Bad rear differential

[Maddie]

hey guys, I got my hands on the ram I wanted (1997 5.9l extended cab 4x4) and it needs a new rear end. I was planning on just running up to a local junk yard and snatching one up, however my dad told me I’d have to grab one out of another truck that is the exactally the same as mine. Now I under stand the gear ratios are different between the 2wd and 4x4. And was hoping to get a little guidance on what I need to look for.

 

[Fast69Mopar]

Well, to start, the gear ratios are not always different between 2WD and 4WD models. You could locate a 4WD truck in your year model or body style and it have a 3.55 gear and another 2WD with 3.92 gears. It's all in how the truck was built.

Now, if you can find a complete truck at your local salvage yard then you can get the VIN and call your local Mopar parts department and give them the VIN to verify the axle ratios.

You can also check the build tag located inside the glove compartment and see what the ratio it is too but this option is not always reliable.

 

[lharrell79]

Replace the stars below, with your VIN. It will give you your build sheet. Or, post your VIN up, and we can look the info up, to help you.

https://www.chrysler.com/webselfservice/BuildSheetServlet?vin=*****************