I am going to swap a 410 crown and pinion for a 354. I want to do a really good job. Right now I am getting a real growl on slight right turns. I did the wheel bearings and seals about 50 k ago and did NOT grease the bearings, I just poured in a little extra gear oil. 4 years ago my spider gears went away due to a worn out locker that would not let go. I had to get a pro to fix it because I was a thousand miles from home pulling way too much weight ( 20,000 pounds). Pretty much everything except the wheel bearings and the crown and pinion were replaced then. All of the slop at the yoke went away.

I guess what I am asking for is a faq. on setting up the Dana. Some have told me that the 410 is prone to growling and the 354 is not. Can someone point me to a good source of information?

 

Here's a good article on failures. Dan also has a lot of parts.

Dana Article

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

That business about the differential bearing on the driver's side being prone to wear and loosening up makes a great deal of sense.. especially on the 410 because of the multiplied torque. I will really check it out when I change the crown and pinion. I hope I don't have to do much more than replacing the bearing(s). I change the gear oil routinely and have never found any shim pieces and of course will look for them when I pull the cover. Hopefully things are not yet too bad.