What to look for when purchasing used rubicon axles

kyle521

Member
If there is already a thread on this I apologize, but could not seem to find one. There are many people out there who are looking at purchasing used rubicon axles, and thought there should be a thread of exactly what to look for and examine when checking them out. I understand aftermarket is better, but there is still a use for used rubicon axles for a fraction of the price.

Are there ways to check if the lockers work? Any tips on checking if the axle tubes are straight? Is there a way to tell what year the axles came from by looking at part numbers on the axles? At what point is too many miles? What are fair prices for front, rear, package deal?
 
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If there is already a thread on this I apologize, but could not seem to find one. There are many people out there who are looking at purchasing used rubicon axles, and thought there should be a thread of exactly what to look for and examine when checking them out. I understand aftermarket is better, but there is still a use for used rubicon axles for a fraction of the price. Are there ways to check if the lockers work? Any tips on checking if the axle tubes are straight? Is there a way to tell what year the axles came from by looking at part numbers on the axles? At what point is too many miles? What are fair prices for front, rear, package deal?

Pretty good idea imo - a lot of people go through this swap.

Since the locker works by a magnet and 12V power - there isn't a proper way to "test" them without hooking it up to a power source.
Trying to pry the locking ring over will just cause issues. Your best bet is to inspect the carrier, and if possible hook it up to 12V power.
I'm pretty sure - even a 9V battery will have enough power to temporarily lock the locker.

The proper way to check a housing is with an alignment bar. Being that most people do not have one - refer to below.
Checking the tubes can be done with a straight edge.
Let me be clear on this, unless it SEVERELY bent, you will NOT be able to eyeball a bend that is enough to cause problems.
A couple easy ways to tell, if the tubes are bent at the differential - typically the plug welds would be cracked.
If they aren't that is a good sign. However, take the straight edge and find a flat point on the differential.
Make sure the edge is level - and compare it to the axle tube. Does the tube sit higher at any point outwards from the cast section?
If it does, then there's some form of bend. It should sit as straight as it does at the cast section - to the C's.
Running a straight edge along the tubes will determine if there is a bend outside of the housing.
Also - check for any leaks inside the tubes that would have came from an axle seal - when it's bent the shaft sits cockeyed and causes leaks.
Along with that - check how the shafts sit in the tubes. With a bent tube, aligning the unit bearings becomes pretty difficult.
Any broken brackets is a pretty good sign that it came out of something in an accident - ie a control arm mount ripped off or cracked.
Also - you can test the orientation of the shafts when rotating the pinion. If both are rotating forward even though it's unlocked your likely looking at a bent housing.
The differential should act as an open differential when unlocked. Anything else and there's an issues with the locker or it's bent.
Another option is pulling the carrier. If you are going to regear it anyway, pulling the carrier isn't a problem.
Once you pull the carrier, look inside of the axle tube with a light. If it's bent - you'll definitely see it from here as the C on the other side of the housing won't be aligned.

I wouldn't necessarily say there's a threshold for miles on the axles. Chances are you're going to re-gear them which is going to replace bearings etc.

I wouldn't pay much for them - but this is my opinion. I value the housing at nothing. So I'd be purchasing them for the lockers, shafts etc.
I paid $400 for my front assembly. While this might seem stupid low, it turned out to be bent. All in all, it wasn't too bad as I have the ability to straighten housings.
In reality, you're probably looking at $1000/per axle.
 
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My Rubicon axles will be for sale 6/28 what I've done to partially address your concerns about everything working is I took my Jeep to Moab for EJS and ran it through the paces. Nothing hardcore by any means but enough to be able to check the transfer case and lockers. Took video of it to show any prospective buyers. The value on a set of like new Rubicons front and rear is $3-4K all day long.

The secondary reason for this was to make sure that I could have anything warranted if needed but everything functioned flawlessly.
 
My Rubicon axles will be for sale 6/28 what I've done to partially address your concerns about everything working is I took my Jeep to Moab for EJS and ran it through the paces. Nothing hardcore by any means but enough to be able to check the transfer case and lockers. Took video of it to show any prospective buyers. The value on a set of like new Rubicons front and rear is $3-4K all day long.

The secondary reason for this was to make sure that I could have anything warranted if needed but everything functioned flawlessly.

I don't think this really addresses the concern of a bent housing.
My dana 30 bent, and it still performed flawlessly as did my 44.
This sounds like some kind of awkward sales pitch.
 
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I don't think this really addresses the concern of a bent housing.
My dana 30 bent, and it still performed flawlessly as did my 44.
This sounds like some kind of awkward sales pitch.

Thanks for you input, the guy above is just trying to sell his axles. I see no way that a used set of rubicon axles go for $4000, $3000 is still rather expensive. You can upgrade a non rubicon housing for the $1800 dynatrac package. You can get a brand new crate rubicon front axle for close to $2000, and you can get the rear for around $1600-1700. So why would anyone pay above what they cost new, for a used set of axles?
 
I just did the Rubi axle swap on my Sport. I got the complete axles with aftermarket rear shafts, 4.88 gears, stock lockers for 2k. Before installing them, I stripped them down, replaced both front and rear track bar mounts, front lower control arm mounts all with Artec brackets. Also, I completely rebuilt them with new seals, bearings, and ball joints. I also had to replace the rear ring and pinion because the ring teeth were chipped.

To check for straightness, I measured diagonally from two know points on the top left to bottom right of the axle. There were some flat spots, I cant remember exactly what they were for. But the measurement was the same, so the axle is straight.

I didn't check the lockers, but inspected them as good as possible before installing. Still haven't wired them up yet, waiting to get an sPod.

Overall, I'm happy with the swap so far. When and if they go Ill swap to an aftermarket front housing. I don't really plan on going to 40's, so I am happy with 37's.
 
I just did the Rubi axle swap on my Sport. I got the complete axles with aftermarket rear shafts, 4.88 gears, stock lockers for 2k. Before installing them, I stripped them down, replaced both front and rear track bar mounts, front lower control arm mounts all with Artec brackets. Also, I completely rebuilt them with new seals, bearings, and ball joints. I also had to replace the rear ring and pinion because the ring teeth were chipped.

To check for straightness, I measured diagonally from two know points on the top left to bottom right of the axle. There were some flat spots, I cant remember exactly what they were for. But the measurement was the same, so the axle is straight.

I didn't check the lockers, but inspected them as good as possible before installing. Still haven't wired them up yet, waiting to get an sPod.

Overall, I'm happy with the swap so far. When and if they go Ill swap to an aftermarket front housing. I don't really plan on going to 40's, so I am happy with 37's.

Thanks for posting this. I've sub'd to this thread as I'm in the market for some stock Rubi axles my self!

What kind of mileage was on your axle set when you purchased?
 
Thanks for posting this. I've sub'd to this thread as I'm in the market for some stock Rubi axles my self!

What kind of mileage was on your axle set when you purchased?
I couldn't tell you. I was told they came off a 2010, and the rear end was whinning. Probably from the chipped teeth on the ring gear. Mileage doesn't really matter if you plan on doing a rebuild. Whatever Jeep mine were on had probably a 4" lift, that's why I replaced the track bar mounts and lower control arm mounts. They had the eccentric washers for the front, and looked like Ray Charles welded the track bars on. Buying used you will always take a chance on whether or not they are straight. A local shop owner told me about the measuring trick to check for square.
 
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