I have a 97 with the dana 70 rear end, Well it seems that the limited slip setup has developed some slop and has a delayed clunk when its engaged in and out of reverse & drive etc. I have taken the cover off and the ring and pionion are meshing great but the play in inside the carrier. It was like then when i got the truck, ive put around 9k miles on it and its still the same. Any suggestions? thanks

 

Be sure the cross pins aren't loose in the carrier. If they are moving around you will need a new differential. If they are OK, then a disassembly is in order. You can get new clutches for about $75, or if the spiders are bad, you can get an "inner" kit for about $250. This kit is everything inside the differential case.

 

yeah the cross pins are moving around, that is where the play is. Any ideas on where to get a replacement carrier?

 

They pop up on Ebay from time to time, the hardcore off-road types don't want the Dodge ones because of the spline count. (Ours are 32, they want 35 or more). This usually keeps the cost down. If you want new in the box, try one of the offroad places that advertise in 4wd mags.

 

BTW how much movement do you have in the pins? A small amt. may be due to insufficient preload due to worn clutches. The ramping effect of the angle side of the pins adds loading to the clutches. Anyway, I think it's time to disassemble and evaluate what is worn.

 

when looking for a replacement, are all dana 70 carriers the same that use 4:10 gears?

 

The carriers are the same as long as you get the right axle spline count. You have to make the choice of limited slip or locker.

 

FWIW , pull an axle out and count the splines , mine were 32 spline , i have a Dana 70U.

 

im styling with limited slip, i have a detroit in the rear of my fj40 landcruiser, id never daily drive something with a detroit, annoying as hell and wears tires out too fast. thanks for the help guys, looks like im in the market for a new carrier. Kodi

 

could i use a real thick gear lube to try and minimize the slop in htere without hurting anything? whats the tickest lube you can put in there?

 

the spline count doesn't matter, they use the same case. its the side gears on the inside that have the splines in them. recently I took my 32 spline gears out of my case and put 35 spline gears and shafts in.