HELP! I have lost a plastic cap inside my front Differential.

Personally I would pull the cover and get it out. It's a pretty simple thing to do.

Just drain it and get it out! It’s not worth the cost to fix it! I can easily see it getting jammed in the ring or pinion teeth

AustyPosty said:

Just drain it and get it out! It’s not worth the cost to fix it! I can easily see it getting jammed in the ring or pinion teeth

Click to expand...

Would not hurt to pull the cover but no way a piece of soft plastic can damage or bind the tears as they can chew thru it like butter

so really not an issue

Gears not tears damn spell checker

Digger84 said:

Would not hurt to pull the cover but no way a piece of soft plastic can damage or bind the tears as they can chew thru it like butter

so really not an issue

Click to expand...

You are right but I am too anal. Just knowing it was in there would kill me. I would get it out.

JB_USMC said:

While changing the oil in my front differential, the plastic cap on the oil bottle popped off and shot inside the fill whole.

Click to expand...

Say what? Doesn't the cap have to be removed for the oil to come out of the bottle?

Probable the screw on cap with the cone that the tiny cap pops on and off of

Digger84 said:

Would not hurt to pull the cover but no way a piece of soft plastic can damage or bind the tears as they can chew thru it like butter

so really not an issue

Click to expand...

Maybe soft plastic wouldn’t hurt the ring and pinion, but I could see if it got into the bearings that could damage it if left in there long term

That is a new one but I would open up diff case and remove, gear oil and gasket material is cheap compared to "always thinking about".

Digger84 said:

Probable the screw on cap with the cone that the tiny cap pops on and off of

Click to expand...

Yeah, that would make more sense. But the size difference between the screw cap and the fill hole still puzzles me.

Anyway, I agree with everyone else that removing the cover to extract the cap is the way to go. A new gasket (or just sealant) and more oil is not really much in the whole scheme of things.

Use your shop vac to suck it out. Lawnmower oil change with a shop vac - YouTube

Just for shits and giggles---over fill with oil and "float" it out. Should be fun.

Just remove the drain plug and see if you can get it out that way, If not then pull the cover.

I wouldn't drive it until you pull the cover and get that cap out. I got an older jeep really cheap because the previous owner lost a cap in the rear end. The cap was stuck in the oil passage that goes to the outer pinion bearing, it starved it of oil but they kept driving until the pinion loosened up and crashed with the ring gear causing the entire carrier to split. When you buy a new cover gasket, I recommend Lubelocker.

That's funny, because my buddy did the same thing while filling his 1 ton dually D-Max rear diff. I had a small rubber cap on the end of my gear lube hose, and he forgot to pull it off when he shoved the nipple into the hole. That was a couple years ago, and It's still in there (or what's left of it).

JK_Geoff said:

I would hope a 1 ton would have a larger oil passage than a tiny jeep axle, the cap I found filled the passage completely. I thought I had a picture of the cracked carrier, but can't find it. I do have pics of the culprit and the blown apart bearing.

View attachment 4555429
View attachment 4555428

Click to expand...

Ouch! It barely took a bite out of that plastic cap.

Someone mentioned a shop vac…pull both plugs and drain it..pull a vacuum on it with the shop vac to the drain..leave the filler open…maybe?

The jeep will be fine. Your piece of mind? That’ll be compromised until you fish that back out. This is more of the ‘helps me sleep at night’ repair than a ‘my axle will be harmed’ thing