I had a 98 Ram and now have an 01 Dakota both with 9 1/4" 3.55 geared rear ends. At 85K the pinion bearings started screaming in both trucks. Has anybody else had this problem or do I need a rabbit's foot surgically implanted in my ***??

 

imo thats your best bet...

 

ya, I would go that route

make sure to change the rear end fluid at its regular intervals. alot of peoeple never change it.

 

almost every truck ive seen with a 9 1/4 my truck included has had an issue with the pinion bearing, its a dodge and you have to deal with it

 

Dodge owes its customers a report
on why the 9.25 differential
pinion bearings/seal/preload nut/loctite/LSD retainer clips
have caused so many problems
...but I doubt we will get it.

 

If you find a giant size rabbits foot let me know. My 2000 Dakota Quad, 4.7 - Manual - 4wd, is in the shop waiting for parts. 112000 miles they tell me all bearings and seals in the rear end need replacing.Estimate $1200.00, but here's the kicker, they weredone at 47,000 miles. I have been driving dodges for thirty years, and gone over 200000 miles on all them. Never had this problem or even heard of it. I guess I've just been lucky. This is probably my last dodge. I can't afford to change bearings and seals more often than I change brake pads.

 

1200? your being taken to the cleaners on that one! mine was $450 AND i got new clutches put in my sure grip unit too $250 labor $200 for a full bearing rebuild kit theres no way anything they are doing is worth close to $1200 and the day you think another manufacturer doesnt have problems youve lost your mind. i bought a dodge because i cant afford to always have the hood upand and have my vehicle in the shop. thats expensive!

 

A good guess seems to be
that the largest portion of the 9.25 diff failures
are because the big nut becomes un-torqued
and the pre-load on the pinion bearings becomes too small
and slack 'hammers' the pinion bearings causing them to fail.

The nut comes loose because the locktite-like glue
does not hold it permanently.
The stuff does not appear to be official Locktite thread locker judging only by color.
Perhaps the 'old school' aircraft safety wire on the nut would be a superior option...but this takes much more labor at the factory.

A lessor portion of the diff failures may be due to the bearings themselves
as some have 'Hecko en Mexico' on their races.

USA made Timken, Swedish made SKF or Japanese made NTN bearings might cost more but they have 'world class' low failure rates.