Rear differential service

[Kirwin]

I serviced my rear differential today (3/28/18) at 38,645 miles which translates to 19,044 on this oil. There was a fair amount of iron filings on the magnetic drain plug and the dipstick. I last serviced it at 19,601 on 9/26/15. I used Mopar's differential lube (part number 05102232AA) 75W-90 synthetic lubricant at that time. Tonight the old oil looked very similar to the oil I drained last time. It looked OK with a bit of golden color from metal in the oil. Definitely not clear though. I'm going to keep my eye on it and continue to drain and refill at 20K intervals. This time I used 3.5 quarts I had left of the 232AA oil and completed refilling with just over 3 quarts of the new part number 68210057AA 75W-85 Mopar oil. (I have a Mag-Hytec cover that holds 7.5-8 quarts.) Here's the plug and dipstick:

 

[LStanphill]

That amount seems consistent with most first and second rear end drains i've done on my new trucks over the years. I would imagine it will taper off over the next few changes. That's 20k miles of unfiltered oil in a lot of moving metal. I wish we could see how much metal is caught in our oil filters during break in. As long as there are no chunks or slivers of metal I wouldn't worry about it.

Why such an early change at 20k?

 

[seafish]

IMHO, that is a tiny amount of filings and powder which is perfectly normal...NOTHING to worry at all!!!

Unless you tow heavy, you could EASILY return to regular diff service intervals with no concerns whatsoever.

 

[6V92TA]

I figure on 100,000 miles between gear lube changes using synthetic gear lube. if you lived close enough I'd swing by and take your drain lube and use it on my truck.

 

[Kirwin]

Per the owners manual, 20K is the recommended service interval for frequent trailer towing. I’m not concerned but I was hoping for a little less filings this time. I definitely would not wait to 100K before servicing the rear differential!

 

[Newsa]

When you said "fair anount", I was expecting to see more.

 

[6V92TA]

Kirwin, don't overanalyze the differentialor the slippery stuff that goes inside. might be the most reliable mechanical part on the truck. might also be the least maintained on most vehicles

 

[kthaxton]

For a vehicle that moves as much weight as these typically do.....100k is way to long. Going 4X longer than what the factory recommends is not a good idea.

 

[Cummins12V98]

I figure on 100,000 miles between gear lube changes using synthetic gear lube. if you lived close enough I'd swing by and take your drain lube and use it on my truck.

Good luck with that! MOPAR is NOT good lube based on my Blackstone report. Started grabbing at under 20K. My fault for going over recommended interval but it should have held up. Both viscosity numbers and flashpoint were TOAST! Forget the second picture.

 

[6V92TA]

nothing better than listening to compulsive oil changers for advice on how to take care of machinery .

 

[Bob4x4]

I figure on 100,000 miles between gear lube changes using synthetic gear lube. if you lived close enough I'd swing by and take your drain lube and use it on my truck.

Good luck with that,the recommended intervals have been developed for a reason.

 

[Cummins12V98]

nothing better than listening to compulsive oil changers for advice on how to take care of machinery .

Visual proof is not good enough for you??? You are the one claiming the 100K interval. I just proved that is NOT possible with the Mopar.

 

[Kirwin]

Calm down guys. I remember seeing Cummins 12V98's report about the same time I did my initial service. I know that you used to be able to go 100K with no issue. High quality oil can take a lot, but my truck can have a GCVW of 37,500 LBS. The rear differential must move that much weight whenever I press the go pedal. With 900 lb-ft of torque on demand and low gears in the Aisin transmission, the load on the contact patch on that ring and pinion is crazy!!!! IT IS A LOT OF FORCE!!!!! We have seen failures here on the forum. Now was it lack of lubrication or contaminated oil or poor quality control on the axle housing, we will never know. But I don't want to forgo routine maintenance on my truck and take the chance. Oil is cheap. Ram says 20K. Real world experience says that it's probably justified for those of us that tow heavy or often. I know when I monitored temperature on my 03 rear differential it was not unusual to see temps above 160 for the differential oil and it towed a small trailer compared to what the 2013 is rated to tow.



6V92TA you are free to maintain your truck the way you want to, heck, get a K&N air filter and you will never have to buy another air filter for the rest of your truck's life. The rest of us are following Greg Brockman's example and servicing our truck in accordance with the service manual, with high quality lubricants and filters and hoping for the same truck life that Greg is getting.

 

[Newsa]

Visual proof is not good enough for you??? You are the one claiming the 100K interval. I just proved that is NOT possible with the Mopar.

100,000 miles is too much for any fluid (not just Mopar) on these differentials considering the temps they reach when towing. Follow owners manual maintenance schedules.

Longest I've gone on any vehicle I've owned is 50,000 miles on a rear diff. Have gone 100k on a front diff (4x4) once with no probs.

I want my truck to last 25 years.

 

[6V92TA]

Visual proof is not good enough for you??? You are the one claiming the 100K interval. I just proved that is NOT possible with the Mopar.[/QUOT

none of you guys keep your vehicles long enough to have any objective proof except a piece of paper and your home made opinions


seriously, some of you are serial oil changers with little in the way of real world experience except dealing your own vehicles. at a certain point your opinions are laughable.

 

[gsbrockman]

Visual proof is not good enough for you??? You are the one claiming the 100K interval. I just proved that is NOT possible with the Mopar.[/QUOT

none of you guys keep your vehicles long enough to have any objective proof except a piece of paper and your home made opinions


seriously, some of you are serial oil changers with little in the way of real world experience except dealing your own vehicles. at a certain point your opinions are laughable.

None of us?????
#ad

 

[kthaxton]

none of you guys keep your vehicles long enough to have any objective proof except a piece of paper and your home made opinions

seriously, some of you are serial oil changers with little in the way of real world experience except dealing your own vehicles. at a certain point your opinions are laughable.

I think I'll take Ram's/AAM's word on what service should be done. Do you wait for a failure then decide "ok, that's the limit"? I'd rather not have a failure that can potentially be easily and cheaply avoided.

There's a significant difference in wear and tear between a passenger car's diff fluid and a truck capable of moving 10's of thousands of pounds.

Some interesting info here...especially regarding Ford's requirements....and the comparisons of truck's capabilities of just a few years ago vs. now. http://blog.amsoil.com/how-often-should-i-change-front-or-rear-differential-fluid/

 

[6V92TA]

you guys can do what ever it is you feel right for yourself.

personally I think you overservice your differentials. but its you money. go for it.. last I have to say on the subject.

 

[Cummins12V98]

"personally I think you overservice your differentials. but its you money."

YOU are the one claiming you would run OE fluid 100K. I showed how the CRAP (IMHO) tests with 24K on it.

 

[Ram4Sam]

"personally I think you overservice your differentials. but its you money."

YOU are the one claiming you would run OE fluid 100K. I showed how the CRAP (IMHO) tests with 24K on it.

At some point, you have to push ego aside and in cases like this, go with the science......my life got a bit simpler when I learned to do this....:-laf

Sam