It is tricky to get the gears set right, and it can and typically is different from housing to housing. that's what crush sleeves are about. Since it is not the drive axle, you might get away with it, but if you plan on using 4wd a lot, it would be best to change the whole axle, if you don't have the equipment to set up the gears. I've gotten by on it, but it's usually my stuff, so my problem to deal with if it fails. It really isn't that hard to switch the whole axle.