hi ya'll

i got 3.21 gears. i would like to one day upgrade to either 4.56 or 4.88 and as well get some arb lockers.

Q1: i know if i do the gears upgrade without the lockers i would have to change the carrier. but wouldn't adding lockers change the carrier automatically?

Q2: without lockers, would i have to change the carrier on both 30 and 44 axles or just the front 30.

sorry if this is real elementary stuff but i'm currently trying to learn about how diffs work.
i actually found a great vid on this forum that really helped me and would recommend it to anyone is is still unsure about how diffs work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYAw79386WI&feature=fvw

 

JK's use standard gears in front DANA 30 and THICK gears in rear DANA 44 ...

1) Generally a locker replaces the carrier (except for the type that replaces spider gears) so you wouldn't need a new carrier.

2) Rear Dana 44 uses 3.56 and down Carrier no matter what since it uses thick gears. Front Dana 30 Needs a new carrier for 3.73+ since it uses standard gears.

I just got a price on Gear install from a shop that knows what they are doing. They asked if I had 3.21 gears ... I said yes and they said I need a new front carrier for the install ... going to 4.56.

 

Ok, sorry to ask a stupid question but I have been wondering this for a while. What is a carrier? What does it look like? A pic would be nice. How much do they cost and where do you buy one. I have 3.21 gears and plan on regearing next year, and wouild like to know something before I do it so I dont sound like an idiot when I am talking to the shop.

 

Standard Open Carrier, Dana 30, 3.73+ up ratios. This is the carrier you'd need for the Dana 30 if you have 3.21's and plan on going to 3.73, 4.10, 4.56 etc etc. of course if you plan on adding a locker or a posi up front you wont need this.

 

Sorry, but I disagree. I went from 3.21 to 4.88's on dana 30/44. I got the new carrier and didn't put it in. It's working fine 12,000 miles later.
If you MUST buy one, I'll make you a killer deal.

 

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...hlight=carrier

 

ethang1977 there is tons of debate about whether or not the front carrier is needed in this thread, every one of our sponsors who sell gears, lockers etc. agree you need it to move up from 3.21's as do most of the people who have done gear installs. Maybe somehow you ended up with a 3.73+ carrier, maybe you thought you had 3.21 gears but had 3.73? I dont know, hell I opened up the D44 to install new gears the other day only to find out my '08 uses 1/2" ring gear bolts as opposed to the 7/16" chrysler as well as everyone else told me would be there. I know for a fact that I have to replace my front carrier to get 4.10's in the D30, the stock carrier will not take the new ring gear.

 

I just spoke with Dave at northridge4x4 about my 5.13's and he said you must use a new (bigger) carrier in the front d30. Now if you are adding lockers, you wont need to worry about this. I wanted to all this at once, but don't have the funds for lockers at the moment, and since my front ring gear doesn't have any teeth on it anymore, I have to do the gears now and then the lockers later.

 

What happend to your front differential? Grenade or something crazy like that?

 

budlight+4lo+big tree laying infront of the trail=no no

i tried hitting the tree at an angle, and had 1 tire ontop of it and then tried easing the other tire up and it started spinning on the bark......then SNAP

i pulled the front cover the next day and found most of the teeth from the ring gear in the bottom of the housing, so my jeep is currently 2wd