Has anyone tried installing their own gear sets? I know it is technical and one must be precise, but if I can install my own lockers, lifts, etc, why can not one install a set of gears?

I don't think anyone ever does, and the easy answer is just have a shop do it, but is there any real world experience with DIY gear swaps?

 

THe toughest part of the gear swap is getting the pinion gear depth correct. There's really nothing to it if you have the right tool and know a few tricks. I've been doing it since the late 70s. If you ask specific questions, I can give specific answers. My best advice right now is to get a general shop manual and read up on it. See if you really think it's in your realm to accomplish and go from there. It's really not too difficult.

 

the shop that did my gears "knew" what they were doing...well they didnt and 2700 later my jeep is fixed 100%. they didnt crush the crush sleve, set the pinion depth right, shimmed the carrier over to the passenger side which then ruined the axle, the splines ends were mushroomed....and cant forget my locker parts they broke and then siliconed together inside my axle

I would say get it done by a shop that REALLY has done them before, I know others that have had trouble with their install too.

Good Luck if you give it a try and to Redneck for the help

this is picture of my pinion gear after 1800miles

 

Damn. What a bunch of ogres.

 

Now I KNOW I could do better than that.

Thanks Redneck, I may follow up with you more on this. Have you done a JK yet? Are they any different than anything else?

 

all i can say is that i've been working on jeeps for about 10 years now and gears are still the only thing that i shy away from. setting up gears and correctly is really hard to do even by guys who know what they are doing.

 

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Wish I had the know how to correctly do the intall myself, but that is something I would leave to someone else with the correct knowledge and experience. But if you do try the install yourself, the best of luck to you and that would be a great accomplishment Below is a link (I intentionally added spaces as to not have a direct link to the site ) to give you an idea on what you will getting into...It's not an install for a D44 or 30, but it gives some general info..

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Have not done a JK yet. Although the D44 is a tad different than the "standard" D44, it's different only in the fact that the ring gear bolts are a different diameter......at least that's all the difference I've been able to surmise. I have done plenty of pre-JK D44s. So many I cannot count. Needless to say the D30 as well. 9 times out of 10 you can get by with using the old shims everywhere....even on the pinion gear........there ARE exceptions to that rule, though. The key is to measure EVERY time and you won't have a problem.

 

Sort of. We used to have this guy that was the service manager at the Toyota dealership where I was a mechanic years ago. He was 100% Irish. Some of the young guys would have a ticket that was over their head...like say, an auto transmission problem. He would look at them and say in his best Irish dialect, "There's only one way to get the genie out of the bottle.", and he was right. There is only one way. Grab the wrench and let that little bitch out. Once you understand the concept, setting up pinion gear depth and ring gear backlash becomes second nature. I don't even use a dial indicator to set backlash. I just set it by feel. The best trick I EVER EVER learned that made setting pinion gear depth EASY PEASY was to hone out the old pinion gear bearing until it JUST was no longer a press fit anymore. That way, you can assemble, and disassemble, getting the depth just right without the need to run to the press every time, and without the horror of possibly destroying a pinion bearing pressing it back off to get the right shim in. THere are tons of tricks like that, but to me that's always been one of the best. I've set GMs, Toyotas, Fords, Mopars, Jeeps, and over the road trucks. They are ALL the same basic principle. There is a way for pinion gear depth adjustment and a way to adjust backlash. My favorite in terms of simplicity is the Ford 9". Doesn't get any easier than threaded collars to adjust ring gear backlash. Somebody used their head designing that thing. Like Harry Callahan would say....."A good man's got to know his limitations." LMAO

 

I took my JK into 4wheelparts for a gear swap up to 4.88, a day later they called me and said they don't seem to fit right.
The guy that works at the Redono Beach Store told me he will do some research and find the right ones.
I'm sort of a research junkie myself, so I did a search as well.
Come to find out that the only company making the correct gears for the new JK is Superior Axel & Gear (4wheelparts also came up with same conclusion).
Anyways they are ordered on the way, seems like they are waaaaay back ordered.
Hope that helps this thread.