dirtyjkwrangler

question: do you really need a pump to do the diff change? I have the synth oil with spouts on the bottles...

Sunnysideup

a funnel or some way to keep the bottle pointing down works if you don't knock a bunch of dirt in it.... I don't think you need a pump...I've never used one to change out diff fluids... I have use flexable funnels and other creative measures to get the stuff in!

dirtyjkwrangler

..also do you really need a torque wrench? I have the oil waiting i just havn't done my change yet... I'm at 34k but I drive it really light, no serious off-roading.

Bradlybob

Diff oil changes have to be a big money maker for the dealership because every time I've been in there the service writer has tried to sell a change to every customer in line.

burbingus

You don't need a pump to change the diff oil. The heavy oils tend to be in tall bottles that are fairly easy to place in the fill hole. However, I'm not sure if that applies to the D44s in the front as I have the D30...

If you're going to take the cover off, you MUST have a torque wrench. If you're just using the plugs, you can probably get by with estimating. I believe they're at 25 foot*lbs, so similar to the engine oil drain plug in torque.

AZJeeper

Really? Grinding??? Since when does a surface that will get a gob of RTV need anything more than a razor-blade scrape to get the old gasket material off?

Can you say "Rip Off" boys and girls?

nytennisaddict

And I thought my dealership was bad.. they wanted ~$300+ for both front/rear (diff covers off). My guess is that they are charging ~$100/hr (about the typical going labor rate in the NYC area I think) for the labor to scrape off the old RTV... either that or they're charging $60/bottle for gear oil :P

I decided it was a good time to buy some new covers + lubelockers and learn to do it myself....

JerseyMark

both my d30 front diff and d44 rear have drain and fill plugs

Hitch Buddy

I change My diff's every 2nd oil change so about every 12,000 miles....and again if I do any river crossings or playing in the deep sand.

jmat1980