Chipped spider gear teeth in rear diff - Repairs?

  • Discovered chipped teeth on upper and lower spider gears when replacing diff cover. The side gears appear to be ok. I was not hearing any strange noises prior to this. Is it possible to replace the just the spider gears rather than the whole differential? Can anyone recommend a shop in Wilmington area to repair? I know there are a couple guys in the forum that do gear swaps but I think I'll need someone to inspect, order parts and make the repair. Is this ok to drive in the short term? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.



  • Best fix is a locker. That said, should be plenty of folks with some spare spiders who have already re-geared / and locked their rides.

    Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Have a beer.


    Jeeps Owned... 89YJ, 81CJ-8, 99XJ, 93XJ, 00WJ, 05LJ, 22Bronco Badlands !

  • Well not sure if anyone gives a crap but ended up going to the dealer. Was willing to pay for the quicker turnaround. Turns out the Trac-loc limited slips have clutch packs that wear. The wearing opens up the clearances on the spider gears which caused the chipping and eventual catastrophic failure. I went back in with the Detroit Tru-Trac limited slip which is 100%;gear driven and no clutch packs. Just a heads up if you splurged for $290 Trac-loc upgrade change your diff fluid on schedule and look for metal.

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