changing oil diff front and rear

[cdenn]

Changing oil in front and rear Diff . What steps do i do to remove oil and and oil. I have a 03 4x4 with rear axel 11. 50 and anti spin differential. do i have to remove the cover or suck out as much oil as i can thru plug? Thinking about putting amsoil 75-90 synthetic ep in. how much oil goes in front and rear? last question do i have to add anything for the anti spin differential.

is it hard to do this ?

Thanks!

chuck

 

[MDietrich]

I have changed my fluid twice with no problems. 2nd time was today. It's not to bad of a job. Remove the covers to drain all the fluid. The bolts are 13mm and the gasket is reusable. I wipe everything off with a clean rag and use blue Locktite on the bolts before putting things back together. There are torque specs somewhere on this site, but I don't own a torque wrench (yet).



Owner's manuel says to use SAE GL 5 75w-90 fully synthetic fluid. No friction modifier is needed with the limited slip rearend. I use Royal Purple, Amsoil should meet requirements (check their web site). I put 3. 5 quarts rear, 2 1/4 quarts front. Then I use a piece of wire with a 1/4 in bend to check the level from the hole. Add fluid till it gets 1/4 inch from the bottom of the hole.



The front diff is kind of a pita, and the fluid STINKS! Other than that, not a problem.



MD

 

[GerryDrake]

When loosening the bolts, I only 'crack' the bottom several and then get the top ones about 2 complete turns out, then loosen the lower ones. This way the fluid doesn't start dripping out while you are trying to reach to the top ones... . A LOT cleaner. .

 

[cdenn]

what rear do you have 11. 50 ?I called dealer to ask for the amount of oil to put in my diff. was told 7. 6 pints. The rear i have was a new type made by American axel. The price they charge is $20. 45 per Qt.

 

[MDietrich]

I have the same axels as you do, with a limited slip rear end. I buy 7 quarts of fluid for both axels and only use a little out of the 7th to top off. Price veries by brand, just make sure you use fully synthetic.



Try doing a search in the 3rd gen section or check FAQ for 3rd gen. Should be more information on this site.



MD



PS. I paid little over $8 bucks per quart for what I use. Check your local auto parts stores.

 

[cdenn]

I did it

Thanks for your help telling me how to change oil in from and rear Diff. Took the covers off and washed with brake fluid wipe clean and put Mobile 1 both. I left 1/4 inch from bottom of fill plug. I put blue locktite on all the bolts. The rear was real dirty compare to the front. No leaks!!!



Thanks



Chuck Oo.

 

[WRStrong]

No one has posted to this thread for a while but thanks for the info. I am planning to change my rear diff lubricant to Amsoil full synthetic. I was not sure how much it would hold. The owners manual does not tell you. Now I know.



By the way, how do you tell which axle you have, 10. 5 versus 11. 5??





Thanks again.



WS

 

[MSLiechty]

The 10. 5 or 11. 5 is the of the ring gear measurement across the ring gear if it's accesable when you have the cover off. Thats the only way I know of to tell teh differnce unless you still have the sticker that was on your truck when new.



Michael

 

[WRStrong]

Thanks. I still have the window sticker but it doesn't say which ring gear size I have. the info might be imbedded in the VIN code i guess. Might be on the door sticker too.

 

[KDillard]

inside the glove box should have a sticker telling you info on your truck. If you have an 03 you can go here for the manual-> http://www.hemitruckclub.com . They have both the 03 and 04 factory service manual for download. This will tell you torque specs fluid capacities and alot of other stuff. Very large file but worth the download time.