# d21 rear ends.



## D21jrc9009 (Sep 29, 2008)

I recently blew my rear differential in my truck. It is a 1992 nissan short bed pick up with a 5 speed trans and has the ka24e. I do believe it has the non locking rear. I was wondering if the locking-type will be a direct fit? I know 90' to 92' are the only ones that I should use. I am assuming its the non locking type because it only spins one tire at a time. 

There was a few times, however, that when i did a burnout, both tires spun. Both tires left strips of rubber down the street. I am not sure about what rear I have. I assume it is the non locking type. SO if anyone could let me know. Like i said, it has only seemed to ever spin both tires once or twice. When in mud or in snow, it only spins one tire at a time. it sometimes switches back and forth?

If it is the non locking type, i was wondering if i could directly bolt in the locking "lsd" type and where i can find a used one or one for real cheap. thanks.


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## D21jrc9009 (Sep 29, 2008)

Any one have a clue? Just need to know what type of rear differential it is. I tried calling the dealership, but they couldn't tell me even when i supplied the vin#...:lame:


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## D21jrc9009 (Sep 29, 2008)

even the id number for the rear would be helpful. Ill decide whether or not to put an lsd in it or not. just need to know what differential is in it so i can find one in a bone yard!!!


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## Nissanman7166 (Feb 12, 2009)

The Info or "ID number" for your rear should be located in the door jam... for example mines an hg43 aka h233b. Like previous people have posted... you would definitely know if your differential were locked. it is possible for a non locking diff to spin both tires when there is equal traction on both tires. so as posted in previous threads the sure way to find out is to jack up the rear differential to where both tires are off the ground and spin one of them. If they both spin the same direction then you have an LSD. If they spin opposite of each other you have an open diff. As for compatability for swaps and such, I cant be much help with that, just know that the gear ratio's have to match up.
Good Luck


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

If you have a 92 KA24E w/ 2WD and M/T...then you have an H190A rear with a 3.545 gear ratio (A/T models have a 3.7 ratio). It's an "open" type differential. Your rear should have a 39/11 gear tooth ratio (ring/drive pinion).


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## D21jrc9009 (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks a lot man. just wondering if you know whether or not a lsd will go in if can find one? if it comes with all of the axles and stuff, i mean. im assuming the drive shaft will bolt up the same way.


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## D21jrc9009 (Sep 29, 2008)

and are there any other years that are compatible? i can deal with a slightly higher gear ratio from the automatic as long as it will fit. It would be nice to have some more acceleration. Open or lsd. I don't much care at this point, but I'm assuming i'd have to change the speedometer gear from the automatic trans, if those are compatible. either way i can deal with being a little off. Right now I need my truck, which is due for inspection at the end of this month. My guess is is that the auto rear will be quicker, but the speedo will be off. And higher rpm's on the hw, of course. I'm not so much worried about that. this truck only has 160,000 miles on it which aggravates me seeing as that is apparently low mileage relatively for this truck. 

I was told they had changed the fluids in it when i bought it, but when i pulled that drain plug in the rear that stuff was pretty nasty. So my fault. Thank god i did change the trans oil cause of the hard shifting when cold way back in november.

anyways. so any input on the auto rear end and what years are compatible would be greatly appreciated. thank you.


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## D21jrc9009 (Sep 29, 2008)

hahahaha well funny story. i pulled the pumpkin out, and discovered that the differential in it already had been changed once. it had junk yard numbers on the pinion. what broke this time, was the dowel pin connecting the pinion and the ring.so. hahaha. great stuff. will the axles fit an automatic ring and pinion set up? i have no idea what rear end is in it now, but apparently it has been changed cause it has yellow numbers painted on the pinion gear. pretty funny. im guessing this truck has been dogged. if this is the second rear end to have to go in here.


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## tommyboy623 (May 11, 2009)

86.5-95 v6 4x4 pickup has lds
almost all pathfinders have lds

is your pickup a 2wd..?

i have a 94 hb 4x4 with a h233b rear end and thats hard to beat stock...


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## gogolinskiy (May 9, 2009)

The axle code is located on the door jamb sticker on Nissans. If it's not there, there are visual ways of determining what you have. On some older trucks it's on a plate in the engine bay above the fender well on the passenger side.

HF35 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Hardbodies.
HF37 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Frontiers

CA41 - Found on 720's - This is a C200/R180 combo with 4.11 gearing. Some 720's have the smaller H190 rear end that's identified by not having a removable rear diff cover. R180 front ends in 720's are different than the Hardbody and Frontier versions, as the diff is nearly centered. 720's use unequal length halfshafts and are not interchangeable. All 1986.5+ halfshafts are interchangeable left to right.

CA43 - found on 720's and Hardbodies. C200 rear / R180 front, 4.375:1 gearing

CA46 - found on Hardbodies and 4 banger Frontiers - C200 rear / R180 front, 4.625:1 gears

CA45 - found in 2003+ Frontier 4x4's. This is a C200/R180 combination with a new gear ratio - 4.5something:1 The C200 was upgraded to 31 splines on this model from the previous 29 spline unit.

