I have a buddy who is having problems with his rear dif.  He has a '99 TJ Seirra edition.  As far as I know all Seirra edition TJs only came with D44 with a TracLok.  All other TJs came with either a D35 or D44 in the rear.  I know there is a code on the back of the dif that will tell, but I don't know how.  He bought the thing new and has not made any mods yet.

The mechanics in the Va Beach area suck.  He has taken his TJ to three so called mechanics and has heard from one (who didn't even look under the Jeep) that he had a D35, another said it was a D30, and a third said it was some sort of Dana-Spicer hybr., but that it's not a 44. 

People go to a dodge dealership ask them to look on dealer connect (it is a chrysler computer program) ask them to tell you your axles and as a bonus they can tell you what gears are in it too.

They do this by looking up the VIN. problem solved.

He bought his jeep used so the rear may have been swapped.  I want to know by looking at the part.  

Resources man resources, the 4wd hardware catalog has some good exploded pictures of diffs that will help you out.. go to www.4wd.com and search for axles.. or just go to autozone and buy a haynes manual and look at the pictures.. anyhow a dana 44 has an odd shaped, no symetrical cover, looks like a baby dana 60, the dana 35 on the other hand is symetrical. If I remember correctly the 35 also has a rubber plug in the filler hole, not sure about the 44 as my 44's are 30 to 50 years old so they have pipe plugs. I'd go look but I am out of country at the moment.. Hope this helped..

BUBBA

I went to a jeep deal and looked under a Rubicon w/D44 and X with D35.  His looks like a D44.  Va Beach mechanics (and I use the term losely) don't know what the H### they are talking about, but they charge more than a Dr.!  My kingdom for an honest, competent mechanic!  

Hey folks, I know I am digging up a REALLY old post, but I have a very related question, and don't want to trouble you all with a new thread for nothing..

Rather new to the world of jeep ownership, although I have been a happy passenger for some time. I bought a 2006 Wrangler X (TJ) with a 4.0 inline 6, six-speed manual from the previous owner, who bought it new, and never upgraded anything or took it off-road (a crime I am working on rectifying). I would like to know if there is any way to tell based on the above info if I am running a 35 or a 44 without a trip to a dealership? Checked the forum, but this is the closest thread I could find. Any help would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks!

-Dustin  

mudb8-:



Thanks! That looks great. I will get under her this afternoon. One last question: If I go the 3-4" lift with 33x10.5's, will there be any need to re-gear immediately? (finger's crossed for a D44..)

Thanks for the help!  

if you expect it to perform well and get decent mileage you need to regear.
without the gears they are slugs and get poor mileage.

the six speed is kinda special.. the OD ratio is .83 so if ya have at least 3.73-4.10 you will be happy with it without a gear change.
some of em have 3.08's which with 33" tires will spend very little time in 6th gear, mostly while going down hill.  

is there anywhere for ME to plug in my vin # and get info on my jp? Also, if I have dana 44 rear, does that mean it was paired w/ a specific front axle? Thanks. ( 05 Unlimited tj/lj). by the way I put 33x12.5 s on w/ only a 2" susp. lift  

nope, on both counts, unless it's a rubicon, it hasa d30 front axle.

and they fit just fine don't they!  

Rubicon is the only TJ that has a front Dana 44.

Rubicon, Unlimited, and Sahara have a rear Dana 44 standard.

X and Sport can have a rear Dana 44 as an option.

Not uncommon for the Sport previous to '03 to have a rear Dana 44. (25 percent chance)

Chance of having a rear Dana 44 in an X swb, 1 percent.  

You guys are great, really appreciate the help..
Turns out I have the 35, looks like the next thing to empty my pockets on is a 44. Am I understanding correctly that I will need to regear the 35 in the meantime as well (in order for it to not drive like a slug anyway)?  

depends on what gears ya have now with the six speed tranny.

if yer not gonna be hammering on it in the trails, the d35 will last for a while.  

I will have to find out what is in there..I definitely want to hit the trails as soon as I can, but I am going to start out slow, making sure I actually learn a few things first. Hopefully that will be long enough to save for the 44.