Anyone in the DFW area that knows a reputable place that can rebuild a front differential? I had mine replaced due to a cracked housing. After replacing it with a used one from a bone yard, I do not think my mechanic rebuild it or moved my parts of to the used differential. It's makes the whiny gear noise between 20-60 mph. I went to some transmission shops that rebuilds differentials and they quoted me close to 3k to rebuild it. I find 3k too excessive.. Is that reasonable? That quote costs more than a transmission rebuild and install!

 

Sounds like they didn't want the business to me. Bearings, shims, and seals may be a couple hundred dollars. Even if the gears were toast probably a couple hundred for replacements. The rest is just labor.

 

I rebuilt my own. Didn't cost 10% of that.

And if the mechanic got one from the junkyard he probably just dropped it in as it was received. I've done that before too.

 

It is getting more and more difficult to keep my rig due to its age and hard to find parts. I will keep looking around and hopefully can find someone that can rebuild the front differential for a reasonable quote. I may eventually have to give this rig up and get another suv. Not too fancy on wanting to start over on another car payment. I was planning to take my truck to a engine rebuild shop and have them upgrade the 5.9 to a high performance 6.7. But looks like that may not happen if I cannot find parts or reasonable people to fix/replace them.

 

What actually needs replaced in your diff? Bearings and even gears are not that expensive or hard to find at all. You can buy a bearing and shim kit from dana for $130 on rock auto. A new ring and pinion are about the same even. You can even find the stuff at local parts stores (although I trust parts store quality very little).

By all means if a new vehicle is something you want go for it, but I really don't see parts availability as an issue. They made so damn many of these Durangos, Dakotas, and Rams with the same powertrain that you can get parts pretty much anywhere in the country.

 

That_guy,

Sorry, I should have rephrased it it is getting difficult to find complete reman or new complete components for our rigs nowadays. You have to go to the boneyard to get them. When my mechanic told me he had to get one from the boneyard vs buying a complete rebuilt one, thus why I am in this predicament. I assume my mechanic did not want to bother rebuilding drivetrains, just replace them. I am calling around to see if I can find someone in dfw area that can rebuild my diff for a reasonable price.

A lot of repair shops in my area, they only do replacements, not rebuild them which I can understand since they do not have the special facilities to do such thing.

My wife's jetta, the transmission is having issues. I am pretty sure it is electronic components going out, not mechanical. Nonetheless, everywhere I go, they just rather replace them than rebuild them. Even the transmission specialty shop, they do not rebuild much unless it was a special case. They just swap it out with a reman.

 

See if you have any off road/4x4 shops around. Swapping in new bearings and gears is a lot of what those types of shops do. Probably less labor for that as well than you would to swap the whole axle. The differential/axle housings don't go bad unless you crack them, which is probably why you don't find rebuilt ones available.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17044112640...Bk9SR-rHtr7RYQ

 

Sorry, that is for a transmission rebuild not Front diffferential.

I got my front diff's completely rebuilt with brand new parts via 4Wheel Parts. Still expensive but as good as buying new. I got both front/rear diff's completely rebuild for 2400 bucks. All new internals.

 

Over the past year or two I wound up taking my rear diff apart twice. Once to put a lsd carrier in and then another one from a junkyard 03 that I swapped out my axle with to get rear disc brakes (swapped my lsd carrier into that axle too). I don't know how many miles were on the 03 rear end from the junkyard, but my original rear end had 210k or so at the time. The timken bearings from factory in both of those rear ends were like new. So aside from some seals that are old and backlash in gears over time I bet you're set for at least a few hundred thousand more miles.