I have a 2001 quad cab off-road edition dodge truck. My rear end has gone out....can you believe that????
The question:
I have found a rear end from a 2000 regular cab off-road edition for $300. Will the 2000 model just be a "bolt on" job? Is it compatible?

 

Yes, it should be. And you should consider yourself VERY lucky for finding another offroad rear end to swap in and buy that thing immediately. Offroad edition rams are rare to begin with and even rarer when it comes to finding them in junkyards for parts. Do you know why your factory one failed? Usually there's a cause for the failure, these things don't just "go out" unless it's got an absolute ton of mileage on it or something.

 

The rear end started seizing a bit, and then when the seizing stopped, there was a fairly loud, and continual winding/whining noise coming from the rear end. When the plate was taken off, the main gear was well worn, and starting to break down. I'm not sure if that is the only problem, but I am scared to drive it for fear of catastrophic failure at high speeds (55 mph), which could cause a serious accident. My mechanic said the parts for a complete rebuild will be around 1,000.

 

Was there enough fluid in there? The chrysler 9.25 rear ends are fairly stout so i'm just surprised you're having so much trouble on a factory rear end. How many miles are on it? And yes, paying a mechanic to rebuild the whole thing get expensive really fast. It would be cheaper to just swap it with the 2000 rear end if you can do the labor yourself.

 

I am going to guess he has an ORE.... which makes finding a compatible rear MUCH more fun....

 

When the noise started, I took it straight to the man who works on things that I have no knowledge about. He did not say anything about the fluid being too low. He did show me the old one, and the "wearing" of the gears. If it would have been low on fluid he would have told me. I have used this man for years and I trust him with every vehicle.

 

If you find a ORE rear end it will swap right in. But otherwise any Chrysler 9.25 rear will be 3.55. And you can't run your 4x4 with mismatched gears.

 

Could be the extreme result of clutch pack fragments and clips that got lodged in places they shouldn't have been. Limited slip clutch pack failure is common, but most people are lucky and the pieces fall to the bottom of the case.

Before putting the other rear end under your truck have it inspected for fragments and that the clips are where they should be. The axles are decent. The limited slip design could use some 'improvements'...

Good luck and don't pass up on that Off-Road Edition axle!

 

Latest update:
First of all, let me thank all who responded and helped me with my questions. I am not exactly mechanically inclined, but I am learning.
Now, to the truck..... I drove 2.5 hours and picked up the rear end. I took it back to the shop where it will be installed. Today is Saturday, so I do not know if he will get it put in today because he only works until lunch time, but as soon as he installs it I will give an update on the process. Hopefully, this post will help others know what year rear ends will work with other year model trucks. Thanks again.

 

Just wanted to show you a pic of the Ram that we are talking about. I bought these wheels and rims for $300. When I have the money I am going to get some aggressive tread tires to go on the 20" rims.