questions.

What are the steps in removing a front Dana 44?
How many people would it take to pick it up and put it on a trailer to get it to the shop?
What else do I need to think of during this process?

Unbolt the upper and lower control arms from the axle. Disconnect the breather tube and the locker wiring. Disconnect lower sway bar links and shocks from axle. Disconnect the driveshaft. Should take you around an hour/hour and a half. It's not bad at all, just a little time consuming.

I was able to pick up the D44 myself and unload it, but I'm also 20 and very active. The guy who I sold my old D30 to (they're close in weight) needed a hand loading it onto his trailer.

Hope that helps, I'm about to have a buddy truss my d44 too so I'm about to go through this in a week. Good luck!

1. Put the front of the Jeep on jack stands and remove the front wheels
2. Support the front diff with a floor jack
3. Remove locker connections
4. Disconnect diff breather hose from diff
5. Remove the brake calipers (hang them up with bungies from the frame)
6. Disconnect the ABS sensor wires (behind the upper shock mount) - this part can be a bear
7. Disconnect the front drive shaft at the pinion flange
8. Remove the sway bar link bolts at the axle (or quick disconnects)
9. Remove the track bar bolt at the axle
10. Disconnect the drag link at the knuckle
11. Remove the lower shock bolts
12. Remove the lower control arm bolts at the axle
13. Remove the upper control arm bolts at the axle
14. Lower the floor jack

You should be all set. I think that's everything. Have someone help you put it on a trailer or in a truck.

Honestly, I like doing this kind of stuff, and I'm a little cheap. :) But for $200, I might just let them do it all. Don't forget you have put it back in. How much your time is worth and the limit of your budget are things only you can decide.

What about brakes? Do I take the calipers off the rotors and keep them attached to the Jeep or do I have to mess with unhooking brake lines?

Shutterbug covered what I missed, use bungees to hold your calipers up to the frame. Don't let the calipers hang by the brake lines.

This seems manageable. Is putting it back in just the reverse of this process? I will need to get an alignment afterward won't I?

It is totally manageable it's just time and turning wrenches.

Putting it back is just reverse taking it apart and torquing everything to specs.

I think the guys forgot to mention you'll need to disconnect the drag link at the knuckle also, but even with that I would not feel an alignment is needed afterwards. I've disconnected my draglink, tie rod, and even removed the knuckles before without any adverse effects.

You can set your toe by yourself with a measuring tape in your driveway. Steering wheel can be straightened by loosening the 2 15mm nuts on your draglink and spinning it.

I knew I was forgetting something. Thanks! I edited my original reply.

More or less. You don't need to follow these in this exact order, but somethings will be easier to do one way verses another. For example, the lower control arm skids will make it harder to get the control arms back in those brackets. I would do those first. With the housing on a floor jack, rotate it slightly forward, then slide it from the front into position, guiding the lower control arms in at the same time. Other than that, it's pretty simple.

No alignment will be needed unless the shop monkeys with the tie rod.

I recommend, if you don't want to do it yourself, find one of these shops like Firestone or NTB that has a lifetime alignment deal. Pay for it once, get it aligned as many times as you want!