Is the Dana 35 really weak?

[falcon556]

Having read many articles about how weak the D35 is, I'd like to ask the experts a question.
Is there a pattern of D35s that failed while doing what the vehicle was designed to do?
Do they fail with oem size tires going off road on trails, snow and other terrain that you happen to run in to, as opposed to finding the worst possible pile of rocks and trying to climb it with oversized tires and custom low differentials?
Just trying to get a feel about what the D35 is all about.
I have two XJs right now with D35s and they are doing well.

 

[XJONABUDGET]

In stock form i would say they are OK. If you are doing any mods, IE locker, gears, bigger tires they will not hold up as well as a d44 or ford 8.8 for instance.

 

[BrettM]

they do just fine in stock form, stock size tires, etc.

add a locker and you might break them with stock sized tires, add big tires and forget about it. I wheeled a D35 with 33s and an open diff for a while, never broke anything, but I carried spares and an open diff makes things a lot easier on the axle.

 

[WB9YZU]

Saw an axle vs tire chart in JP mag a year or two back. They said a D35 was good for 31s with a locker. Friends use 32" BFG ATs and lockers with 4.56s. No problem with the D35, it's the D30 you gotta watch...

 

[Kittrell]

Saw an axle vs tire chart in JP mag a year or two back. They said a D35 was good for 31s with a locker. Friends use 32" BFG ATs and lockers with 4.56s. No problem with the D35, it's the D30 you gotta watch...

I'd be more worried about the D35 than the D30, care to explain?

 

[BrettM]

i trust a locked D35 with up to 30" tires, i trust a locked D30 with up to 33" tires. driving style and terrain can change this a bit, but a good rule of thumb IMO.

 

[falcon556]

Saw an axle vs tire chart in JP mag a year or two back. They said a D35 was good for 31s with a locker. Friends use 32" BFG ATs and lockers with 4.56s. No problem with the D35, it's the D30 you gotta watch...

I find this confusing. Most XJs come with a D35 rear a D30 front but the rear is the one that seems to attract most of the attention, as if the D30 is stronger than the D35.
I run stock tires with Truetracs on both ends.

 

[WB9YZU]

I'd be more worried about the D35 than the D30, care to explain?

The u-joints are a weak point. Either the axle shaft ears deform and it chucks a u-joint cap, or the u-joint actually breaks. Either way, shortly afterwards, the outter and inner shafts loose the ears completely- bad times.

 

[WB9YZU]

I find this confusing. Most XJs come with a D35 rear a D30 front but the rear is the one that seems to attract most of the attention, as if the D30 is stronger than the D35.
I run stock tires with Truetracs on both ends.

D30 is the weaker of the two axles. The D35 just has a bad rep because folks strap 35s and a locker on it, then drive it like they stole it.
The D35 C-Clip unit fails at the C-Clip side- PITA to fix if you have a locker.
As pointed out, driving style is a big factor. If you like spinning them, sooner or later, something will grab the tire, and you'll shear a shaft.

 

[XJ Buzzard]

In two weeks, two of our group broke a D35 axle. Mine was one of them. I am locked and running 33" tires. The other one was running 32", locked also. I am planning on swapping out my Comanche D44 in place of the D35. If you take it easy it might last.

chris

 

[XJ_ranger]

D30 is the weaker of the two axles. The D35 just has a bad rep because folks strap 35s and a locker on it, then drive it like they stole it.
The D35 C-Clip unit fails at the C-Clip side- PITA to fix if you have a locker.
As pointed out, driving style is a big factor. If you like spinning them, sooner or later, something will grab the tire, and you'll shear a shaft.

the d30 see's less weight and most people dont lock the front end till they have alreadt broken the rear...

i am worried about my d35 axle housing flexing - winterfest here i come!

-Ranger

 

[WB9YZU]

the d30 see's less weight and most people dont lock the front end till they have alreadt broken the rear...

i am worried about my d35 axle housing flexing - winterfest here i come!

-Ranger

Flexing? I thought that's what the Unibody was for -LOL!

Less weight? Under what conditions? You know that I6 + AW4 + TC + Driver is fairly heavy combo. The only thing holding the back down is a full tank of gas

 

[woody]

IMO the D35's weakest point is the housing/tubes. When they flex, bad things happen. This can be addressed by buying or fabbing a truss that helps hold everything in line.

Adding a truss and the Superior Super 35 kit (larger axleshafts/30 spline locker) would make a 35 "almost" as strong as a 44, but with slightly better ground clearance.

