Differential Covers

[Roky]

Damn, for some reason I thought the Dana covers only fit the U44 axles. They look nice.

They come in blue too…..

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[Philly_]

Plenty of reasons to change the factory diff covers. The addition of a drain plug shouldn’t be one of them. Any nasty bits in the housing will settle at the lowest point. The lowest point will never be on a diff cover. The cover should come off during routine fluid changes to inspect for wear and/or damage.

I think the pro of having a drain plug is if you need to change your gear oil on the trail from water intrusion. It would be a lot easier to pull one plug than the entire cover, and that would keep you running until you can pull the cover and inspect everything for a proper change.

That said, it's the only reason I can think of to have a plug vs. not having a plug.

 

[mwilk012]

They come in blue too…..

I know! I’ve looked at them before and like an idiot thought “I wish those fit the stock axles”. Now that I have metalcloak stuff all over the front end, the blue cover might look out of place.

 

[calemasters]

Watch this video by Gail Banks before changing differential covers:

Differential Cover

 

[Tank the Jeep]

These are a motobilt kit. Tig welded and powder coated red (of course). I added a fill point in the upper corner using Jeep JL oil pan plugs. The grill logo is a stainless steel keychain that tack welded on then sanded

 

[m3reno]

I went with AFE https://afepower.com/afe-power-46-71090a-street-series-rear-differential-cover-raw-w-machined-fins

 

[RubiSc0tt]

Locker solenoid Guard and rear diff skid finally installed.

Pic of the front Diff skid clearance.

Skid clearances

I also went Motobilt, with Rancho Diff diapers.

 

[rkwfxd]

These are a motobilt kit. Tig welded and powder coated red (of course). I added a fill point in the upper corner using Jeep JL oil pan plugs. The grill logo is a stainless steel keychain that tack welded on then sanded

Pretty sure if you fill to your new fill point you will have too much oil in there. The allen plug is the fill point. Add oil until it comes out of that hole. These need to be removed to drain the old oil.

Or am I wrong?

 

[Bocephus]

I kept it in house….. went with Dana.. and a Rancho skid, that I color matched……

Me too

 

[YJdude]

I personally love the drain plugs. I have the LSD and change it's lube often as it gets nasty pretty quick. Using the drain plug may not get every last particle out, but it makes it so easy. If I had to remove the cover every time I'm sure I wouldn't change it as often. Frequent changes through the drain plug is far better than seldom/no changes.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

Pretty sure if you fill to your new fill point you will have too much oil in there. The allen plug is the fill point. Add oil until it comes out of that hole. These need to be removed to drain the old oil.

Or am I wrong?

Technically yes, you are correct- but some of the early JL's had drain plugs in the bottom of the pumpkin/ housing- so you could technically do a fluid change without removing the cover. Mine has that and that's basically how I drained it before swapping covers.

 

[Tank the Jeep]

Pretty sure if you fill to your new fill point you will have too much oil in there. The allen plug is the fill point. Add oil until it comes out of that hole. These need to be removed to drain the old oil.

Or am I wrong?

I know how to put oil in the diff. Yes the big plug comes out. I fill from the other side because I find it easier. Thank you for your concern.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Just a bit about the metals used in various covers.

The stock stamped steel cover is pretty durable. It will take a pretty good hit to damage it. A front diff cover hit could deform it, but likely not puncture it. It's malleable. The other damage is catching the lower edge and peeling it. Still a good chance it won't cause loss of fluid. If it does leak fluid or rub on the ring gear, you can remove it on the trail and beat it out and flat with a hammer.

Cast covers like the Dana and ARB are made from much thicker material and might take a harder hit to damage. But when they do get damaged, it will be a brittle break/fracture. Not much to do on the trail to repair it, except duct tape. The plus side is that it won't likely peel the edge.

The more custom fabricated steel plate types, give the most protection.

 

[grimmjeeper]

I think the pro of having a drain plug is if you need to change your gear oil on the trail from water intrusion. It would be a lot easier to pull one plug than the entire cover, and that would keep you running until you can pull the cover and inspect everything for a proper change.

That said, it's the only reason I can think of to have a plug vs. not having a plug.

You don't need to pull the cover when you do regular fluid changes. Pull the drain plug and check what the magnet has on it. If it's normal, you put the plug back in and fill the diff. You only need to pull the cover if there's evidence of damage.

Granted, a whole lot of people never bother to do regular maintenance on their diffs. So for them a drain plug wouldn't be used.

I have a 2021 so I have a drain plug in the housing. I have a diff skid to keep it from being damaged on the rocks. I'd rather have a diff with no drain in the housing but one in the cover to get that extra inch of clearance back.

 

[Philly_]

You don't need to pull the cover when you do regular fluid changes. Pull the drain plug and check what the magnet has on it. If it's normal, you put the plug back in and fill the diff. You only need to pull the cover if there's evidence of damage.

Granted, a whole lot of people never bother to do regular maintenance on their diffs. So for them a drain plug wouldn't be used.

I have a 2021 so I have a drain plug in the housing. I have a diff skid to keep it from being damaged on the rocks. I'd rather have a diff with no drain in the housing but one in the cover to get that extra inch of clearance back.

Yes, but depending where the drain plug is, metal shavings, oil, and whatever else may not flow out completely through the hole. Most likely a non issue for the vast majority of owners.

I like to see my gears and make sure I wipe out all the shavings as I’ve been guilty of giving my Jeep the “full send” on occasion. ?

Also, I have a 2022 so I have to pull my cover anyways. Thinking of swapping Motobilt covers on while I’m at it. Got a great kick out of this Litebrite video:

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