Diff fluid levels

[Ducman82]

ok so, i just changed my Diffs to some Schaeffers. i have the mag pans front and rear. i only got about 3 quarts in the front before it came out the "peep" hole in the front of the cover, and only about 6 quarts in the rear... ... ... . i thought they held more then that??? am i wrong??



Ducman82

 

[Buffalo]

Ducman82,



I have the Mag-Hytec AA14-11. 5 on the rear-only of my '03, 3500SRW, 4X4. This cover was originally built for the Duramaxes but, since we share, essentially, the same rearend, it fit the Dodge until they came out with one dedicated to our trucks.



My truck was stock height when I installed this cover. On the back, in the middle of the cover is a plaque where the calibration plug (peep hole) is. The calibration hole is where the factory fill level is supposed to be. I measured the stock covers hole (12-1/2") & the MH calibration hole (12-5/8") was 1/8" higher (as measured from the ground).



If you look at the MH dipstick, there is a hash mark on it. The lower part of the hash mark was 13-3/8" from the ground & the high end of the hash mark was 13-3/4" from the ground. The top edge of the identification plaque on the MH cover is 13-3/4", also. I called MH & was told that the lower end of the hash mark put the level of fluid to the inside of the axle housing tube. The top end of the hash mark put the fluid to the bottom of the axle, itself, inside the tube. These levels are 7/8" to 1-3/4" above what DC recommends. I was told by MH that higher levels are a good idea & that they have never heard of any complaints from their customers by using the over-fill recommendations.



I bought the MH in May of '04 (at May Madness) & over filled it & have not had any problems, yet. I've towed all over the western US & back as far east as Toronto, ONT. CAN. without any problems. I'm running RedLine fluid.



For what it's worth, I called American Axle & talked to one of their engineers regarding the need to change fluids every 15,000 miles as recommended by DC. He thought that was a bunch of baloney & said that GM uses pretty much the same axle with much higher fluid change recommendations. Aparently, Dodge likes to sell us a lot of gear lube!!!



I hear Schaeffer's products are supposed to be excellent, also.



Hope this info. helps.



Joe F.

 

[Jim W]

Buffalo, provide a very good detailed report on the diff fluid level.

My son has been using a cover on his 06, 2500 since the spring of 07 with excellent results. This has lead me to install one on my 08.

I am using a Mag-Hytec cover on my rear diff only with a Mag-Hytec trans pan also. When I and my son installed the cover we put in 8 quarts of Amsoil. We did not use the center hole for measuring we use the dip stick supplied in the Mag-Hytec cover to check fluid level. He stated that he had research the fluid level issue when installing the cover on his truck. From what he has found out from his research the proper fill levels are marked on the dip stick.

 

[Ducman82]

thanks guys. i filled them to the top of the dipstick. Now that i have driven 140 miles, im going to let them sit and ill check them after work.

 

[Wingate]

When I installed the covers on my 06, I actually put a jack on the left side, then the right side to fully drain the axle tubes. After I filled it, I repeated the process to ensure that I had oil in both axle tubes.

After taking lunch break, I checked the level on the dipstick, and ended up with just a "shade" under 8 qts. in the rear and the level at the full mark.