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Dana 30 refresh

1K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  87TPIYJ 
#1 ·
Folks,

Starting work on the Dana 30 with 4.10s I got from a local guy. I am starting the refresh and trying to figure out what I will keep from my 3.07. I know I'm going to swap over the brakes and steering parts. There is a lot of rust on the hubs and knuckles, what should I be looking for in terms of whether I should just clean and paint or swap out from the D30 currently under the 95?

There is a hole on the yoke side of the diff that is open--fluid dripped out when I moved it. My guess is some water got in there because when I drained the fluid some was thicker and blacker and some was thinner and more green. What's going on there?

All of the teeth look good as I rotate the gears.
 

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#2 ·
Also--how quickly do I need to get fluid back in there? It is still pretty coated, but I don't want any corrosion in there.

Anything else I should be thinking about? I don't think any of the seals are leaking but is that the sort of thing I should be doing while it is on the bench?

Obviously, this is a new adventure for me so I appreciate all of your help. I'm getting the wire wheel going now!
 
#3 ·
So, I'm in the midst of doing the same thing. And, while it may be overkill, I'm replacing a lot since it's sitting on jackstands. I'm replacing the ball joints, tie rod ends, u-joints, and hubs. Mine also looks pretty crusty since it looks like it sat in the guy's yard for a while. So, while I have it torn apart, I'm soaking the knuckles and the ends of the axle in Evapo-rust. Just to get it all cleaned up and then painted.

Like I said, probably overkill but that's just me.
 
#6 ·
My understanding is that requires pulling the whole insides of the diff out and then re-shimming when you reinstall. Not disagreeing but for me, that's beyond my comfort level. If I did that though, I would also replace the inner bearings.
 
#11 ·
OP, keep in mind not everything on the D30 is the same through the years of the YJ. It's not a major issue just know some things are different, if you search around here you'll find a thread from Mean_Max about some of the differences.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for this. I'll look around for the fitting.

Also--as the scope of the job grows and it takes longer, I'm guessing I should throw some oil back in the diff to keep it from corroding. Is that right? There's a coating on the gears (I haven't hit it with brake cleaner or anything) but to be safe do I need to fill it? If I need to fill, can I just use cheapo motor oil knowing I'll drain it later?

Both D30s are from 95s--I thought the only difference would be gears. I'll look into Mean Max's stuff. I've learned a lot from his posts before...
 
#16 ·
You shouldn't worry about rust. The oil will have permeated the metal, and heat-treated high-strength steel doesn't rust quickly.
 
#19 ·
Moog ball joints are good too. I use Timken bearings/seals and Spicer or Neapco ujoints.
 
#20 ·
Since the breather is already missing out of your diff a great way to keep it from happening again is tap it and put a brass nipple on it to connect your breather hose too. If I recall correctly I tapped mine 1/8NPT. You will never have to worry about the breather falling out again.
 
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