1988 Jeep Wrangler Electric locker install.

JEEPGUY800

MEMBER
1988 JEEP WRANGLER

Drive Train Axles Bearings problem
1988 Jeep Wrangler 4 cyl Four Wheel Drive Manual

I am building a pair of danna 44 axles for my jeep. I'm replacing all the bearings races and seals and installing eaton e-lockers with 5:13 gears. The front went together fine but the rear is giving me trouble. I used the same shims that came off the old carrier to start with and it was too tight. I took some off and was too loose but I noticed if I tighten the one cap down the carrier gets hard to turn. I thought it was tight against the pinion but it has backlash both tight and loose and doesnt change when tightened. I started thinking something was damaged when I first tried to install it so I swapped races from one side to the other but it didn't change sides. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Is my bearing bad or something? I don't think it is too many shims as the carrier falls into place easily.

1 Reply

MECHCURT

MEMBER
184 POSTS

Well ideally you can install the locker w/o messing with the shims, just make sure to put them back in just like they came out. Also make for sure that you put the race back in where it came out. The bearing and race are a match set after use because they will wear together, not putting them back in the same postition will cause a failure sooner. Also there is no need to tighten one bearing cap and not the other and if you do try and turn the carrier with one loose then it does not surprise me that it seems to bind? Just tighten both and this will ensure it is sitting where it should be as long as the races and caps have been put back in where they come from. Also nothing should change at all the backlash should be around 8 to 11 thousand on a used set of ring and pinion and you should be ok I like to see them a little tighter but it is used? Hope this helps Curt