[SAATR]

Had to give a buddy of mine some bad news tonight, looks like the diff in his 02 Dodge Durango RT is shot. Turns out his dad used it for heavy towing, to the tune of a 44 foot party boat, pulled it for 1500 miles, or so I'm told, but it would explain his problem. Heavy clunking anytime it's put in gear, U-Joints are fine, I personally think his bearings or ring and pinion are gone.

Anyway, my question, do any of you know the approximate costs of getting this thing rebuilt,i.e. new bearings, seals, gears, etc, and getting it setup. I just want to give him some idea of what it's going to cost, something he can go to his folks with. I've already told him it's probably going to be in the neighborhood of 1000-1500 worst case. Does this sound right? Thanks for the info.

[M&M CUSTOM]

Clunking when put in gear doesn't necessarily mean the axle needs a rebuild.

Many things seperately can result in a clunk, and the more things out of adjustment or worn you have, the more of a clunk you will have.

From the wheels forward, these things will add to the clunk factor:
Worn axleshaft splines
Worn axleshaft splines in the spider gear set
Worn spider gear teeth
Worn carrier bearings allowing the gear carrier to move enough to "clunk"
Worn ring and pinion gear teeth
Excessive backlash
Worn pinion shaft bearings
Very highly unlikely but, pinion shaft/driveshaft yoke spline wear
Every universal joint in between the pinion yoke and the transmission
Driveshaft carrier bearing
Driveshaft slip yoke spline wear
Transmission output shaft spline wear
Internal transmission wear including output shaft, bushings, bearings, and other things requiring service by someone experienced in transmission rebuilding/overhauling.

This is just a general overview of what can contribute to the "clunk" when the transmission is shifted into or between gears, some things included in the list are not necessarily on all vehicles, and some vehicles have more individual drivetrain parts that can be added to this list also.

[Chazmac]

I agree with M&M, this requires proper diagnosis. I have seen plenty of Dodge rearends with pinion bearing problems, but they howl badly. Engagement clunks MAY be the differential, but a thorough inspection at a drivetrain shop (somebody with a lot of differential experience) should be the next step.

[kellyem]

I've got a 90 RamCharger that has the 9.25 rear end. Bought it in 96 with about 88,000 miles on it. The rear end clunked when going from reverse to drive, had some one check it out and found nothing. They said the spider gears might be going out. Now It has 163,000 miles, still doing the same thing. I do light towing with it and no problems (yet). I have been told that those rear ends do sometimes have alot of slack in them.