Changing my gears from 4:11 to 4:88

[zatog]

Hey everyone i was just wondering if anyone knows how hard it is to change my gears, and if it's worth it. :driving-g

 

[jfrabat]

It's not rocket science, but it is not easy. You gotta know what you are doing, or you will create unnecesary damage to the gears. If you have it proffessionally done, it is not cheap either. BUT, it is THE single mod that you will REALLY feel with the but dyno short of an engine swap or a turbo...

 

[tow_hook]

Hey everyone i was just wondering if anyone knows how hard it is to change my gears, and if it's worth it. :driving-g

on a scale of 1 to 10 it's an 8, not super easy, but if done wrong, can be quite costly. if you haven't done it, it would be best to watch some one do it, or have them help you. shops get big bucks to do it, cause it can be a pain...

 

[jps4jeep]

see, I find gears very easy and straight forward (but this is how my mind works) on that scale I would put gears at about 5, I find swapping gears to be easier than roll cage building.
If you plan on only changing gears once. pay to have someone else to do it. the tools you will need to do it properly will run you about $300, which is what most shops will charge for re-gearing labor. the labor gets cheaper if the axle is already out of the vehicle.

 

[jfrabat]

If you are going to pay to have them done, look at speed shops instead of 4X4 shops. They tend to be less pricey...

 

[phall92139]

Physically installing new gears is not the issue but setting them up correctly is. Lots of mechanics claim to be able to do this job but a lot less of them know how to do it correctly. The problem is that by the time you figure out they were not done right the damage has already been done. The right way = smooth, quiet, strong, and long-lasting. The wrong way = weak, noisy, howling, or whining, failure very probable.


Another consideration is that most home-garage gear-heads don't have the special tooling necessary to do the job right. Here's a list (may not be all inclusive) of tools and equipment you need to have in your inventory or at least available as required:

• Dial indicator
• Gear marking compound and a clean brush
• Calipers or a micrometer
• Bearing pullers
• Bearing press
• Three foot long breaker bar or strong impact gun
• Pinion nut socket
• Ring gear bolt socket
• Carrier cap bolt socket
• Six point cross pin bolt wrench
• Brake line wrench
• Pry bars for removing the carrier case
• 24 oz ballpein hammer
• 48 oz sledge hammer
• 48 oz plastic dead blow hammer
• Assorted brass punches
• Punch for marking carrier caps
• Oil drain pan
• Foot pounds torque wrench
• Inch pounds torque wrench

Now don't let me put you off entirely here. If you're a pretty good wrench turner, have the patients of Job, and pay attention to detail, then by all means give it a try.

However, if there's a reasonable doubt as to your abilities this may not be the job to tackle and it would be a wiser choice to seek the services of a skilled rear-end mechanic.

 

[jfrabat]

skilled rear-end mechanic.

Now is this a cool title to have or what???

Felipe: Skilled rear end mechanic! I like it!

 

[phall92139]

Now is this a cool title to have or what???

Felipe: Skilled rear end mechanic! I like it!

RFLMAO!!! I didn't intend it that way, yet...Hmmmm. :rofl:

 

[Utah_jeepster]

One thing Phil forgot and need to do this job right is a pinion depth mic. The pinion depth is the key to getting the gears set right.if your off .05 then your only going to get 12000 miles out of your gears or so. Then there is also the right pre-load on the pinion bearings. And setting all of this depends on what type of axle you have. Dana 44's use a 210 lbs load on the pinion nut to get a 15lbs turning resistance, since many didnt use a crush sleeve like the dana 35.
So you see for a first time mechanic, it might be better to have a local shop change your gears till you read up on it.

 

[jps4jeep]

I tried to be a rear end mechanic once.. wife wouldn't have it... wait what.


I love the list Phil couple things made me laugh

Six point cross pin bolt wrench= allen wrench

and
Brake line wrench, why would you need a line wrench.. if you are pulling off brake lines then your not doing it right. lol



honestly, there are two basic types of carriers that will require some slightly different tools, fixed bearing carriers and ajustable side bearing carriers. (the later being 9", yota, and 14 bolts.)

 

[phall92139]

I tried to be a rear end mechanic once.. wife wouldn't have it... wait what.


I love the list Phil couple things made me laugh

Six point cross pin bolt wrench= allen wrench

and
Brake line wrench, why would you need a line wrench.. if you are pulling off brake lines then your not doing it right. lol



honestly, there are two basic types of carriers that will require some slightly different tools, fixed bearing carriers and ajustable side bearing carriers. (the later being 9", yota, and 14 bolts.)

You gotta know I "borrowed" this list from another source. Obviously should have proofed it closer. However, in addition to the tools previously listed I would recommend having a couple yards of flight line available as well as a bucket of prop wash to keep things clean. If you find the installed gears are too low and would like taller gears, pickup up a good used gear stretcher.

 

[zatog]

Thanks everyone that really helped me out a lot, i think i might just have a shop do it just b/c i never worked on changing gears...but I did rebuild my jeep engine but never anything with the gear ratio.

 

[jfrabat]

As it's been said before, it's not rocket science, but, like rebuilding an engine, if not done right, you can ruin the gears, so it's not worth the risk...