HG43 - Found on Pathfinders, V6 Hardbodies, and a few '99 Frontiers - H233B rear / R200 front, 4.375:1 gearing. On the 2000+ 33 spline axles, the HG43 has a 4.363 ratio, however this is not a common axle code on the later models.

HG46 - found on auto equipped pathfinders, 96-97 hardody 4 bangers, many Xterras and Frontiers. This one has some variation. Pre-2000 versions are the H233B axle with 4.625:1 gearing (31 spline axles). 2000+ is the H233B axle with 4.636:1 gearing (33 spline axles). Typically comes with an R200 front axle, with the exception being in the '96-97 Hardbody pickups - those had an H233B / R180 combination. Axle shafts in the H233B were 31 spline up to about 2000, where they switched to 33 spline shafts. All Xterras and R50 Pathfinders received the 33 spline axles. In Frontiers, it can be a crapshoot if you have a '99-'00 model, though it is believed that the switchover was at or near 2/00 production date.

HG49 - found in mid year 2001+ Frontiers and Xterras. H233B / R200 combo with 4.90:1 gears.

I've learned recently from posts in ******** that there were some Hardbody 2wd's that appear to carry the C200 axle, but I've never actually seen one. If you have one, it's a rare bird. I'd love for anyone to post up their information and describe the year and model (I4, V6, XE, SE, etc.) of the truck that carries the C200 rear in the back of a 2wd so I can update my FAQ on my website.


Locker Selection:

ARB lockers are available for the older 30 spline C200's and all H233b's. They're also avaialble for the R200 front, however no traction device is out there for the R180.

Calmini LSD's will work in an R200 front. (A Calmini LSD is a slightly modified '87-89 Turbo 300ZX LSD)

Lockrights will only work in the older 31 spline H233B.

Detroit used to make a locker for the older 31 spline H233B, but those are getting scarce.

Up to 4.875:1 gearing is available for C200's and R180's. Up to 5.143 gearing can be had for H233B's and R200's. AC and SLR are the two companies offering gears, or you may be able to get them through Nismo.


Let's say you don't have the doorjamb sticker.

H190 - small 3rd member type axle found in 2wd's only (excluding Desert Runners, Xterras, pathfinders)
C200 - removable rear diff cover, 8 bolts. Found in all Nissans (yes, even a few early 2wd Pathfinders)
H233B - large 3rd member type axle found in most V6 and a few 4 banger 4x4's, Desert Runners, and 2wd Pathy's and 2wd Xterra V6's.


Other notes:

The H233B 3rd member changed from 9 bolts to 11 studs to hold it to the housing beginning with the 1990 models. Somewhere along this time (maybe around 6/89, the bolts holding the ring gear to the carrier changed from 10mm to 12mm, making a difference in replacement gear sets.


What do the numbers mean?

The number in the axle model indicates the size of the ring gear in mm.

R180 - 180mm ring gear
H190 - 190mm ring gear
C200 / R200 - 200mm ring gear
H233B - 233mm ring gear (yes, that's about 9.25"!)


How do I figure out my gear ratio?

Put a jack under the diff and get both wheels under the ground. Draw a chalk line on the tires where they would contact the ground. Rotate BOTH tires by hand at the same speed one exact revolution while counting revolutions of he driveshaft. Just under 4 1/2 turns will indicate the 4.375:1 gears. Just a bit over 4 1/2 turns would indicate 4.625:1 or 4.636:1 gearing. If you have a late model, just a tick under 5 turns of the DS would indicate 4.90 gears.


LSD or open?

If you lost the sticker, get that jack back under the diff. Turn a wheel with the truck in neutral. If the other wheel spins in the opposite direction, you have an open diff. If it spins in the same direction, you likely have some sort of traction device - probably an LSD.


Additional Contributions:

Contribued by OnlyOneDR on N4W:

Tractions aids can be found for the R180 in the 720, Nismo, Quaife, Kaaz, and Cusco sell LSDs, mostly because the R180 was under the earlier Zs and newer Subarus. Not sure if you can swap the bolt retainer in from an open R180A carrier to get it to bolt into an HB or Frontier axle. I did that trick to get my 300ZX lsd into my R200A.

The HB and Frontier front axles are "A" axles, (e.g. R200A, R180A). The A designates an offset carrier. The R200/R180 are different because it is centered and does not have axle tubes on either side.


Contributed by OffroadX of N4W, AC, and XOC notoriety:

I'm not sure that the A in R200A etc. indicates an offset diff, from what I gather, it indicates a short-pinion diff. The Patrol uses offset front (and even rear) H233 diffs, but they're not designated H233A. I have seen in the Nismo catalog that the R180A was developed with a shorter pinion (by 120mm) to reduce driveline angles vs. the regular R180.

The R180A axle designation is RB
The R200A axle designation is RC

C200 and R200A gears ARE INTERCHANGEABLE. Yes, the same part numbers are used for the same ratios in the Nismo catalog for both diffs.

