The Dana 35 Sucks Too

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I was playin' in the swamp today, when I kept hearing these random banging noises from my front end, The noises kept getting more frequent and then all of the sudden one big loud Bang. Once I was winched out my buddy looked underneath and saw that my driveshaft was spinning but niether axle was. I'm so tired of this crap. Every time I go out I break some part in my front end.

Just look what I did to the D28 in my old B2

Guess it's a good thing I have one of these laying around, I just need a lil more money

 

[canyoncritter]

if you just got stock common gear in it, say 3.73s or something, fix it. bet you could pick up a pig for cheap in your neck of the country.

 

[redneckracerx]

I don't understand? If we're talking about the truck in your sig, how is a 4.0 breaking a center chunk of a 35? What size tire are you runnin? A 35 is pretty durable when properly maintained. Is it possible your housing is hitting something? Like a lift bracket?

 

[metalmacguyver]

31s and your breaking a D35? Something else is up. I think it might have something to do with less than stellar maintenance and the 260K miles on it......

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I was playin' in the swamp today, when I kept hearing these random banging noises from my front end, The noises kept getting more frequent and then all of the sudden one big loud Bang. Once I was winched out my buddy looked underneath and saw that my driveshaft was spinning but niether axle was. I'm so tired of this crap. Every time I go out I break some part in my front end.

Just look what I did to the D28 in my old B2

From what I gather it is a D28 in a Bronco II, specs unknown, not the truck in his sig.

 

[Shran]

The first pic is an example of previous carnage, I believe

 

[Boggin]

The first pic is an example of previous carnage, I believe

x2

 

[AllanD]

The USUAL cause of "pig" failure in D28 and D35 equipped vehicles is:

1)Missing bump stop allowing the dif case to contact the pivot bracket for the passenger side axle. Once the case is cracked torque application does the rest.

2)cheap "plate" lift kit similarly striking the aluminum diff case

3)Jumping a truck that is not properly set up for "jumping"

Note: I'm not sure there is a way to properly set up a truck for jumping.

Basically in the word of Ron White "Ya can't fix stupid" if you do something DUMB
and it breaks shit, heavier parts are either still gonna break or you are gonna break something that's harder to fix.... like a frame rail?

Not knowing WHY something is breaking?
I'll reserve judgement until more details are forth comming.

When I set up my truck with a D35 I made DAMNED SURE that the diff case
could not touch anything before I installed the coil spring and shock

AD

 

[4x4junkie]

Not sure I understand what's going on here either...

You broke a D35 too? or the D28 above?

(cool carnage on that 28 though)

 

[Evan]

I run 35s with a healthy 4.0 behind them and my D35 has busted nothing but the occasional u-joint. Put the skinny pedal to the rug a lot when wheelin too. After I welded the clips in on my joints and went to 760s I have not had a joint failure or any kind of failure for that matter in the D35 for almost 2 years.

So your failure was due to improper setup or a factory defect. Upgrading to a 44 will cost lots of $$$ even if you already have the axle, and will not help anything.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

The D28 with the pinion blown off was from my old 89 B2, Just another example of how TTBs hate me.

Maintenence wasn't an issuse, I just changeed the fluid in my D35 in Feburary, Did a little snow wheelin, then mostly rocky trails and such, no real deep water or mud, Fluid had to be clean.

Both of them broke under a one wheel spinning situation,
The D28 up hill trying to climb a rock w/ the left side, right side was spinning on medium hard packed ground.(3.73 open BFG AT 30")
The D35 I was in some gumbo swampy mud, assisting my buddys winch pull me out. Running on the "weak side" of the gears, in reverse.(3.27 open Cooper STT 31")
This is the mud I was in when it broke

Although I did hear popping noises from my frontend before I ever used reverse. The first pop noise I heard was during this manuver.(RR off ground)

Niether of my trucks had cheap lift plates or had something hit the diff case, Jumped the B2 all the time, Never jumped the Ranger, I wanna pin th D35 damage on the force of the spiders pushing outwards into the carrier, And the planetary action making the one tire spin 2 times faster, I've seen it many times in GM 10 bolts. Suppose it's possible in the D35.

***Just added Cardomain Link to my signature******

 

[redneckracerx]

I run 35s with a healthy 4.0 behind them and my D35 has busted nothing but the occasional u-joint. Put the skinny pedal to the rug a lot when wheelin too. After I welded the clips in on my joints and went to 760s I have not had a joint failure or any kind of failure for that matter in the D35 for almost 2 years.

I also run a D35 in a 4k pound B2 with a healthy (325 hp) v-8 constantly on the skinny pedal. The only falure I've had was an outer stub shaft after cresting a hill the front end getting light and then catching traction while heavy on the throttle. In BOTH cases it really says alot for the durability of a well maintained D35.

Maybe with some pictures we can really see what caused your breakage. Is it a total failure like the D28 or does it look ok from the outside and just not work?

 

[bobbywalter]

b2's and sploders are better balanced then i. with an ext cab. i destroyed shitloads of spiders and side gears along with every other part of the d35 including the beams and arms.

that said the d35 is amazingly strong, cause a d44 would have shit out axles and sidegears/spiders as well. more importantly the destruction of my 8.8's and arb's actually forced me to upgrade to larger axles, not the d35. its carnage was livable due to parts cost and availability.

definitions of wheelin "hard" definatly vastly differ. as does breakage.

theres a reason i dont like mud. but its complicated. i have watched a wheezed out 4.0 destroy dana 60 and 70 parts in tractive situations, so i would hate to think of what 300 hp would do in the same situation.


i have been to some of the areas evan goes and have seen vid and pics of his shenanigans which = serious abuse. which keeps adding up till crunch time.

 

[4x4junkie]

You saying it blew apart the same way as that D28 or what?
Some pics of the D35 carnage would definitely help in a diagnosis of what happened.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

My D35 looks fine from the outside. No damage to the case at all. It just doesn't work but I wheeled the trail back in 4lo (2lo) and there weren't any noises or anything at all from the front, just a whole lotta rear wheel spin.
I'm lookin at sunday the drop the diff.