Differential Covers

[Terrymo]

The great thing about the forum is I learn something new every day. I can see the tubes on the axle housing deflecting so I have added trusses for that but I would like to know more about cast differential housing deflection if anyone has time to elaborate.

Right…way above my pay grade and like I said probably unnecessary in most cases including mine. Trusses are on my list. Maybe they negate any need for an improved diff cover,

Also let’s be clear. I’m not trying to sound like I know better.

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[kah.mun.rah]

Also let’s be clear. I’m not trying to sound like I know better.

Same

 

[WannFly]

I have AEV Diff covers, for some odd reason AEV likes to e-coat the bolts and all the fill / sight holes. At least in my case, it was a PITA putting them on and they arent even fully in (no leaks though)

I just ordered 2 gal of diff fluid, need to move those covers from 4Xe to the 392 AKA 4 diff service

i havent yet hit any of them simply because we do not have much pointy rocks out here or I have not found them. Do plan on putting a MC skid on the rear before I head to CO to find rocks and bump into them

 

[LT230SE]

So I ran the ARB covers front and rear for about a year and a half. Initially wanted them because of the convenience of the drain plug. But in my experience, there were a few issues with it that didn't work for me in the long run:
1. the drain plugs are not at the lowest level of the diff, so you will still have old dirty fluid in there unless you remove the cover
2. The dipstick is impossible for me to read. I marked it as the instructions say, and I have the hardest time reading it. It's such a pain
3. The dipstick is right at the top of the diff, and collects dirt and mud all around it. No matter how thoroughly you clean it, you still have junk falling into the fluid when you open up the dipstick.
4. The finish is pretty low quality. It rusts very easily. I don't live in an area with snow or salt.

I switched to the Dana Spicer covers front and rear. Unfortunately, they don't have drain plugs, but they don't have any of the problems I had with ARB.
I have had the same covers on my 25 F-150 front and rear since I bought it and I have no complaints there, so this was an easy switch for me.

If you have ARB covers, and you like them, I'm not knocking you at all. I'm sure they work well for some folks depending on use case. They just didn't work for me.

 

[Rubi SoHo]

I went with the metalcloak cover and skids combo. I’ve been happy with them.

 

[There’sOnlyOne]

I went with the metalcloak cover and skids combo. I’ve been happy with them.

Are they hard to fill? The fill hole looks tiny in their pics online.

 

[Rubi SoHo]

Are they hard to fill? The fill hole looks tiny in their pics online.

Nope, not difficult to fill at all.

 

[jbcrane]

Advantek Nodular Iron in grey (or blue if that's your thing).

 

[virkdoc]

This is the Nitro Aluminum
Got it painted red to match the shocks. Original was raw aluminum

 

[zouch]

i used the Dana covers front and rear; i figured they oughta' know what they're doing.

my concern was mostly flexion of the dif housing with the torque of the Diesel on 37s with 4.56s when crawling.
i don't hit stuff with them much, but the nodular iron is probably tough enough for what i do.

i'm certain they don't dissipate heat as well as aluminum might, but i change it frequently with good-quality lube and don't have any concerns on that point.

 

[zouch]

i used the same stuff on my sliders. works great if you like touching stuff up after scraping it against rocks.

I used that to paint my bumper. Love the way it hides the flaws.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Trusses are on my list.

When you are ready for trusses, unless you already have the skills to install them yourself, G-Force Offroad in Orange did mine and their welding is A+++.

 

[Terrymo]

When you are ready for trusses, unless you already have the skills to install them yourself, G-Force Offroad in Orange did mine and their welding is A+++.

Nope I can’t weld, so this is good info. Thank you.

 

[~Blue392~]

Gale Banks did on video series on diff covers. I’ve recommended it a few times. The shape of the diff cover and not just the thickness is very important.

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