ok, i really hate to sound like a dummy, but hear it goes.

which wheel should spin first when you step in the gas? i thought the power went to the passenger side first.

for some reason my driver side will spin and the passenger won't.

 

whichever side has less weight on it.

 

With an open differential the torque (power) goes to both wheels equally. That's why whichever one has less traction will spin. As was already mentioned, this will probably be the one with less weight, assuming they're both on the same surface.

 

k, thanks for the answers.

 

another question for you guys..

are the rear axles the same between the dakotas and durangos?

i have been kicking around switching to a 3.92, which i have on the part durango in my garage.

 

yes and no.

The durango spring perches are something like 1/4-1/2" wider on the durango, and the shock mounts may be different. Other than that, should be cross-over-able.

 

Also dont forget if you have 4wd you need to have the same gear in both front and rear axles.

 

and make sure both axles are over-spring or under-spring to match 4x4/4x2.

 

k, the durango is awd and the my dakota is 4wd. so both ride under the springs. and the shock hook up looks different.

next question is dealing with the front axle. since the gear ratio has to match front and rear. the durango is a 01 and the dakota is a 97. dodge made a few changes on the front axles. would i be able to swap the the guts out? the case on the durango is junked. someone did some cutting on it to get the yoke off. which means i need to make sure everything else is there and hope the yoke on my 97 dak will match up. big hopes. i know.

 

I'm not sure what year they changed (I wanna say 2000), but the internal parts are not interchangeable.