2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Front/Rear Axle Oil

[JJuliano]

How hard/easy is it to change the front & rear axle oil,and should I change to synthetic oil. 90 percent of my driving is the truck only.



Thanks

 

[Hohn]

Changing the lube out is very easy, and definitely worth it. You will definitely want a synthetic, whether you tow or not. It's great insurance.



Up front, just take out the bolts that hold the diff cover on, and then pry the cover off, bottom first. Be advised that you need to have a drain under it, since it will puke about a gallon of gear oil. It's also kind of tricky to get the cover off-- the factory seal is tight.

When you have let it drain for a while, scrape the old RTV off (doesn't have to be perfectly clean). Put new RTV on the cover, put it on and bolt it down. Then take out the fill plug (just stick a ratchet or breaker bar in it).



Refill the diff with Mobil 1, Redline, or some other decent syn gear oil. Fill it up as full as you can get it-- you can't overfill it. There's no foaming with synthetic, and by overfilling, you make sure your axle seals and all else get enough lube.



I used Mobil 1, but prefer Redline.



If you have a LSD, the procedure is identical to the fron with only on exception: you MIGHT have to add a little modifier to get rid of some chatter. Some lubes already have this modifier in it (Redline)-- Mob1 doesn't. I added less than half of what it calls for, and it was too much. My LSD slips a good bit. Lesson learned for next time.



If you REALLY want to splurge, put on a Mag-hytec cover and enjoy the extra fluid capacity and easier changes. BTW-- the Front Mag-hytec cover won't work with a suspension lift over 2" or so (trackbar interferes).



Hohn