2005 KJ drive train questions

[Shankster]

It is, is that a good thing or bad?

Some early KJs had the Dana 35 rear diff which is inferior to the Chrysler (Corporate) 8.25, so having the 8.25 is a good thing - I've read that it is equivalent to the Dana 44 which is also considered a good diff. The weak point in the Liberty drivetrain is the front Dana 30A diff - the aluminum housing is fragile and supposedly breaks easily under the stresses of hard off roading.

 

[mercdudecbr600]

I think for SERIOUS offroaders (rock crawlers, etc.), the front diff is a weak spot. But to get to that point, you need to have modified your KJ pretty significantly otherwise you're limiting factors are traction, clearance, etc.

 

[Shankster]

I think for SERIOUS offroaders (rock crawlers, etc.), the front diff is a weak spot. But to get to that point, you need to have modified your KJ pretty significantly otherwise you're limiting factors are traction, clearance, etc.

Good point but I've seen at least one YouTube video of a recklessly driven near-stock Liberty breaking its front diff on what I would consider an easy trail. Rather than picking a good line and crawling over something the driver floored it and had excessive wheelspin that got stopped abruptly on one side followed by a loud clunk and lots of cussing. I imagine you could do the same to any diff with enough abuse but I'm betting a cast iron housed Dana 30 would be more durable in that situation. Most of us are not going to go to the extreme length of upgrading our front diff (which I think would require a very expensive custom IFS axle or solid front axle conversion) so we all need to go gentle on that front diff.

 

[mercdudecbr600]

The traditional wisdom is that a locker or lsd balances the shock forces on the front differential.

But yes agreed that an aluminum ifs (esp and early one) is something to keep in mind when wheeling. And just for that reason, I have a spare housing.

 

[mercdudecbr600]

The traditional wisdom is that a locker or lsd balances the shock forces on the front differential.

But yes agreed that an aluminum ifs (esp and early one) is something to keep in mind when wheeling. And just for that reason, I have a spare housing.

 

[jdom5274]

Hi everyone, joined six months ago, been stalking ever since. I bought a 2005 Jeep Liberty Limited back in 2017 with 60,000 on it. Wife wanted it, drove it for a couple years then wanted something different, she didn't like how it handled on the highway especially when it's windy. Now it's only driven occasionally when I need to pick up something where I need to pull a trailer and, in the winter sometimes. It's been fairly dependable with some common issues. Drivers side front lower control arm ball joint snapped while making a left turn, luckily, I was only turning at a green light. I've replaced both front window regulators. Drive belt broke on the way to work one morning in the middle of nowhere, had to limp it 4 miles to civilization. Overheating, had a small crack in the plastic radiator tank, bought a 3-core aluminum radiator off eBay. While I had the radiator out, I went ahead and replaced the water pump, thermostat and housing, idler pully assembly and overflow tank pressure cap.

My front driveshaft went out early on back in 2018, been driving without it ever since. I'm going to order it; anyone have a brand they have had good luck with?

Is there a way I can tell which transfer case, transmission and rearend I have without crawling under it, I'm not real mobile now, in an air boot with five broken bones in my foot. It's a 2005 Liberty Limited, 3.7L auto.

Send your VIN to jeep. They’ll send back a build sheet with all options. GOOGLE for the the link.