03 Pinion Bearing repair cost?

[OzzmanFloyd]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum but I'm looking for some info. I know labor is the bulk of the cost, but the dana 35 in my KJ needs fixing and I don't want to get in over my head on cost. I've already ordered the ring, pinion, and race/bearing/grease fittings kit, but I don't have a way to measure the backlash or my preload. Any idea what kind of cost I'd be looking at to have this done at a shop?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[tommudd]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum but I'm looking for some info. I know labor is the bulk of the cost, but the dana 35 in my KJ needs fixing and I don't want to get in over my head on cost. I've already ordered the ring, pinion, and race/bearing/grease fittings kit, but I don't have a way to measure the backlash or my preload. Any idea what kind of cost I'd be looking at to have this done at a shop?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks guys.

Are you sure its a 35 ?
Only a few came out in 02 with that one , all had the 8.25

 

[OzzmanFloyd]

Excuse my ignorance. Lol
I thought the 8.25 was a dana 35. I have the right parts, but not the right words.

 

[tommudd]

Excuse my ignorance. Lol
I thought the 8.25 was a dana 35. I have the right parts, but not the right words.

No problem, just making sure you had the right parts.
As far as sitting up the diff , check the Michigan section on here , also check Great Lakes 4x4 , great people on there and more geared for the Michigan area . They will be able to point you to a good shop that can do the setup for you
As far as cost, depends on the area really

 

[CzarKJ]

For my area it was $800 for a rear diff overhaul. This included a LSD install though.

 

[tommudd]

800??
Guy that did the 04 for me charged 300 for the rear ( swapped gears, rebuilt, locker)
and then threw the front 4.10 diff in for another 50
of course I had all of the parts

 

[OzzmanFloyd]

Thanks for the info.
Not to beat a dead horse, but having the master repair kit and a new ring and pinion gear, someone on another forum said it's just shy of a 4 hour job if you have the skill level and the tools. Would it be safe to assume it shouldn't be over $500-$600 to get the labor done?

Also another member on that forum recommended just getting a complete axle assembly from a scrap yard and replacing the whole thing, as it's easier and I'd likely be able to do it in my garage, but I'd be afraid that I'd be right back in the same boat next year.

Recommendations on that?

 

[CzarKJ]

800??
Guy that did the 04 for me charged 300 for the rear ( swapped gears, rebuilt, locker)
and then threw the front 4.10 diff in for another 50
of course I had all of the parts

No parts but the locker. Full rebuild with some fixing. Small shop that I trust.

 

[OzzmanFloyd]

I took tommudd's advice and hopped over to the other forum, but after poking around looking at used diffs I'm seeing the 02 dana 35s significantly lower cost than the 8.25"s. Did they have the same issues with the bearings?
I'm also seeing 03 complete axle assemblies on teardown websites for like $400. Would this be a better and more cost efffective option than having the gear, pinion, and bearings replaced?

 

[CactusJacked]

...but after poking around looking at used diffs I'm seeing the 02 dana 35s significantly lower cost than the 8.25"s. Did they have the same issues with the bearings?

The D35 would be a step or two backwards, 8.25 is a stronger unit.

 

[OzzmanFloyd]

The D35 would be a step or two backwards, 8.25 is a stronger unit.

Thanks for the info. I was shopping scrap yards and it looks like I can get the entire rear assembly for under $400 with a year warranty. I'd rather have mine fixed up, but it's looking more and more like using the scrap yard part might be a less costly solution. (both on stress and the wallet. lol)