Gear change questions

[bchesley]

I have the 3. 73 gears in my truck and want to change them to 4. 10's. I am running 35's currently and want to get my truck back into the rpm range that I had with the factory tires. My math says the 4. 10s will get me there. Now here lies the problem. I talked to a local shop about doing the install and had them give me a quote. The total parts and labor was around 1800 :--) . I asked what the parts list consisted of and they told me every bearing seal and shim had to be replaced. Is that true? All the other axles I have had setup we reused them if they looked like they were in good shape. Does anyone know of a minimum parts list to do a front and rear ring and pinion change? Thanks.



Brad

 

[KevinWatts]

That price sounds a little steep, but it depends on the parts needed. How much is just the labor and do they have a good enough reputation to justify the price?



As far as the bearings and seals go... It is a good policy to have them all replaced. I've put gears in new vehicles (10K miles) and the bearings were scored and basically junk. They come as part of a master install kit and include both pinion bearings and races, both carrier bearings and races, pinion seal, pinion nut, ring gear bolts, crush sleeve, and a shim assortment. The kits normally run between 75-175 depending on the axle. Just make sure they're using good bearings and seals (I always ask for timken bearings and national seals).



HTH,

Kevin

 

[bchesley]

The labor was $650 of the total. They said that the rear bearings were $250! I am going to go to the dealership and get a quote from them next. The shop was using all factory parts from Mopar so I know the parts are good quality. Does anyone know of a dealer that sells parts at a discount?



Brad

 

[klenger]

I suspect that the reason the dealer wants to install all new seal and bearings is because he has to warranty it. If they try to go cheap, and have a failure later on, it's on them. If they get you to buy all new parts up front, the chances of a failure are less, plus, they have more $$ to work with since the sold more the 1st time around. Replacing the bearings does seem a bit extreme. That would be like insisting that you get new bearings instead of packing them if you have to have a set of brakes replaced.