Riddle: Why are 99% front/rear diff covers a nice, matched pair?

[jadmt]

could be bullshit but worth a read....I know it was big news many years ago...

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[grimmjeeper]

could be bullshit but worth a read....I know it was big news many years ago...

It's a very thorough sales pitch, that's for sure.

 

[jadmt]

It's a very thorough sales pitch, that's for sure.

for sure but at the same time makes sense in some ways. I saw the very first casting of the AEV diff cover( just happened to be at the R&D shop when it was delivered from the caster) and it really did not look like a diff cover on the outside but the inside was a perfect match of the stock covers inside..Dave the owner told me that the inside was actually the important part to get right. This was long before that video came out.

 

[JeepinJason95]

Wait, what kind of weird ass vehicle has two *different* wipers on the front windshield??? Granted, I haven't owned a lot of vehicle, and most of them were either Jeeps or full-size trucks/SUVs, but I've never even heard of having mismatched wipers on a windshield before.

As far as diff covers go, if you wheel enough in rocks you're going smack your rear diff cover just like you might the front, and you could drag the bottom lip of the front cover just like you might the rear, so it makes sense to armor them up the same on an off-road rig.

 

[Fabtech Motorsports]

All this diff talk, this is what you need.
And you can MATCH them if you want. LOL
Diff and skid up front


https://fabtechmotorsports.com/product/front-differential-cover-skid-plate-m210-axle-fts24299/

 

[grimmjeeper]

for sure but at the same time makes sense in some ways. I saw the very first casting of the AEV diff cover( just happened to be at the R&D shop when it was delivered from the caster) and it really did not look like a diff cover on the outside but the inside was a perfect match of the stock covers inside..Dave the owner told me that the inside was actually the important part to get right. This was long before that video came out.

There are a number of things in the video that are technically correct about how the shape of the cover affects oil flow. However, you'll probably miss the fact that even with poorer oil flow, the bearings are still lubricated just fine and that the bearings last for hundreds of thousands of miles regardless.

Consider the low pinion front Dana44 and Dana60, both of which use a rear differential housing but the ring gear runs backwards. So the ring gear actually pushes oil away from the pinion bearings. Yet with just a simple flat plate between the pinion head and the bearing acting as an oil slinger, the bearings get enough oil.

Edit: the Dana 30 in the CJ/YJ/TJ as well was low pinion with a slinger in front.

 

[Terrymo]

A sales pitch always makes some kind of sense if deliveeed by a good salesman saleswoman salesperson

 

[Remorseless]

There are a number of things in the video that are technically correct about how the shape of the cover affects oil flow. However, you'll probably miss the fact that even with poorer oil flow, the bearings are still lubricated just fine and that the bearings last for hundreds of thousands of miles regardless.

Consider the low pinion front Dana44 and Dana60, both of which use a rear differential housing but the ring gear runs backwards. So the ring gear actually pushes oil away from the pinion bearings. Yet with just a simple flat plate between the pinion head and the bearing acting as an oil slinger, the bearings get enough oil.

Edit: the Dana 30 in the CJ/YJ/TJ as well was low pinion with a slinger in front.

Remember that if you use Amsoil gear oil your film strength is so strong that it'll even lubricate the bearing surfaces in your knees and elbows.

 

[grimmjeeper]

Remember that if you use Amsoil gear oil your film strength is so strong that it'll even lubricate the bearing surfaces in your knees and elbows.

 

[ArmyRN]

Wait, what kind of weird ass vehicle has two *different* wipers on the front windshield??? Granted, I haven't owned a lot of vehicle, and most of them were either Jeeps or full-size trucks/SUVs, but I've never even heard of having mismatched wipers on a windshield before.

Lots of vehicles nowadays have mismatched wipers. Here's a pic of my wife's 2017 Subaru Crosstrek.

 

[grimmjeeper]

Lots of vehicles nowadays have mismatched wipers. Here's a pic of my wife's 2017 Subaru Crosstrek.

Yep. It's becoming a very common thing to have mismatched size wipers on cars these days.

 

[ColonelSanders]

After some mild rock crawling (the Rubicon and Slick Rock) I found the bottom lip and bolts on my diffs were taking the hits, so I put on sliders. I trust the factory covers are built to cool correctly and direct fluid where needed and not froth it.

 

[Ol’ Timey Manual SWB Guy]

Lots of vehicles nowadays have mismatched wipers. Here's a pic of my wife's 2017 Subaru Crosstrek.

In fact, here’s a newfangled Recon:

(attribution in the linked-peer forum; it’s not my image)

Engineered asymmetry clears a bit more of the windshield. Honda’s been doing it for decades.

 

[ArmyRN]

I've got a 23 JLU Willys XR 2.0T. Last fall I had TrueTracs installed front and rear. The installer (whos been doing this for literally decades) thought the gear oil smelled or looked burnt. Maybe also something off the factory LS clutch plates? I had been doing some hard towing with the Jeep prior, and I know folks report these M220 diffs running hot.

So I ordered this rear diff cover in raw aluminum for insurance. I'm not going for looks (it'll still look nice) so much as I am function. Hopefully it'll run cooler once installed. I wonder if the ones that are powdercoated keep in some of the heat(?). And the raw ones are cheaper. With my military discount it came to $226.00 total. Should be here 8 Feb.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...12-bolt-hole-differential-cover/afey/4671000a

So finally had a nice sunny day so I installed the raw aluminum AFE diff cover. Looks nice. I don't really have a way to measure rear diff temp, but I'm hoping this'll keep it a bit cooler. I plan on doing a lot of towing this summer, and I don't want to cook my rear diff.

I don't use this Jeep for serious rock crawling or hard core off-roading, so I'm not worried about the cover being aluminum. I've got a couple other built Jeeps for that kinda fun.

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