This coming Tuesday I will be trudging off to the local boneyard to look for a new gearset for the 8 1/4 rear axle in my brother's Duster. It currently has 2.2 rear gears, and I am hoping to find some 3.2 or 3.5 gears.

This will be the first time I will be completely stripping a rear axle, much less stripping an axle in the junkyard. I have a couple questions.

(1) Any tips on how to make this process go quickly and smoothly? THe rainy season has started here in Washington, and I want to spend as little time as possible on my back in the muck. What tools will I need to bring, and are there any tricks I should know to get the gears out as quickly as possible?

(2) My research indicates that I can use the gears from any 8 1/4 axle up into the mid 90s. This includes gears found in trucks, vans, and even Jeeps, so long as the axle (front or rear) is an 8 1/4. Can anyone confirm or clarify this for me? I would hate to spend hours getting cold and wet and muddy only to find that the part I bought doesn't fit. Been there, done that.

(3) Finally, I believe I will need to get the ring gear, the drive gear that goes through the snout ob the front of the axle housing, but nothing else. True? Do I need the caps or anything else in there?

Thanks!

I believe you will need the carrier too. My understanding is that the carrier was different for the 2.45 and taller (numerically lower) gears. If it were me I would take everything that can be unbolted.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Sounds like a plan. I will disassemble as little as possible, and buy everything except the axle shafts. Thanks.

You are looking for anything 1996 and previous...
You will have to grab the pinion, which mean you will have to find a way to keep the axle from moving and use one of the longest breaker bars you have...

Easiest grab is to just take the whole axle and have fun at home in the garage...(deep six the ubolts, driveline, and brake lines)...

Next best thing is to find someone with a torque multiplier that you can borrow which will help get the pinion nut loose. Once you have that...if it's on open rear-end...it's easy to pull the C-clips and axles shafts, grab the guts and go...

-D.Idiot

Thanks! 1996 and older, check. Assuming I really don't want to drag home a whole extra rear axle, I will need to find some way to stop the axle turning and some way to get the pinion nut loose. How about e-brake and cheater/breaker bar?

You must have a way to hold the pinion yoke while taking off the pinion nut. A good sized pipe wrench will do if you don't care about marking up the yoke.

You want the differential case with the ring gear and the pinion gear.

Good luck with the cross shaft lock-pin! Since you are going to be changing the gears in the Duster for sure I would practice on the parts you'll be throwing away/recycling.

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Joshua

Can I use the e-brakes on the donor car to keep the axles from turning and thereby keep the yoke from turning (assuming the pinion nut is the first one pulled)? I do have a big pipe-wrench if the e-brake idea won't work.

No, the brakes will not hold.

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Joshua

Dang. Guess I need to get a breaker bar and bring my pipe wrench and a cheater bar with me to the junkyard. Thanks for helping me figure that out BEFORE I got there.

Buy the whole rear axle and strip it under a roof, such as your own garage or shop or that of a friend, preferably one equipped with air tools. You will likely wind up very unhappy if you try to field-strip the axle in the yard, particularly at this time of year.

I'm pretty sure rear only because front axle ring-pinion sets have opposite-direction teeth.

What if the answer's theoretically "no" and practically "yes"? Another excellent reason to buy the whole assembly.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

OK, OK, I will quit being cheap and spend the extra $30 to just get the whole axle. Then I can drag it home and disassemble it in my garage with the above-referenced air impact wrench. That means packing a hacksaw for the u-bolts, unless I just turn the nuts until they lock up and break the u-bolts...

So no grabbing gears from the front axle of a Jeep? I guess that would transform the car into a car with one forward speed and three reverse gears?

Most Jeeps have Dana axles and a many of those look like an 8 1/4, but are not 8 1/4s.

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Joshua

OK. So pre-96 truck or van only. Gotcha.

I have a co-worker with a 1992 Jeep Cherokee...parked my duster next to it and side by side the Dana and the 8 1/4" look the same (round-ish 10 bolt rear cover...)...

Good Luck,

-D.Idiot

Thanks. I am hoping I get lucky and find two 904T trannies, a 8 1/4 rear axle with good gears, and some seats out of a two door Neon. If I can get all that I will have had a great day.