Front axle lock up

[nosjarede]

i just bought a dana 44 assembly for a tj for my o1 cherokee it went right in.. i was driving it and both front wheels locked up as i was road testing it about 20min into the drive. what happend?? its not the breaks or transfercase

 

[explorer]

Any lube in the diff.?

 

[nosjarede]

i have no idea i have to check that tomarrow.. it would lock up like that if it was dry in the diff??

 

[nosjarede]

i was rushing to get it all together cause of the snow. if there wasent any fluid in the diff and thats what locked up what do u think broke in there? and what needs to be replaced

 

[explorer]

Yeah, there will be lots of smeared metal, if thats what happened. You can probably just pull the plug and poke a little light in there to see. You will smell it. Did the hsg. come complete, new, used??

 

[nosjarede]

it came brand new.. 4.10 gears and airlocker with new axle shafts and all.
im such a retard if there isnt fluid in there

 

[explorer]

If thats what happened, you will nead gears, brgs. for sure. Sometimes the carrier is deformed or the brgs. have spun on it. Sometimes the brgs. spin in the hsg.. If it actually stopped the vehicle, probably all of these.

 

[explorer]

Yeah, new ones come minus fluid. Sorry to here. Don't feel that bad. I've seen it lots of times.

 

[nosjarede]

hey thankyou verymuch.. im probley gonna have to order new gears and install kit tomarrow haha.

 

[nosjarede]

how do i tell if the carrier is deformed?

 

[explorer]

You'll have to disassemble it all. Some damage will be obvious, some won't till you go to put it back together. Basically look at the brg. seats in the hsg. and where they press on to the carrier. It will need brgs. and the gears at a minimum. That locker, though I haven't yet serviced them myself, would seem particularly susceptible to the heat generated when this happened.

 

[nosjarede]

i have 4.10 gears sittin in my garage for my rear dana 44 i havent put in yet. will them gears and install kit work with my front 44?

 

[explorer]

No, unless they are for a Rubicon axle. They use a thick gearset that is different than standard.

 

[nosjarede]

o shoot. ok thanks