SSV1761982

Mine seems to have a sqeal from the pinion area and has developed a vibration/grindnig noise.

Thanks for any advise,
Dave Smith

rich

i ran mine to 230k till i broke the spider gears in it. you need to change the fluid in itabout every 15k if you tow. thatwas the only trouble i ever had with it. they are supposed to be bullet proof to a degree

SSV1761982

I changed it to Amsoil about 5k before it started making the high pitch noise.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Rich, I change mine every 100k. It never had 144 synthetic until it lost a carrier bearing at 258,000.

Supermod56

The Dana 80 is about as bullet-proof as you're gonna get in a pick up. Even Dodge recommends to use a good synthetic oil if you tow, 85-140 Redline is what I use

Tom

2001.5 2500 4X4 5-Spd LB QC Black. Catcher ECM, DD Stage-1's, AFE, Bully Dog 4" pipe, ATS Exhaust Manifold, Silencer Ring MIA, JAKE Brake w/shifter switch, Geno's Banjo's, 3 Autometer's on the A-Pillar, Gear Vendor's O/D, Firestone Air Bags, Redline Oil throughout.
Soon-to-have 14cm Turbo Housing and RASP Pump (Thanks Olee!!)

Dr. Evil

I had to replace the outer seals at less than 60k - truck towed a medium sized fiver for less than 8k....other than that, its been unloaded.

CTD NUT

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Supermod56
[B]The Dana 80 is about as bullet-proof as you're gonna get in a pick up. Even Dodge recommends to use a good synthetic oil if you tow, 85-140 Redline is what I use

Tom

The D80 is as big and strong a rear axle that you will find in a light truck......They are well known for standing up to a lot of abuse and much more weight than what Dodge has rated them for.....That said, Dodge (not Dana) screwed up one thing on the D80 - they used the inferior style pinion yoke that relies on a tiny little stub on either side of the yoke to center the u-joint. These little stubs can wear out and let the u-joint slip side to side within the yoke even when the straps are tight. When the joint is allowed to walk around (ever so slightly) it will eventually take out the pinion bearings.......This has happened to my 3500 and 2 others that I know of. The u-joint doesn't make a sound when it begins to move in the yoke......the only thing that makes a sound is the pinion bearings - and then it is too late. Going to the Detroit style yoke that uses the internal C-clips to center the yoke eliminates this potential problem.....The D60 pinion yoke on the front end of 2nd gen Dodges uses this style yoke.....The other option is to source out a u-bolt style yoke, but I have been unable to do so for a D80. I use synthetic gear oil and have 317,000 km on the truck and that is the only problem the D80 has caused me.

bws

i ran 75/90? redline synthetic and never had a limited slip clutch problem then i switchced to 85/140? amsoil and even after adding the additive the limited slip still doesnt work right...guessing on wieghts...brad

CTD NUT

I have heard rumours of some guys running certain synthetic gear oils that said they work fine without the posi additive but I have never run a synthetic that didn't require some additive for the posi to work properly, nor do I know anyone else who got away without using an additive...

Different brands of additives require different quantities to work properly.......sometimes you have to experiment with the quantity to stop the chatter but keep the posi tight......If in doubt, add a little at a time until the chatter stops.

RustyJC

Perhaps I got lucky, but the Royal Purple 85W-140 synthetic hypoid gear lube has the friction modifier formulated into it, and at least with my Dana 80, no supplemental friction modifier was required. And, yes, the limited slip works.

The setup on these Dana 80 LS clutch packs seems to vary wildly, so YMMV!

Rusty

CTD NUT

Yeah, there is a big difference between clutch pack preloading between the Trak-Lok and the Powr-Lok and from what I understand, the factory posi in the D80's from DC could be either one?!?!

SSV1761982

In neutral, with the tires on the ground I can twist the driveshaft back and forth almost a quarter inch.

I guess I'll try to pull the cover this weekend and look for stuff that shouldn't be there.

tool

Are you sure the u-joint isn't bad?

CTD NUT

That amount of play is normal.....When you take into account the tolerance and play from the axle shaft splines, side and spider gear mesh and ring and pinion backlash, it can amount to a noticable amount of play.

If you are going to have the cover off, get somebody to hold the ring gear while you twist the pinion yoke....you should notice a drastic reduction in play......D80's should have around .015" of backlash but .020" is acceptable from a ring and pinion with a normal amount of wear.