Sport to rubicon rear d44 swap

jmayps

New member
Gents, quick question. If I’m swapping out my rear sport d44 for a rubicon rear d44 do I need to pull my front driveshaft before I start driving it, or am I ok as long as I don’t drive in 4wd until I regear? The axle I’m putting is 4.10 and my current axles are 3.21.


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What? Are you sure? As long as you stay in 2wd, it shouldn't make a lick of difference. The transfer case disconnects and the front is free spinning.
 
ONLY if you are in 4lo or 4hi. Unless there's something magical in the t-case that still applies power to the front axle in 2wd?
 
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ONLY if you are in 4lo or 4hi. Unless there's something magical in the t-case that still applies power to the front axle in 2wd?

Your front would be free spinning the same with or with a drive shaft, so you would think you’d be fine. Just don’t go into 4l or 4h. But it wouldn’t hurt to remove it.


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You can only run the drive shafts connected with two different ratios only if you have a center axle disconnect system like the old YJ has had and like my Ram 2500 diesel has it does not spin the front drive shaft until you put it in 4-wheel drive these jk Wranglers do not come with that type of system the front drive shaft spins even if it is in two wheel drive it is just that the outer parts of the axles are not connected until you place it in 4-wheel drive
 
You can only run the drive shafts connected with two different ratios only if you have a center axle disconnect system like the old YJ has had and like my Ram 2500 diesel has it does not spin the front drive shaft until you put it in 4-wheel drive these jk Wranglers do not come with that type of system the front drive shaft spins even if it is in two wheel drive it is just that the outer parts of the axles are not connected until you place it in 4-wheel drive

What outer parts of the axles? There's no hub disconnects in a stock JK axle.
 
You can only run the drive shafts connected with two different ratios only if you have a center axle disconnect system like the old YJ has had and like my Ram 2500 diesel has it does not spin the front drive shaft until you put it in 4-wheel drive these jk Wranglers do not come with that type of system the front drive shaft spins even if it is in two wheel drive it is just that the outer parts of the axles are not connected until you place it in 4-wheel drive

Well the JL does come with the FAD now. But the JK does not.


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What he said ^^. You can’t drive with different gear ratios in the axles. (Generally, there are a couple exceptions but I won’t get into it)


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Do you have any idea how much I miss my Raider?

It was my first off road vehicle, and will always have a special place in my heart. If I ever happened across a clean one for a good price I don't think I'd be able to ever say no.
 
Awesome guys thanks for the info, I’m gonna go ahead and pull it to be on the safe side. Maybe I can show my wife how beat up it is and work a deal to upgrade it.

On another note, I just got back from a trail run where my buddy and I almost got shot by some people shooting pistols without a backstop/berm, right off a running and horseback trail, right next to a major road to Ft. Bragg. Some people are ridiculous


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I would pull it, just to be safe. I'm known to pull bonehead moves like shifting to 4wd and then blowing something up.

That being said, the front D-shaft is disconnected from the transfer case inside the case. You CAN drive around all day long with a different ratio up front, so long as you don't engage the 4wd portion of the T-case.

So...... Do you like to live dangerously or what? :eek::rock:
 
You don’t need to pull the front drive shaft as long as you don’t shift the transfer case into 4 wheel drive. I drove my JK with 5.13s in the rear and 4.10s in the front for about a year, with the front drive shaft in, before I had an opportunity to regear the front. It was perfectly fine in 2wd.
 
You don’t need to pull the front drive shaft as long as you don’t shift the transfer case into 4 wheel drive. I drove my JK with 5.13s in the rear and 4.10s in the front for about a year, with the front drive shaft in, before I had an opportunity to regear the front. It was perfectly fine in 2wd.
This.

When I was DOING my regear, I did the front first, hopped in the jeep, drove it down the driveway, turned around, backed back up the driveway, then started on the rear... No issues.

sent from SPACE!
DZZ Build thread
 
You don’t need to pull the front drive shaft as long as you don’t shift the transfer case into 4 wheel drive. I drove my JK with 5.13s in the rear and 4.10s in the front for about a year, with the front drive shaft in, before I had an opportunity to regear the front. It was perfectly fine in 2wd.

Yep. Same here. I must have the magical t-case too, lol.


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Too late, I pulled it the other other day...which was good because I found out my boot was torn up pretty good. What do y’all think? Replace? Upgrade? Run it until it breaks? IMG_3669.JPGIMG_3668.JPG


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