Installed ARB Rear Diff Cover

[DanW]

After a trip to the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway in Kentucky a few weeks back and watching some guys bang rocks on their differentials, (one had a rancho glide shield on the front and glided right over them), I decided to add some protection. I didn't hit the rocks because I adjusted my line based on their experience, but if I'd gone first, second, or even third, I'd have bumped them, for sure. Anyway, I added a couple weeks ago a Rancho glide plate on the front to not only protect the cover, but the vulverable drain plug especially. I then turned attention to the rear, which I don't think is as vulerable, except to maybe backing into a rock.

So i looked at all the diff cover options and I chose the ARB. I liked that the inside of the cover somewhat resembled the stock cover. I also liked the recessed bolts that use a hex wrench, so you don't have to worry about chewing the edges off of them. The drain hole is neither here nor there with me, since the M220 has a drain hole already, and the dip stick is ok, I guess. I had no problem with using the fill hole as a level.

@CarbonSteel I'd like your opinion on this......I put the 3.06 pints of 75w140 in there. It came out slightly above where I marked the dip stick, which I did according to ARB's instructions, so it might be slighly high (maybe 1/4 inch over the mark) If I overfilled it, I don't think it is enough to bother the axle vent or cause any issue. @CarbonSteel what do you think of that? I just couldn't bear to put less than the rated capacity with the OEM cover. My bet is that the method of marking the dip stick is slighly off, or at least isn't that accurate. I wish they'd marked it from the factory, but this cover apparently fits multiple applications, so it does make sense.

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[CarbonSteel]

Very nice cover! I think you are good to go, 1/4" is only a few ounces over (if it is really over). I would run without a second thought.

 

[DanW]

Very nice cover! I think you are good to go, 1/4" is only a few ounces over (if it is really over). I would run without a second thought.

Great! That's what I was hoping you'd say! I'll probably go back and scratch the new level on the dip stick. I'll sleep better with the proper 3.06 pints in there. Like you, I think that's surprisingly little capacity, anyway.

Of course, maybe after driving it a little and splashing it around in there, it might come back to the first mark. Maybe there's nooks and crannies the gear oil needed to get into.

 

[Headbarcode]

Definitely awesome covers! I did the same front and rear.

Any lift results in the rear axle being a tad bit pinion up compared to stock height, so having the level slightly higher than the bottom of the factory covers fill hole is perfectly fine. That's why arb doesn't premark their dipsticks.

 

[Bryce]

Looks Great.
Curious as to why not do the Rancho Glide Plates F&R instead of Glide Plate front abd cover rear

 

[DanW]

Looks Great.
Curious as to why not do the Rancho Glide Plates F&R instead of Glide Plate front abd cover rear

The drain plug was the biggest vulnerability in the front, moreso than the diff cover itself, IMO, so I wanted to primarily address that. The slider sticks out enough that I think it will hit most obstructions with the lip of the plate before getting to the diff cover. I watched a couple Jeeps with the sliders hit and slide over obstructions a few weeks ago in Kentucky. One had just the glider and the other had both a n armored cover and glider. In both cases, the diff covers didn't have any marks on them. The glider took the hits and did a great job of protecting those drain plugs.

For the rear, the diff housing is very strong and lends itself to gliding over rocks, fairly well (saw this, too, although mine remains unscathed). I am more likely to hit the rear diff cover backing up. I went with an armored cover over the glider because it appeared I'd have to either make a big mess or take off the glider whenever changing fluid, which I like to do every 25k to 35k miles. On the front glider, there is a nice hole to access the drain plug. The rear just doesn't lend itself to that. So really, the decision on the rear boiled down to ease of maintenance. Otherwise, I'd have probably gone with the glider, which is 35 bucks or so cheaper.

Hopefully, I won't test them out, but I'm pretty confident they'll both handle whatever happens.

 

[TxJeepers]

Great covers. I went with the black version.

 

[Levin_tom]

Very nice cover! I think you are good to go, 1/4" is only a few ounces over (if it is really over). I would run without a second thought.

How much pints/quarts should I do for front and rear diff? Do you recommend 75W140 for both front and rear? Not towing but pretty much will be riding at payload capacity.

 

[CarbonSteel]

How much pints/quarts should I do for front and rear diff? Do you recommend 75W140 for both front and rear? Not towing but pretty much will be riding at payload capacity.

The Rubicon axles typically hold 1.4QTs in the front and 1.6QTs in the rear. I am running 75W-110 in the front and 75W-140 in the rear, but you could run 75W-140 in both. From what I've experienced, these axles run pretty hot fully loaded at highway speeds and they generate a lot of iron.

Hope this helps!

 

[Levin_tom]

The Rubicon axles typically hold 1.4QTs in the front and 1.6QTs in the rear. I am running 75W-110 in the front and 75W-140 in the rear, but you could run 75W-140 in both. From what I've experienced, these axles run pretty hot fully loaded at highway speeds and they generate a lot of iron.

Hope this helps!

Thanks! Any particular oil you recommend? I’ve been recommended Amsoil or Royal Purple. Any preference?

 

[CarbonSteel]

Thanks! Any particular oil you recommend? I’ve been recommended Amsoil or Royal Purple. Any preference?

I use Amsoil Severe Gear exclusively in all of my axles because I believe it is the best on the market today. However, there are plenty of other brands that when changed at a reasonable interval will have the axle outlast the chassis.

You can search and find the UOAs I have posted thus far that gives some data about how the axle performs. Let me know if you cannot find it and I will repost it here.

 

[Levin_tom]

I use Amsoil Severe Gear exclusively in all of my axles because I believe it is the best on the market today. However, there are plenty of other brands that when changed at a reasonable interval will have the axle outlast the chassis.

You can search and find the UOAs I have posted thus far that gives some data about how the axle performs. Let me know if you cannot find it and I will repost it here.

Awesome! Will go with Amsoil. Would it be these two? Thanks for the help.

 

[Levin_tom]

The Rubicon axles typically hold 1.4QTs in the front and 1.6QTs in the rear. I am running 75W-110 in the front and 75W-140 in the rear, but you could run 75W-140 in both. From what I've experienced, these axles run pretty hot fully loaded at highway speeds and they generate a lot of iron.

Hope this helps!

How would you recommend I measure the .4 and .6QTs? Should I mark the dipstick at a specific location prior? Thanks again.

 

[CarbonSteel]

How would you recommend I measure the .4 and .6QTs? Should I mark the dipstick at a specific location prior? Thanks again.

My covers do not have a dipstick. I simply filled it to the bottom of the fill hole. I was able to ascertain how much it uses because I filled the front and rear with different viscosities (different bottles) and I was able to then determine how much was left to know how much each one consumed.

Makes sense?

I would simply fill it to the bottom of the fill hole. Note there could be variances from my numbers to yours, but they should be slight.

 

[DanW]

How would you recommend I measure the .4 and .6QTs? Should I mark the dipstick at a specific location prior? Thanks again.

I do what @CarbonSteel does and fill it until it drips out of the fill hole.

On the ARB, I marked the dip stick as per the instructions, but then just used the markings on the bottle to measure the amount. It wound up very slightly above the mark on the dip stick, which is probably fine. With an aftermarket cover, you can't be 100% sure the capacity stays the same. In fact, it probably doesn't. But I think the ARB is close enough that a slight over fill is not a problem. Everything seems to be fine on mine at this point. No leaks, nothing spewing out the vent tube, or no other evidence of an issue.

One nice thing about the ARB is that I can pull that dip stick and check the level. I haven't done that yet, so I may do that today or tomorrow, just out of curiousity.

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