Originally posted by SWBRON: There used to be some very long threads on JU about the Rubicon front Dana 44 axles. It seems its not a true Dana 44 but a Dana 30 with a Dana 44 pumpkin. That's all fine and well but the weakness in a D30 is usually not the size of the ring and pinion gears but the axle ears and u-joints. They're just too small for lockers and serious rock crawling. These new Rubicon owners were out doing trails like they see on TV and were busting axles right and left. Warranty? "You took it off road, how can we know it wasn't abused?" Now these guys have to fork out a grand or so to install a Warn hub conversion with alloy axles or some other afer market axles like many of us non Rubi guys have had to do. That really sucks!
Not true. Taken from the FAQ at Rubicon Owners Forum:
Many people are complaining that the Rubicon did not come with a real Dana 44. Put your mind at ease, it is a real Dana 44.
The Dana 44 refers to the housing, differential case and axle. What many people are complaining about is they feel that the outer axles, steering u-joints and bearings are not Dana 44. Well they are, since 1996 Jeep upgraded the Dana 30 outers to the equivilent to Dana 44's. So at this point both the D30 and D44 front axles used by Jeep are the same design as far as the outer portions go.
You do have a stronger differential with the D44.
No the Dana 44 is not the same as what Ford may use or the same as what Jeep may have used on the old Wagoneers, but it is still a Dana 44.
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I've seen a few Rubi owners break axles online, but it's not a big problem. If you look on ROF you'll see maybe 3 or 4 people total. I have an '02 Xterra SE/SC and an '04 Rubicon.
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