Baystate Jeepers

Hello everybody. Fist and foremost, I am not a mechanic. lol.

My question is in regards to differential oil change.

Just yesterday I changed my diff oil in front and rear...No drips noted after install front the front diff but the rear has 2 dime sized stains noted on the pavement. Should I be worried that I didn't put enough RTV maybe on the rear diff...Also, if very very small flecks of RTV and/or dust got in the diff during the oil change, would that damage my gears???

I plan on changing the diff oil every 15k miles once I begin Wheeling with all you fellas.

Thanks everyone! My jeep is now broken in and ready for some action.

It's possible you don't have a good seal between the cover and the housing. Could be due to inadequate RTV, residue on one of the seal surfaces, not properly torqued, residual oil that was on the housing that dripped off the diff after filling it.

Generally any tiny flecks of RTV or dust inside won't bother the gears or bearings.

I'd suggest cleaning the outside of the housing with brake cleaner and then checking for any further leaks or drips.
If it continues to drip I'd suggest pulling the cover again, cleaning both surfaces well, applying enough RTV and re-filling it.

Definitely follow Kurt's advice John but if your just changing the diff oil why not use the drain plug on the side of the differential. Easy and no mess. The plug is magnetic and will hold any small shavings if there are any. Just my 2cents.

KenCal wrote:Definitely follow Kurt's advice John but if your just changing the diff oil why not use the drain plug on the side of the differential. Easy and no mess. The plug is magnetic and will hold any small shavings if there are any. Just my 2cents.

Not all have drain plugs. My front one does not have one while my rear does.

Does Jeep really call for changing fluid every 15,000 miles? I am a fan of removing cover just to peek at the gears just because there are no metal pieces doesn't mean there isn't a stress crack. If your changing every 15,000 get a lube locker gasket saves a lot of time and hassle. If still have stock cover the bolt holes bend easy make sure the gasket surface is flat to start. Don't over torque.

Thanks guys for all the tips. Ya my axles don't have any drain plugs... I guess if you're doing some hard wheeling and or towing very often than it's a good idea to change the diff fluid every 15k. I'm just breaking in my new axles and gears so i had to baby it for a while. But now I'm just about ready for some wheeling fun!

I used the high temp rtv from permatex (I spelled that wrong I'm sure). Haha. I think my bead wasn't wide enough... Idk... I was on the ground in the hot sun doing it. Lol. I'm Not even a mechanic, it's all new to me (I have soft hands) lol

I'll second the lube locker gaskets, they're awesome. In 11 years and 2 Jeeps I've never had one leak. And since you don't have drains and have to remove the covers - they're reusable and there's no rtv to clean up each time. Definitely a good investment.

Ahhh. Hmmm... I will give those lube lockers a try. One question, the front diff cover of has a o ring with a groove machined in the cover will a lube locker work on that?

Lube lockers are designed specific to your axle housing model.

Wow..... That I did not know.