2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Which Axle?

[Curious Dave]

Does anyone have any recomendations for a rear axle? I just destroyed my Dana 80.

How bad? Well... There are no axle bearings on the drivers side... the axle shaft is blue... and the driveshaft just spins. I have to get something new this week and after this thing going out twice on me I know stock is out of the question. #@$%!

Does anyone do a 5500 conversion? I found a guy that does Rockwells. . But I need something a bit lower profile.



Suggestions?



Thanx in advance.

 

[drag racer]

wow - have to ask, what kind of activity is causing such massive damage on a D80???

 

[Extreme1]

The 80 should be able to handle just about anything unless it's being significantly overloaded or used for competitive pulling. Since it's been a problem before I'd guess that either the previous repair wasn't done right (not uncommon at shops that don't work on larger trucks) or the original parts have a problem.



If you don't have a limited slip and the bad hub slid out far enough to disengage the axle, turning the driveshaft won't spin the wheels.



A 4500 or 5500 would be an upgrade for load capability but you'll need to match gear ratios and then make it fit the truck. Not impossible but probably expensive.



I'd probably opt for replacement unless you are really being hard on it. Do you have any pics of the damage?

 

[Curious Dave]

Wellllll... . Yeah. To be honest... I do tow HEAVY. I guesstamate the load to be @ 24k max. I tow quite often. The drivers side is what failed for the second time. A dealership is who fixed it last time and they are also the ones that "serviced" my NV5600 so well that it shattered a few weeks later. I have the FAST coolers and the idiot didn't check the stick. He only added (claims) 5 quarts - (found) 4 quarts. I figure the trans lasted as long as it did because I wasn't towing. The rear... . I am really not sure if it was ok after the first incident. I am wondering if the axle tube was oblonged and the tech didn't bother to say anything. The guy was an *** from the get go. He didn't want to do the job until his manager told him to.

Anyways... I found that Dynatrac has an 80 that they claim has 11,500 GAWR. That is 4,000more than stock and I figure that with all of my tools and fuel on top of the 2700 pin weight the Dynatrac unit should hold up. Plus I have 210,000 miles on the clock.

I am going to go pull the cover off and see if there is visible damage to the R & P or the Spiders. I am thinking Dynatrac probably doesn't have a "bolt in" sitting on the shelf, so I need to see what it will take to make this thing functional again. I will see about getting some pics if there is any damage to the carrier area. The bearings are just flat gone and the bearing cage was like dental floss. I didn't find out about the tube or race because the mechanic was more worried about his date for the rodeo than he was in helping me out.

In the event I need one... Does anyone have a spare 3:55 '01 dually rear kicking around?

 

[HBarlow]

4500/5500 rear axles have more carrying capacity but are only rated at 26k gross combined weight not to mention no 3. 54 ratio to match your 4x4 front axle.

I would find a competent shop and have your current Dana 80 rear axle rebuilt or, if the housing/tubes are damaged, find a salvage yard unit.

 

[Curious Dave]

Hey Harvey... . Long time no talk.

I just tore into it... The center is good. I unbolted the axle shaft and it fell out. Fell out???? Yeaaahhhhh... FELL OUT! It is only 3" long. I guess I now know why she quit working all together. I guess when the mechanic took the axle out he knocked some of the bearings loose from the position that was keeping the axle together. I had to drive it 6 blocks. I made it 2 and it quit. When it broke, the stub bent the axle tube at 12:00.

I have heard people used to be able to replace the axle tube ends on the vehicle.

Does anyone know of this being done these days?

I guess the Dynatrac 80 is looking like the way to go... . hopefully they can send me a bolt in. I figure it may take a bit though. I guess it's rental car time.

If anyone has a '01 3:54 3500 Dana 80... let me know.

 

[Curious Dave]

By the way... the keeper key for the axle nut is gone... again. This is the same thing that happened last time. The key disappears... the nut backs off and the bearings loosen up and fail. This design sux!!!

 

[TBartlett1]

The first time I removed my rear axle's for brake service i could not believe the flimsy lock they used to secure the nylock nut. When I reasembled the axle I used loctite 271. I'm not sure which type your vehicle uses but loctite would eliminate that problem.

 

[Curious Dave]

I told the dealer to use Loctite on it. I have no idea for sure if he did or not... . But I would suspect no. I was thinking more about silicone or even key stock.

 

[Extreme1]

The axle tube end being damaged from the axle rubbing on it was a concern, too bad it's toast. There are places that will replace the end, last I heard it ran about $750 a side.



Is your's an '01 or '01 1/2? The 01's have drum brakes, the '01 1/2's have disc. If it's a drum brake unit, check out car-parts.com. If it's a disc brake unit, it will probably be cheaper to replace the end. The salvage yards are pretty proud of those axles.



Quad 4X4 has a nut locking system for these axles. The stock stuff is junk and those "locks" are supposed to be replaced when they are removed.

