I have a 95 YJ, with Detroit Lockers and 456 gears. I just bought the Jeep a few months ago and am new to off-roading with trucks. I hear all the talk about Dana 30's, 44's, 60's..... how do I figure out what I have?

I read that if I have Dana 30's, replace them ASAP....how big should I go and....how much money is that gonna cost? The Mrs. put me on money spending probation (too many toys) so Money Really Is An Issue.

HELP PLEASE

If the axels are stock from the factory you have a 30 front and 35 or 40 rear. Look on the rear casting, not the tin cover, near the pinion yoke and there should be a number 44 imbosed someplace. If you have a 44 rear look at the front for the same numbers if you can't see any and the diferential is smaller than you have a 30 front. If you cant see a 44 on the rear and the front is about the same size than the front is a 30. If the previous has changed axels you could have anything. If you can't figure it out go to a 4x4 shop in your area and ask them. The dumbies at the dealear will look at the VIN and tell you what came stock on the rig.  

I've heard the D30 front is good for up to about 35" tires.
the D35 rear is good for up to about 33" tires if your not trying to destriy it (the rear end takes more abuse)

I'm 95% sure there was no D44 option for the YJs

Thanks for the advice

money trouble "fix" w/the HIGH liklyhood  of a rear dana 35

crome molly axles!!!!!!! I've snapped D 35 stock shafts W/32" tires on mild trails w/out help from the stupid pedal! I upgraded to crome mollys and am now running 36" and not had problems w/the axles since.

$350 for crome mollys  vrs $1200-$1800 depending on mods to ordered axles  or look on craiglist you might get LUCKY and find a D 44 in GOOD (not great) or "rebuildable" shape for $300-$1000

Maybe you're better to snap a few cheap axles than an expensive pumpkin. If the mollies are stronger than the D30 front, then they stay fine and the expensive diff goes bye-bye. Break things starting at cheap and ending at expensive, I say. Fully-floating hubs could be swapped in after the first break so you can still drive home.  

you neglected to mention if you've had other D35 related problems  

Wow, lots of fun and wrong answers here.

All YJ's, originally sold in the US, came with D30 front and a D35 rear.  It's a shame that you already re-geared the rear axle because that thing is junk.  Between myself, my brother and a good friend, we've broken 6 of them with 33" or smaller tires.  They have lots of problems, but, the most common is the weak shafts and flexy housing.  When the housing flexes, either the shaft gives, or the leverage applied by the shafts breaks the differential.  I actually roasted the pinion bearing in mine. 

The front 30 is a lot stronger than the CJ or TJ version thanks mostly to the high pinion design, however, that strength is limited to the differential.  The unit-bearing hubs used at the outers are fairly flimbsy and won't last long with larger tires.  Many guys run 30's with up to 35" tires.  Just be prepared to change out those hub bearings after a couple of years.

Moly shafts, full float kits, disc brakes upgrades, "Thuper" Kits, etc, there's an endless string of "upgrades" to the D35 but none of them actually solve the problem.  The weak housings can be trussed but then you've still got wimpy shafts.  My advice, when asked, has always been, wheel the D35 'til it breaks, save any $ you'd have been tempted to put into it, and start buidling a Ford Explorere 8.8.  By the time you're done, you'll have a much stronger axle waiting in the garage for you to swap at your leisure.  Just try to resist the temtation of waiting til it's broken because that D35 WILL break.