I did it! I did it! I did it!!!

[jeepdabest]

I took the leap of faith and changed the fluids in both diffs today! No one was killed and the Jeep is still in tact. Amazing to be able to do stuff without lifts and jacks (my wife held the vehicle in the air for me). There is only 11k on the clock but I heeded the warnings here about changing out the rear diff fluids early. I've been 4 wheeling, but most miles are on concrete. The front diff oil was golden with just a little 'paste' on the drain plug. But, holy crapamundo.....the rear diff oil was black and the plug was thick with 'paste'! I'm glad I got it out and put in the Valvoline! So, if this 67 year old sociopath can change the diff fluids in their Jeep....ANYONE can do it!

Sponsored

 

[TrailJoy]

Wait. Changing the diff fluid early? I've only heard of this with the engine oil. What else don't I know that I should be doing early?? (And how early?)

 

[alphalife9]

I took the leap of faith and changed the fluids in both diffs today! No one was killed and the Jeep is still in tact. Amazing to be able to do stuff without lifts and jacks (my wife held the vehicle in the air for me). There is only 11k on the clock but I heeded the warnings here about changing out the rear diff fluids early. I've been 4 wheeling, but most miles are on concrete. The front diff oil was golden with just a little 'paste' on the drain plug. But, holy crapamundo.....the rear diff oil was black and the plug was thick with 'paste'! I'm glad I got it out and put in the Valvoline! So, if this 67 year old sociopath can change the diff fluids in their Jeep....ANYONE can do it!

How did you do it? I want to do my diffs as well.

 

[rockadile]

How did you do it? I want to do my diffs as well.

Check out this thread...particularly the video in post #12.

 

[jeepdabest]

Wait. Changing the diff fluid early? I've only heard of this with the engine oil. What else don't I know that I should be doing early?? (And how early?)

Changing your first wife early is important

 

[jeepdabest]

How did you do it? I want to do my diffs as well.

Search YouTube for video. Easy!

 

[CarbonSteel]

I took the leap of faith and changed the fluids in both diffs today! No one was killed and the Jeep is still in tact. Amazing to be able to do stuff without lifts and jacks (my wife held the vehicle in the air for me). There is only 11k on the clock but I heeded the warnings here about changing out the rear diff fluids early. I've been 4 wheeling, but most miles are on concrete. The front diff oil was golden with just a little 'paste' on the drain plug. But, holy crapamundo.....the rear diff oil was black and the plug was thick with 'paste'! I'm glad I got it out and put in the Valvoline! So, if this 67 year old sociopath can change the diff fluids in their Jeep....ANYONE can do it!

Yep - check my thread with UOA test results:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/first-axle-oc-uoa-results.42567/

 

[jeepdabest]

Yep - check my thread with UOA test results:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/first-axle-oc-uoa-results.42567/

GREAT stuff! I'm assuming your front diff was 'normal'? What intervals would you recommend on the diffs?

 

[Barely Krawlified]

Happy to report that today I also took the leap and successfully completed this project. I am far from mechanically inclined and am really just learning about basic car maintenance. Yet by watching the referenced YouTube video a few times and reading a few of the threads on here regarding the procedure, tips for success, and obtaining the right tools/accessories ahead of time I did it with no mess and no drama.

Both front and rear took just a hair under 3QTS total. I went with Valvoline 75/140 Full Synthetic in both the front and rear. I have a ‘19 JLUR and as such did not add any more friction modifier than what was already in the oil bottles because I don’t have an LSD.

Just took it out for a 30 minute drive and all is very well. You can (and should) do it too at the appropriate time.

 

[jeepdabest]

Happy to report that today I also took the leap and successfully completed this project. I am far from mechanically inclined and am really just learning about basic car maintenance. Yet by watching the referenced YouTube video a few times and reading a few of the threads on here regarding the procedure, tips for success, and obtaining the right tools/accessories ahead of time I did it with no mess and no drama.

Both front and rear took just a hair under 3QTS total. I went with Valvoline 75/140 Full Synthetic in both the front and rear. I have a ‘19 JLUR and as such did not add any more friction modifier than what was already in the oil bottles because I don’t have an LSD.

Just took it out for a 30 minute drive and all is very well. You can (and should) do it too at the appropriate time.

I also used the 75/140 Valvoline for LSD in both. I have the LSD and have purchased the Mopar Friction Modifier. However, I didn't add any yet. The wife says she has a use for it but I'm not sure what she means. So far, no noise from the rear diff and everything feels smooth. It's a great feeling to do it yourself. 4 bolts....fluid....easy peasy.

 

[Barely Krawlified]

One tip for those of you considering this project that I gleaned from another forum member who posted it: Loosen the fill bolt BEFORE you begin to loosen the drain bolt on each differential.

This way if there are any problems with removing your fill bolt you won’t be trying and hoping to figure it out with a drained, empty differential.

 

[jeepdabest]

One tip for those of you considering this project that I gleaned from another forum member who posted it: Loosen the fill bolt BEFORE you begin to loosen the drain bolt on each differential.

This way if there are any problems with removing your fill bolt you won’t be trying and hoping to figure it out with a drained, empty differential.

Next week...let's do a complete engine tear down!

 

[CarbonSteel]

GREAT stuff! I'm assuming your front diff was 'normal'? What intervals would you recommend on the diffs?

Yes; the front axle was very normal considering that I had not used 4x4 at that point in time. The rear was another story though and I am glad that I dumped it at 5K. I plan to resample at 10K to ensure the metals are trending downwards (as expected) and then I will sample at 25K to check status. Unless something is serious "off" at the 25K sample, I will probably settle on a 50K OCI. Remember these axles have a small capacity as compared to other axles about the same size and without a filter as well, it is just too easy and cheap to not regularly change the oil in them.

 

[CarbonSteel]

One tip for those of you considering this project that I gleaned from another forum member who posted it: Loosen the fill bolt BEFORE you begin to loosen the drain bolt on each differential.

This way if there are any problems with removing your fill bolt you won’t be trying and hoping to figure it out with a drained, empty differential.

True, though at that point and since the gasket is re-usable, I would simply remove the cover and see what was happening with the fill plug.

 

[2Wheel-Lee]

Yes; the front axle was very normal considering that I had not used 4x4 at that point in time. The rear was another story though and I am glad that I dumped it at 5K. I plan to resample at 10K to ensure the metals are trending downwards (as expected) and then I will sample at 25K to check status. Unless something is serious "off" at the 25K sample, I will probably settle on a 50K OCI. Remember these axles have a small capacity as compared to other axles about the same size and without a filter as well, it is just too easy and cheap to not regularly change the oil in them.

No kidding on the fluid volume! I've done a couple fills (I regeared), and if I recall correctly, my D44s hold less fluid than the axles in my Suzuki Samurai!

By the way, the fluid from my 2020 JLUR rear dif at 1800 miles looked worse than my Ram after spending most of it's time towing 13k for 20k miles. It was bad. It probably didn't help that the original backlash in my D44 was around 0.018" (or was that 0.020"? I forgot). It was bad.

Sponsored