 

[Curious Dave]

It is kinda funny... . My truck was built in 09-00 and I took delivery in late Oct. '00. But it has all of the heavy duty stuff. I know it is a 3500... But this thing has heavier duty parts than a regular 3500. I know that doesn't make sense... But this truck has the disc brakes and the u-joints were some fancy setup beyond a regular 3500. I am wondering if the Canadian built trucks had an advantage over anything built in Mexico.

Your not kidding about the Junk Yards being proud of their junk. I am almost embarrassed to say what I had to pay to get what I wanted on short notice. But I got it and it is going to be installed on Tuesday. The 'yard wants the old one for core. I guess for scrap weight.

I called Blumenthals for a price and the said @ 2200 for a used one. Jasper Engines wants 3300 for a rebuilt unit. I got mine for 1700.

I may have also found a fix for the crappy design of the axle nut and sheetmetal lock/key.

I will be checking on it more on Tuesday as well.

Dynatrac has a nice unit with all the bells and whistles. But at 6500 I think I am going to have to wait awhile. I am hoping this new/used stocker won't give me any problems like the old one. 78k on the donor. Should still be like new.

 

[Curious Dave]

Extreme1... . I just realized I missed the part about Quad 4x4. Thanx... . I will check into it.



Dave

 

[Curious Dave]

Okay... I just found the kit. I wish I had known about it before this fiasco... . oh well... I have always heard how education is expensive. I will be having them next day air me one of their kits.

 

[HBarlow]

Dave, my old friend passed through West Texas and visited awhile back. He is real proud of the aluminum wheels he bought from you. He had them polished before he mounted his Michelin XPS Ribs on them and they look good on his fifth wheel.

 

[Curious Dave]

Harvey,



Glad to hear he is happy with them.

 

[Extreme1]

Dave, I wish I was closer. I'd like to get you old disk brake rearend. You didn't do too bad price-wise. The prices "around here" (there's only one within 450 miles) are higher.



Also, the changover date for disk brakes (according to car-parts.com) was 7/5/00. I had heard it was 'mid-2001' but the 2000 Dodge truck production run was very short so the CAFE standard would be improved by the introduction of the PT-Cruiser.



Speaking of short production runs, remember when the '00 Sports had the 'SPORT 2000' on the side of the hood? When was the last time you saw one of those?

 

[Curious Dave]

Glad to hear that I didn't get robbed. I don't remember the stickers. I ordered my truck w/o them. The dealer took them off before I got there. I really can't stand stickers on much of anything. I wanted the cleaner "Euro" look. I still have the Sport badges on the cab and of course the badges on the doors. I had the rockers Line-X'ed and the truck looks kinda like an old muscle car the way it is setup with the "decor".

 

[SRath]

Dave, Out of curiosity, what kind of gear oil/ transmission oil are you using?

For severe duty use, there simply is no substitute for quality synthetic lube like Amsoil. It takes a lot to destroy a Dana 80!

Other than that, for pickups, my favorite of all time is the GM 10 1/2" ring gear Corporate 14 bolt. It is equal to the Dana 70 in size, but it is built better with an additional pinion support bearing. A very tough rearend and easier to work on than any Dana.

 

[Curious Dave]

The repair shop used 80/90 to begin with. I left it in to flush out the crap as I figured that the rear had never been serviced. I ran it for a couple of weeks and changed it out to 85/140. I used the walmart brand and added some posi-lube. I will run it for a bit and flush it out again. I have the Mag-Hytek covers and I have been checking for excess particulates. I have been using that to determine need for the changes. I have not found anything recently. The initial particulates were just that and I figure they were typical wear and tear. I have not found anything that suggests component failure.

The failure of the rear end was nothing to do with the oil or additives put in. I would say, in fact, that the rear lasted quite awhile (distance wise) due to the oil in it. Apparently I was toing my 5th wheel with the axle shaft riding against the axle tube. The bearings were gone. The oil was keeping the axle shaft cool enough that it only blued and didn't break or grind. Once the oil was eliminated from the surface, the axle shaft only made it 2 blocks.

I think the next time I have to go into the rear I will rebuild it with a mechanical/gear type posi of some sort. Then I will add Energy Release. I lost a rod bearing in my 427 years ago and damage was kept to a minimum as a result of having ER in the oil. It is not good to put ER in a clutch type posi because it will not let the clutches grab and it renders clutch type posi's useless.

I tried running Mobil 1 in my first rear and all of the seals started leaking.

I have had the double nut kit from Quad 4x4 installed and I believe that I will not have any more issues like what happened with the first rear.

 

[SRath]

I used to run Mobil 1 synthetics in all my vehicles, too. But, like you, I finally figured out it was the Mobil 1 causing many of my seal leaks. So I switched to Amsoil several years ago and have not regretted it one bit.

Your choices for your Dana 80 are limited as far as mechanical traction aids for 3. 54 gearing. You can run a PowerTrax locker, but you will need to find a stock OPEN dana 80 carrier to put it in. You can also modify a Detroit Locker for a Dana 70HD to fit the dana 80.

I'm not sure if ARB or OX makes a locker for a Dana 80.

And you still need to switch to a good synthetic, Dave. Try the Amsoil, it's great stuff and does not cause leaks like the Mobil.