Welding the rear differential?? Help

[wkumale]

I have a 96 cherokee 4wd 4.0 and i was looking into getting a limited slip differential. My buddy said I could get the same result by just having it welded... Has anyone ever heard of this? It seems to me that if it were welded that when i turned then it would hurt the differential? I dont know enough about this to tell him he is right or wrong. Can someone let me know the pros and cons about having this done instead of getting it done right.

thanks in advance

tj

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by wkumale

I have a 96 cherokee 4wd 4.0 and i was looking into getting a limited slip differential. My buddy said I could get the same result by just having it welded... Has anyone ever heard of this? It seems to me that if it were welded that when i turned then it would hurt the differential? I dont know enough about this to tell him he is right or wrong. Can someone let me know the pros and cons about having this done instead of getting it done right.

thanks in advance

tj

If you drive it on the street, dont do it.
Go ahead and stick your thumb in your buds eye. Its not the same as a limited slip at all, not even close.
Its the same as a spool, which is that both the left and right axle shafts are solidly connected. Your rear tires will scuff and squeal everytime you turn. Your tire wear will increase and forget about driving in the snow or during icy conditions, even in the rain you will be all over the place.
Theres a proper place for a welded diff (commonly called a Lincoln Locker) and thats mud racing, thats really about the only place a lincoln locker is a good solution.

[MagicRat]

This is a really, really really bad idea for many reasons.

When the diff is welded, the spider gears are actually welded to their shafts. This permanently eliminates all differential action, so both tires turn at the same speed. Steering, especially on dry pavement becomes difficult, unpredictable and dangerous because the vehicle will want to go in a straight line.
In a turn, one wheel will end up slipping, which puts all the axle components under considerable stress, which can lead to broken axles or other components.

If you break an axle flange, your wheel will come off; not too much fun on the highway.

If you break an axle shaft under acceleration, the vehicle will swerve sharply to one side which is especially dangerous in traffic, etc.

Finally, if you weld up a diff, then decide it's not right for you, you cannot un-weld it; you will need to replace the entire differential assembly, often costing big dollars.

[fredjacksonsan]

My brother once welded a differential for a car he was drag racing. He said that it handled horribly in any sort of turn and even in a straight line on the street acted funky. The welds eventually broke and he replaced the rear end.

You're better off investing in a good locking system for off road use.

[neon_rt]

I would never take any automotive advise from your buddy.
His advise (if you took it) absolutely would endanger your life and others on the road. This mod is known to fail or cause catastophic failure of other components (as mentioned by others). Besides the weld breaking, if you don't use the right kind of welding material, the weld will corrode and contaminate the differential fluid, causing every component in the differential to be compromised.
If you are trailering this vehicle to a location and using it strictly off road as a destruction vehicle, go ahead and weld away.