Best I can tell, 10mm ring gear bolts were phased out of the H233B diffs 6/86.

There are 5.571 and 5.875 gears available from Nissan/Nismo for the H233B

Regarding the H233B, the ONLY difference in Nismo 5.14 gears are at the 1990 model year. There were originally only gears for pre-90 diffs. AC sold a modified version of those for post-90 diffs, but a couple of years ago Nissan finally started making 5.14 gears for the 90+ diffs.

4.90 Xterra gears will go into any 90+ diff too




All the props and right on this info goes to Desert Rat:waving:


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## tommyboy623 (May 11, 2009)

my nissan is a 94 4x4....has a h233b rear end and a r200 front..with a ka24e motor..dont know if that was stock for this year...4 cylinder,5 speed ka24e single cab.TXE


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## gogolinskiy (May 9, 2009)

off topic

nice truck !!! 5+! need in the bushguard)))


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## dvdswanson (Nov 6, 2005)

tommyboy623 said:


> my nissan is a 94 4x4....has a h233b rear end and a r200 front..with a ka24e motor..dont know if that was stock for this year...4 cylinder,5 speed ka24e single cab.TXE


if you have a 4cyl you have a R180 frt. axle. R200 came with V6 only.


for D21jrc9009, look at your axle code on the door plate, this will tell you for sure about which one you have.


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## tommyboy623 (May 11, 2009)

hi dvdswagon..
the numbers on my front and rear end match up to be h233b rear and r200 front diff... ive heard that nissan made some test models ..idk..i just know that its a 94 single cab 4x4 ka34e,5speed trans (built both of them) ,h233b rear,r200 front...thats what its say on door..and the number's match on diff's..my title say's txe.. what does that mean??

thx for reply.


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## tommyboy623 (May 11, 2009)

ok called the dealer to confirm that i had the r200 front diff.h233b rear end ect.give them my vin #..the guy said that my truck came STOCK with a ka24e motor,5 speed trans, h233b LSD rear end, r200 front diff..CRAZY..i knew it was different then alot of other nissan truck i see..because it has the single cab..but it came with power mirrors,4 wheel ABS, ect.. that i only see on the SE v6 4x4..well to make a long story short.. i got my hands on a one of a kind truck the guy at the dealer said..sweet!!..i planed on keeping the truck forever anyways...

tommyboy623  out..


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## gogolinskiy (May 9, 2009)

lucky guy!!!)))LSD is sweet in the rain on D21


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## HardbodyTyler (Jan 9, 2013)

I have a 91 Hardbody with the 4 Banger, my sticker says I have the CA41 rear end but my diff cover is removeable, could my truck have had an axel swap at one piont?


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## wjkrostek (Mar 9, 2015)

gogolinskiy said:


> The axle code is located on the door jamb sticker on Nissans. If it's not there, there are visual ways of determining what you have. On some older trucks it's on a plate in the engine bay above the fender well on the passenger side.
> 
> HF35 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Hardbodies.
> HF37 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Frontiers
> ...


Thanks GOGOlinskiy for all the info posted on the differentials. I don't see how to post likes I'd put one there if I could. Question still seems unanswered is how can you tell if the dif has a LS or locker in there when it came from the factory? I'm not good at this internet stuff put some where I found a whole shop manual that someone posted. Now I can't find it again but that book had every thing anyone wanted to know on fixing the D21 except about the diffs. Does anyone know where dif info is posted?


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## Drdulow (Oct 8, 2015)

Hi I have a 1986 d21 hardbody vg30i v6 4x4 manual trans getting ready to do fluids need to know if my front and rear differential are lsd and what fluids should I use?


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## krisa (Apr 12, 2014)

I've read all the posts about rear diffs and I'm still a little confused about what I can do with my truck that would be fairly easy.

I have a '92 hardbody, 2wd, 5 sp with a KA24e. Specifically, I want to put in a ls diff with hw gears. Does anyone know what is the biggest ls diff I can put into my p/u - are there any direct swaps (even if it means swapping out the whole rear end) that will fit AND that come with hw gearing?

I'd appreciate any info and/or suggestions

-Kris


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## jason1976 (Mar 4, 2016)

gogolinskiy said:


> The axle code is located on the door jamb sticker on Nissans. If it's not there, there are visual ways of determining what you have. On some older trucks it's on a plate in the engine bay above the fender well on the passenger side.
> 
> HF35 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Hardbodies.
> HF37 - H190 axle found in weenie 2wd Frontiers
> ...


i have a Nissan navara 1988 d21 2weel drive it has a lsd , need to know the gearing for the diff or will any 88 to 94 lsd head fit , need help finding right replacement parts


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## Govt acp45 (Sep 23, 2017)

Drdulow said:


> Hi I have a 1986 d21 hardbody vg30i v6 4x4 manual trans getting ready to do fluids need to know if my front and rear differential are lsd and what fluids should I use?


ask at Supercheap auto? prob. LSD oil.


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