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differential fluid change advice

3K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Sherpa 
#1 ·
I've read through many of the post, and searched - so now I need some advice.

the differential fluid needs to be changed in both front and rear (30/35) - so do I need to turn an wrench and remove all the fluid and reseal - or - do I get one of those suction fluid removers and suck out the old and pour in the new

If I go the wrench and seal route - is it difficult or just time consuming

Thanks
 
#2 ·
It's easy.... just unbolt the diff cover & use a catch tray or pan for the fluid. Sometimes the diff cover will stick, so use a rubber mallet to give a tap to break the seal loose. Leave (1) bolt just snug so the cover doesn't come flying off either.. lol then remove last bolt and scrap the remaining RTV sealant off. Try not to goouge the face or lip of the diff. A razor or scraper works good. Then get either some RTV or buy some LubeLocker diff gasket (4wd.com) for the gasket.

If using RTV, set-up a bead around lip edge, install cover and bolts, then let RTV setup and fill with fluid.

If using Lubelocker, just install the gasket, then cover and bolts and fill-up.

The nice benefit to the Lubelocker, is it can be re-used multiple times, vs. scraping and setting up the RTV. I've reused mine over the past 2yrs no problem, with changing fluid about 2-3times a year depending on my wheeling habbits and terrain.
 
#3 ·
I need to do the same to mine. From what ive heard, get a drain pan, undo the bolts. Let it drain all the way, clean the rim where the seal is after you take it off really good. Check the inside where the gears are to make sure they arent damaged, if they are you will most likely see metal shavings and the teeth on the gears damaged. But let it drain and fill it back up once you put the new seal and bolt it up. Autozone should tell you what seal and oil you will need. From what i hear the parts are cheap and it doesnt take very long. Maybe 30 mins for both, give or take. If you want to know how to do it for sure just pick up one of the "haynes books" or something similar. It will walk you through. Hope this helps.
 
#7 ·
do I need to turn an wrench and remove all the fluid and reseal - or - do I get one of those suction fluid removers and suck out the old and pour in the new
Always always always remove the diff cover when you perform a fluid service! This will let you inspect the differential, gears, etc and verify that everything is working well... or alert you to potential problems.

Back in the spring, I decided to service both of my Jeep's diffs since I had only had it for a few months and had no idea when they had last been serviced. Everything was fine up front, but in the rear my factory Trac-Lok differential was starting to come apart. At that point, there were no symptoms of any trouble; had I simply sucked out the old fluid and poured in new fluid, I would have had no idea anything was wrong... until it would have (soon) failed catastrophically. At that point, it would have likely caused extra collateral damage, as well.

I'm glad I caught it before it blew up.
 
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