Spicer Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ 44-4 SERVICE MANUAL - Manual (Page 3)

3
X5001-CVSP
Axle Teardown and Rebuild
Getting Started
Under no circumstances should
individuals attempt to perform axle service and/
or maintenance procedures for which they have
not been trained or do not have the proper tools
and equipment.
1. ALWAYS wear safety glasses that meet OSHA
requirements when performing maintenance or
service. Failure to wear safety glasses can result
in personal injury and/or partial or complete
vision loss.
2. ALWAYS be careful handling gears or other
sharp components, so you do not cut your
hands.
3. ALWAYS be sure to follow torque specifications
carefully. Failure to do so may lead to prema-
ture component failure or damage to other
vehicle components.
Introduction
This will help determine what parts can be saved
and how the axle should be rebuilt.
Carrier Disassembly
1. Remove the cover bolts and use a rubber
mallet to remove the cover plate (Figure 2).
Proper care during the teardown and rebuild of the
WJ44-4 (Figure 1) is critical to improved service as
well as customer satisfaction.
In addition, failure analysis is an important compo-
nent of the entire procedure. First, a thorough failure
analysis of the axle and axle components must be
completed to determine the cause of failure.
2. Turn the axle over and drain the oil.
NOTE: During drainage, strain the oil to see if it
contains metal shavings (Figure 3). Be sure to
place a bucket under the stand to catch the oil
so it can be disposed of properly. If the axle is
being rebuilt because of a major problem such as
gear set breakage or excessive bearing wear, a
sample of the oil should be sent to a lab for
spectral analysis to help determine the root
cause of the failure.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
WARNING