Advise for gear change
#1
JK Newbie
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Tampa Bay, Florida / Tallahassee, Florida
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Advise for gear change
Was looking into getting 5.13 gears for my jeep. Got a 3.5” life with 35” wheels. The price for the gears aren’t so bad but looking at the forums it seems to be that everyone has an auto shop do it for them and the price ranging from 1000-2000. Thats a pretty penny for a gear change. I saw a someone post a pretty detailed thread on how to do it yourself. I installed my own lift but this seemed a little tougher. So for the people who have done it themselves. How was it? could you describe the difficulty, time, and anything els relevant to changing it yourself. To the people who didn’t change it themselves. Did you not do it because of time or because of difficulty or something else? Also the price you got it done for, I’m in the clearwater area if that is relevant. Last, for both what are all the advantages you got after changing them or getting them charged. Thanks in advance
#2
JK Junkie
I took my carriers to a transmission shop to the the bearings pressed for like $40 for both. A case spreader would have been nice but not needed. Shimming and checking the backlash was not that bad, gear paint to check contact. It can be done at home make sure you get a few pans for gear oil. Use lube lockers and only use full synthetic gear oil.
#3
JK Newbie
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Location: Tampa Bay, Florida / Tallahassee, Florida
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I took my carriers to a transmission shop to the the bearings pressed for like $40 for both. A case spreader would have been nice but not needed. Shimming and checking the backlash was not that bad, gear paint to check contact. It can be done at home make sure you get a few pans for gear oil. Use lube lockers and only use full synthetic gear oil.
#5
JK Junkie
I'm a gear head though. What may seem easy for me probably is not easy for a regular person. I have military training on how to completely disassemble a remote controlled desiel mine sweeper on tracks then put it back together again. We took it apart and put it back together twice to pass the class. Yep it sucked bad.
#6
JK Jedi
Around DFW it seems like the going rate for the labor is $750 - $1250. One way to look at it is if you pay to have them done, and something goes wrong 500 miles down the road, you have a warranty to fall back on. If you do them yourself and eff em up, gonna cost another new set of gears and a lot more time. I would say that if you are adventurous, AND it's not your DD, have a go at it. You'll mainly need a press for the bearings, a good caliper for determining shims, good impact, and a good dial indicator. Working on the floor would kinda suck tbh.
I just got re-geared....had a buddy with a shop help me.....did the grunt work along the way, saw the process, but actually had an experienced person help determine the shims and help here/there when needed. I'm no mechanic, but I'm damn handy and like to do all the work on my jeep. Even seeing this process first hand step by step, I personally wouldn't care to do it myself. I now understand what they always told me......it's really not THAT hard as long as everything goes smoothly. It's when something DOESN'T go smoothly that the whole thing becomes a pain. My rear was one of those that did not go smoothly. I'd say that for 95% of the people out there.....it's best to pay someone who does it regularly....unless you can afford both the time and money to experiment with.
I just got re-geared....had a buddy with a shop help me.....did the grunt work along the way, saw the process, but actually had an experienced person help determine the shims and help here/there when needed. I'm no mechanic, but I'm damn handy and like to do all the work on my jeep. Even seeing this process first hand step by step, I personally wouldn't care to do it myself. I now understand what they always told me......it's really not THAT hard as long as everything goes smoothly. It's when something DOESN'T go smoothly that the whole thing becomes a pain. My rear was one of those that did not go smoothly. I'd say that for 95% of the people out there.....it's best to pay someone who does it regularly....unless you can afford both the time and money to experiment with.
#7
JK Newbie
Join Date: Nov 2016
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I have done one before myself with the help of a buddy, and am currently building front and rear Rubicon axles for my Sport. It is not hard, but having someone with experience will help. You will need a press, micrometer, dial indicating gauge, torque wrench, and a someway to hold the pinion nut to torque it down (I use a long piece of angle iron with holes drilled for the u-joint). If you take your time to get the measurements correct it isn't bad at all. Mess it up and it will be painful.
No experience and no help= shop install
Experienced buddy, beer, and mechanical skills=have at it and learn something that scares a lot of people.
No experience and no help= shop install
Experienced buddy, beer, and mechanical skills=have at it and learn something that scares a lot of people.
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#8
Don't do it yourself man. $500-$800/axle to have a reputable shop do it. Worth every penny. If $'s an issue and you don't have to 4wd to work every day have them just regear the rear and have them very easily pull the front driveshaft until you can afford to do the front regear
#9
Don't do it yourself man. $500-$800/axle to have a reputable shop do it. Worth every penny. If $'s an issue and you don't have to 4wd to work every day have them just regear the rear and have them very easily pull the front driveshaft until you can afford to do the front regear
#10
JK Super Freak
Im having my gears done at a shop i dont have a garage and i dont want to do them outside in the cold laying in grass or rocks : P
Last edited by shabbernigdo; 12-06-2016 at 08:58 AM.