Yukon Gear Master Overhaul Kit For Dana 44 Rear Diff For Use w/ New 07+ Non-JK Rubicon
Most JK Wranglers that are not Rubicons still have a Dana 44 under the back, and when a Sport, Sahara or Unlimited gets taller tires, the rear end is usually the first thing re-geared. The Yukon Gear & Axle YK D44-JK-STD is the master overhaul kit for that non-Rubicon JK rear axle. Use it to install a new ring and pinion on all-new bearings, or to quiet a high-mileage rear that has started to howl or drip oil at the pinion. The kit is new and built around Timken bearings and races.
The JK rear Dana 44 uses an 8.5 in. ring gear and a standard-rotation pinion. In Sport and Sahara models the carrier is an open differential or the optional limited-slip, not the Rubicon's selectable locker, so the carrier bearings and setup parts are matched to that carrier. Yukon lists a separate kit for each version for that reason. Everything that wears or gets destroyed during a teardown is here: carrier bearings and races, pinion bearings and races, the pinion seal, a complete shim kit, ring gear bolts, a pinion nut, a crush sleeve, oil baffles and slingers, thread locker, marking compound with a brush, and the rear cover gasket.
Raise the rear, unbolt the driveshaft and rotate the pinion: grinding or a rough spot points to the pinion bearings. Push and pull the flange to check for end play. Pop the cover, look at the oil, and paint the gear teeth to read the pattern. Outer axle bearings are a common JK noise source too, so spin each rear wheel and listen. If the noise is at the wheel ends rather than the center, the JK rear axle bearing and seal kit may be all you need.
Yukon fits this kit to the Dana 44 JK non-Rubicon rear. That covers the 2007-2018 Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited in Sport, Sahara and the other non-Rubicon trims, with one caution: fewer than a thousand early 2007 JKs were built with a Dana 35 rear instead, and this kit does not fit that axle. Rubicons need the Yukon JK Rubicon rear kit because of the locker carrier. If you want a lower-cost kit for the same axle, compare the USA Standard JK non-Rubicon rear kit. The axle tag on the rear housing tube tells you what you have; when in doubt, send us your year, trim and VIN. See more axle parts in our rebuild kits collection.
Pair the rebuild with the ring and pinion ratio that matches your tire size, such as the Revolution 4.88 Dana 44 thick-gear rear set, after confirming that gear set is listed for the JK rear carrier break you are running.
| Brand | Yukon Gear & Axle |
| Part number | YK D44-JK-STD |
| Fits | Yukon Gear Master Overhaul Kit For Dana 44 Rear Diff For Use w/ New 07+ Non-JK Rubicon |
| Type | Differential Overhaul Kits |
| Condition | New |
| Ships | Same business day (in stock), from the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. Rubicons use a locker carrier in the rear and need the Yukon YK D44-JK-RUB kit. This one is for non-Rubicon JK rear Dana 44 axles.
No. A small number of early 2007 JKs came with a Dana 35 rear, which uses different parts. Check the axle tag or send us your VIN to confirm.
Timken carrier bearings and races, Timken pinion bearings and races, pinion seal, a complete shim kit, ring gear bolts, pinion nut, crush sleeve, oil baffles and slingers, thread locker, marking compound with brush and the cover gasket. Gears are not included.
For a re-gear most shops replace the carrier and pinion bearings together, which is what this master kit covers. A pinion-only kit leaves the old carrier bearings in place.
Use 75W-90 or 75W-140 gear oil as listed for your JK, with friction modifier if the rear is a limited-slip. Change it again after the break-in miles.
