Rear end swap on 00 xj questions

hi guys i have a 2000 xj that has been making a wurring noise from the back when giving it gas for a while now. i took the diff cover off to change the gear oil to see if that would help but when i did i noticed that the oil had a real metallic tint to it, clearly its on its way out. i figure a rear end swap would be my best bet on a limited budget. right now my xj has a dana 35 and i was wondering if i need to find another dana 35 or if i could use a dana 30 dana 44 or even a chrysler 8.25 and what would be my best option.

thanks for all your help

Honestly a junk Yard Chrysler 8.25 would be the easiest, and probably most cost effective swap...chances are the gear ratio's will be the same (3.55 - stock) and it will bolt right in with ease...you're drive line may have to be swapped out as the distance from the yoke at the pinion center is different on the two axles.... worst case scenario you'll need to swap out a drive line.... Now, the 97 and older Chrysler 8.25's are 27 spline, not bad... but the better ones are from the newer model XJ's and those come with 29 spline axle shafts..... Either will be a good improvement/upgrade from the 35.... that being said... if this thing will never see a trail, or if you do VERY light wheeling, then the most economical solution will be to swap it out with another Dana 35.... be careful the doner axle came from a vehicle with the same kind of engine as yours...(this applies to the 8.25 as well) --- the 4cyl jeeps came with 4.11 gears... if you mis-match gears, you'll destroy your transfer case and or tranny.
Your only other option would be to rebuild the 35 you have...they do sell kits... new bearings, and seals, and you'd have to get the gears re-set (backlash/pre-load/etc) ....do some research, call around, get prices, and choose whats best for your budget and skill level.
Good luck - hope this helps.

X 2 on a chryco 8.25 as easy and cost effective.

An XJ D44 will probably be scarce and as worn out as your D35 ... but a TJ D44 conversion is a possibility if you wanted.

The Dana have a better range of aftermarket upgrades/add ons too.

I recently swapped my rear axle. It is really a simple job even with basic hand tools and you could do it in your driveway.

There are a few limits to which axle you can get for a straight swap per gear ratios. If you have a standard trans your stock gears are 3.07. If its an automatic its most likely 3.55. On the 2.5 liter 4 cyl motor you can find 4.10 gears in the diffs.

being that yours is a dana 35, if you swap to a c8.25 you'll want to take the rear drive shaft as well. Like stated above, the c8.25 is a stronger axle and if you get one from a 97 and up it'll have the 29 spline which is said to be almost as tough as a dana 44.
I dont know how it would work with going from a abs rear end to a non abs rear but I think it would just make your ABS dash light stay on.

A dana 35 swap would mean just the axle is needed. just make sure to match the gears.

My swap cost 79 bucks i think. I went to the jy on a half off weekend.

Ditto on Chrysler 8.25 swap as being an easy swap/upgrade from the D35, but you may also end up with needing to replace brakes,bearings, drive shaft u-joints, etc. So what may start as a budget swap can rapidly become something else.....I know first hand.

As NW99XJ said, you can also rebuild what you have, I know the JY's here are proud of their XJ parts.

I would go with the 8.25. Sure you can repair the d35 but then you just have alot of money in a crappy rear. If your gonna have to rebuild one go ahead and sink the money into a good rear........hey its only money :)

A 97 and up 8.25 will be your cheapest upgrade. I like the D44 better, but only because it has more aftermarket support. But it will cost a lot more

thanks for all the input guys!! im going out to the jy today so hopefully everything works out.

yeah i think the 8.25 would be an easy swap. Thats what im running and i did the disc brake swap off a 95" ZJ. Everything works great!

I put a C8.25 from a 99 in my 90 and it worked wonderfully. The only problem I had was the e-brake cables aren't the same (I still don't have them hooked up properly, but it shouldn't be an issue on yours, I think) and the driveshaft length was different. If memory serves me correctly, the old driveshaft was about 2 inches too long.

The e-brake cable thing is relatively easy to overcome, some creative ingenuity and you'll be good to go. I've seen guys use a small u-bolt to clamp the the cable to the new axles brake. The drive-line thing poses another issue that isnt as easy to overcome. Sice the center section of an 8.25 is so much bigger than a D35, and the pinion is much longer as well, more often times than not, the old drive line wont work after the swap. Yu'll have to make sure that the donor driveline you pick up matches the engine/tranny/t-case/axle combination that you have as well. Otherwise, you'll be looking at a custom driveline. Most places here in Oregon will do a driveline rebuild for around $100...your state's shops may vary.
00greenxj...please post up what you end up finding/going with...i'd like to see how this turns out for you.