OTOH when ya get to that level of cubic dollars, with the intent of running larger tires and/or harder trails, it makes more sense (to me) to just skip spending anything on the D35 and go straight to a D44/8.8" or bigger.

 

[XJ_ranger]

Flexing? I thought that's what the Unibody was for -LOL!

Less weight? Under what conditions? You know that I6 + AW4 + TC + Driver is fairly heavy combo. The only thing holding the back down is a full tank of gas

Yeah - the d35 housing isnt all that strong and the tubes are known to flex...

yes the front end is heavier while dirving down the road... - but when your going up a hill, all the wieght is on the rear end... id venture a guess that 80% of all axle breakage in a d35 was on a ledge with the front end up in the air and the rear end with uneven traction...

 

[TomH]

I think you have to look at the terrain you are going to use a 35 in, also. I had a YJ that I ran 32x9.50 swampers on a locked 35 for years with 4.56 gears. It was a 4 banger though. The trails we ran had rock but we also saw a lot of mud.

I really didn't worry about breaking anything because I wasn't into the gas.

 

[cloudswimmer]

Having read many articles about how weak the D35 is, I'd like to ask the experts a question.
Is there a pattern of D35s that failed while doing what the vehicle was designed to do?
Do they fail with oem size tires going off road on trails, snow and other terrain that you happen to run in to, as opposed to finding the worst possible pile of rocks and trying to climb it with oversized tires and custom low differentials?
Just trying to get a feel about what the D35 is all about.
I have two XJs right now with D35s and they are doing well.

Well here we go again if you want to see a D35 in action go look at porchpuppys photo albums

http://community.webshots.com/user/porchpuppyxj

Wrecking ball, pumpkineater, sledge hammer, etc.Some of the toughest trails here in the west.I have the same exact D35 setup now as his (minus the raised shock mounts) and have done similar trails lately in the el paso range, last chance, etc.Running D35 with a super 35 detroit kit, welded truss, ladder bar, 4:56, and 33" mtr's, and auto tranny.When I get ready to go to 35's of course the axels will change, but till then the 35 stays.If I was starting out again with what I know now I probably would have just swapped out the axel
to begin with, but I'm havin fun with what I got and haven't broken yet.

 

[WB9YZU]

Yeah - the d35 housing isnt all that strong and the tubes are known to flex...

yes the front end is heavier while dirving down the road... - but when your going up a hill, all the wieght is on the rear end... id venture a guess that 80% of all axle breakage in a d35 was on a ledge with the front end up in the air and the rear end with uneven traction...

Happened that way with my D30 once- and I had to drive home on it (poor Jeep).

Seems like the 8.8 swap was becoming popular- then someone caught on and the price went up! Atleast you don't give up ground clearance like the 8.25

Still, anything can happen and will. Watched a friend of mine with an auto, 33's, locked both ends (D30 front- D35 rear) break , not an axle, but a slip yoke, while tackling a techno type hill. We all just stared stupidly as we had never seen a slip yoke fail. The spline side was still in the TC and all that was left on the DS was the yoke,

 

[BrettM]

Well here we go again if you want to see a D35 in action go look at porchpuppys photo albums

http://community.webshots.com/user/porchpuppyxj

Wrecking ball, pumpkineater, sledge hammer, etc.Some of the toughest trails here in the west.I have the same exact D35 setup now as his (minus the raised shock mounts) and have done similar trails lately in the el paso range, last chance, etc.Running D35 with a super 35 detroit kit, welded truss, ladder bar, 4:56, and 33" mtr's, and auto tranny.When I get ready to go to 35's of course the axels will change, but till then the 35 stays.If I was starting out again with what I know now I probably would have just swapped out the axel
to begin with, but I'm havin fun with what I got and haven't broken yet.

there are few people that would say a trussed Super 35 isn't a great axle for 33s, we just think it's a waste of money

 

[What Rd]

With stock size tires and True-Tracs (which is USUALLY a very forgiving diff), you may be just fine with your D35. But True-Tracs have been known to "load up" and release a load of torque onto one axle shaft as the traction shifts suddenly between the tires on that axle. D35s not only have weak tubes but are prone to breaking shafts where the splines end. I've seen two shafts that twisted at that point and were just short of breaking. If you're the type who wheels relatively mild stuff, like you must if you've bothered to install True-Tracs yet still run stock size tires, then you'll probably be able to live with your D35. I'd recommend you not use the skinny pedal when one tire gets "wedged". It's also a real good idea to carry a spare set of shafts.

 

[Ramsey]

http://www.billhughes.com/dana35c/