Does anyone have any good advice on changing diff fluid?

I really dont even know where to begin. For example... how much gear oil do I need to change both diffs and whats the best way to change the front and to change the back?

Any info or advice is appreciated and pictures are always sweet too.

Thanks,

Jake

 

im about to go outside and top off my front and do the rear now. i picked up a big syringe thing with a 12" flexible hose and gear oil. different viscosities for the front and back. if you have a limited slip you need some friction modifyer as well.

each diff has a fill hole that you remove with a 3/8 inch square drive. you have to drop the front diff to pull the cover off which is way too much work. i just sucked what i could through the drain plug and filled it back up until it couldnt hold any more.

for the rear i am going to remove the cover to drain it all. then clean it out as best as i can and scrape the gasket off with a razor blade. then using some black rtv silicone run a nice thick beard along the cover making sure to go on the inside of the holes. then put it back in place and put the bolts back in using a cross pattern like you do with lug nuts. this will keep from warping the cover. then add the little bottle of friction junk if you need it. then fill it up with as much oil as it will take.

in my explorer it is around 1.7 liters for the front and the same for the rear.

tips that i got were to leave the top bolt for the rear cover in place while it drains so you dont drop your cover into the drain pan. the other one is to make sure to get the rear cover in place with as little moving around as you can so you dont squeeze all the gasket junk out.

i havent dont it before but this is my understanding of it.

goodluck!

 

Thanks! This should help alot.

I am thinking of going with Royal Purple or Mobil 1 but if I do I will need 4qts at a total price of over $80 for just fluids.

 

Bump

 

Most places will just suck out whatever oil they can through the fill hole as well, especially for the front. Just get a heavy duty hand pump for the auto parts store, they are usually with the gear oil.

For the rear you can pull the diff cover. Remove all of the bolts and gently pry the cover off without scratching the axle mating surface. Pull it off and let it drain. Get a spray can of silicone gasket remover, spray it on the mating surfaces and scrape it off with a plastic scraper tool. Wipe everything dry. Apply new RTV gasket around the mating surface (not too heavy) and follow the instructions. Probably set it on there and loosely install the bolts, let it setup for an hour or more. Then torque the bolts down, and refill from the front until it flows out.

You should also make sure you can remove the fill plug on the front of the diff BEFORE pulling the cover.