pivert

Hello,
I changed my ring and pinion on rear Dana 44 and added a double cardan Tom Wood's. I adapted the pinion angle to be aligned with the drive shaft but now I don't know how much oil to be used.

On a stock Dana 44, we use 2.5 quarts + 4 oz for the slip limited (I also added a Yukon locked slip limited). But with the new configuration (high pinion) and the new cover SOLID which has a hole higher compared to the stock cover, I'm totally lost about the quantity.

Any advice ? Do I need to fill until the hole ? I guess no it's to much.

Thanks for your help.
Ludo

ronjenx

Pay no attention to quantity numbers.
Whatever the configuration, you want the oil level to be a little bit above the bottom of the axle tube when the vehicle is sitting on level ground. This will ensure oil gets to the outer axle bearings.
You can make a dip stick out of a zip tie, if the fill hole is too high.

pivert

Thanks for your answer. What about pinion bearing ? Because due to the higher angle, if I use the axle tube like a reference, the rear pinion bearing will not be in oil.

ronjenx

If your high pinion rear axle is properly designed, the ring gear brings oil up as it rotates. The oil is flung forward, over the pinion, and fills the area between the pinion bearings. It runs through the bearings, and back into the "sump".

pivert

I call that "high pinion" but it's just a stock DANA 44 axle with locker and ring/pinion updated and of course the pinion point up due to the drive shaft angle.

Do I need to add more oil ?

Sixty4x4

Just FYI from my custom driveshaft builder - I had my pinion angled straight along the driveshaft and he told me to point it down about 2 degrees. That way the needle bearings actually move inside the cups. When it is straight they do not, carve grooves on the x-shaft and soon you are replacing the u-joint. I have adjustable LCA on the rear so no issues adjusting.

Mark Doiron

There's an excellent video on this page from Tom Woods about pinion angles that addresses the issues discussed in this thread. There's a nice cut-away setup to illustrate the ideas presented, including lubricating the pinion gear.

https://4xshaft.com/blogs/general-te...veshaft-angles