readytworoll

I ended up buying my 2nd Wrangler in the end of August. I ended up buying a 2dr 2015 Willy's with 6500 miles. I currently have about 11k miles and noticed yesterday my right front is leaking dif fluid. I assume it's a seal ? I'm running 35's with a 3.5 AEV lift and Bilstein Shocks. So my question is, should I just replace the seal or start upgrading at this point? I have the stock 3.73 gears with LSD in the rear. Does it make sense to put a dana 44 in the front end ? what should I purchase? other upgrades I should do ? How much with this run me?

By the way, I live in NYC , so I don't do nearly as much offroading as I would like and am not looking to set my Jeep up as a full out rockcrawler. If I can get 5 or 6 days out in the trails next year I'll be happy.

Been out of the Jeep scene for a while, used to own a 97 TJ.
With this leak I officially consider myself back.

Thanks for the advice

karls10jk

If you buy the seal from the dealer it's $18. I bought a set of 2 seals from synergy for $12. I don't think for $20 you're quite in the territory of replacing an axle. Having access to the factory tool makes install MUCH easier but it certainly isn't a deal breaker.

Pull the brakes, hubs, axle shafts, and carrier. Pop the seals out, clean it up, press in the new seals *pro tip- put some mopar rtv on them* and then reassemble. Easy job.

resharp001

Sucks that the seal is leaking so soon, but I agree with Karls10jk, just replace the seal and move forward. Any future planned upgrades should be independent of fixing this small issue. Probably take you a few hours to complete, but it's a simple process, specially since you don't have to worry about locker connections.

Is there some reason you think you need a D44 up front? Sounds like you might just do some moderate wheeling a couple times a year. An aftermarket axle probably doesn't make a lot of financial sense for that little bit. Maybe just keep your eyes open for some rubi axles if you really want a 44 up front. You might end up with an improvement in gears and gain some lockers, but it will still cost you a bit. Few years back I was able to source a crated front and a used rear for $3k total, and sold my D30/44 combo for $1k. That should give you a little idea of what something like that could run, but would vary on location and your patience in looking.

readytworoll

Thanks for the advice. I'm just going to order what I need and fix it. About throwing a Dana 44 in . I haven't had a Jeep for about 10 years and was planning on buying a Rubicon(preferably a left over). The timing on when I needed a vehicle and when I had to purchase one didn't line up like I planned. I ran across a Willy's with low miles and nicely modded and I jumped on it. Like everybody that owns a Jeep I find myself always trying to add something. I am a big fan of the LSD in the rear and probably don't need lockers for what I plan on doing. I'm just itching for something to do to the front end. I've taken care of lift,wheels flares,exhaust,bumpers,winch, roof rack and lights. It's winter and doesn't make any sense for me to put money into my motorcycle when can't really ride it to April. Plus this is my new toy.

resharp001

Most of the time it starts to make sense to upgrade from a D30 when you're thinking about spending the money to really build it up (re-gear, add locker, add truss, etc.). At that point, it's better to start thinking about just upgrading the entire axle as the rabbit hole runs deep. If you're wheelin' style doesn't require those kinds of mods, then I'd say just go enjoy it as is. Money might be better spent on different mods. Did your lift address all the proper steering/suspension components? I don't see what lift you added in your profile info. Have you upgraded your TB, DL, TR, bracketry, drive shafts, lighting, brakes??? Based on what you said before about wheelin' a few times a year, I'd think money upgrading other functional parts along the way might be better spent.

Take a minute and fill out your profile page so everyone can see what you've modded up till now. It will help those of us that reference the page when trying to give advice.

bl17z90

I had this same problem on my Jeep a couple years ago. And like mentioned above the seals were just a few bucks. Before you do decide to tackle this yourself just be sure you are comfortable tearing the entire axle down.

Tip.........be extra careful to make note of which bearing cap goes where and which shim goes on which side. To address the cap issue I took a small punch and put 1 mark on the passenger side top and 2 marks on the driver side top.


If you really want to make some upgrades during this job I am actually selling a set of Ten Factory axle shafts for a dana 30 with about 15k miles on them and a red/black Poison Spyder diff cover.

They should be available in late January.