Rear diff oil

[jlewissystem]

Is this something I can do on my JKU also? The dealer wants almost $600 for both front and rear now that I've got 50,000+ on it. After reading these threads, I think I can do this on my JL

$600!? That’s insane

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[BrntWS6]

The easiest way to know is to jack up the rear end and spin the tires. If both tires spin in the same direction you have a LSD, if they spin in opposite direction you have an open differential*** (unless the clutch plates are worn). You will want to know for sure if you are going to change the oil yourself, since you will need to add a special additive if you have an LSD rear end.

***There is another thread on here where this is being debated and one poster claimed the new LSD's will spin in opposite directions like an open differential. I'm doubtful about this, so I'm going to jack up mine and test it this weekend. I just bought a new 2020 Willys and it has the LSD.

Yes these diffs need a load on them and will spin opposite directions if you jack up the rear.

 

[melendez69]

Is this something I can do on my JKU also? The dealer wants almost $600 for both front and rear now that I've got 50,000+ on it. After reading these threads, I think I can do this on my JL

 

[Litfuse]

Is this something I can do on my JKU also? The dealer wants almost $600 for both front and rear now that I've got 50,000+ on it. After reading these threads, I think I can do this on my JL

If you can change your motor oil, you can do this, blindfolded with your right arm tied behind your back. Seriously.

 

[GreyFox]

If you can change your motor oil, you can do this, blindfolded with your right arm tied behind your back. Seriously.

I've never changed my oil but I'm trying to talk my husband into letting me do these things

 

[CarbonSteel]

I've never changed my oil but I'm trying to talk my husband into letting me do these things

You CAN do it, not difficult at all.

 

[Pingbling23]

I see you’ve changed an air filter before. Honestly I’ve changed air filters that are harder and more labor intensive then doing the diff fluid. If you have no tools, go to harbor freight or amazon and buy a cheap tool kit <$50. Watch some videos on YouTube and it’s a piece of cake.

 

[Litfuse]

I've never changed my oil but I'm trying to talk my husband into letting me do these things

There are plenty of how to videos on YouTube. You will be fine. This is an easy way to work into working on your Jeep. I started working on cars when I was ten and have been doing it ever since. I have been fortunate enough to do some incredible Jeep builds. They are like Legos, that you need an occasional Sawzall and welder for.

 

[rid34fun]

A friend of mine was a jeep mechanic. He talked with his friends and they all said that the JLU rear ends are all coming out black when changing the oil. We both have new jeeps, so we just changed ours. You might want to get that factory oil out early. Its really easy with Amsoil bags, or a simple fluid pump.

 

[_olllllllo_]

Is this something I can do on my JKU also? The dealer wants almost $600 for both front and rear now that I've got 50,000+ on it. After reading these threads, I think I can do this on my JL

I am going to as much as I can for these routine maintenance items. After seeing what people are quoting from prices from the dealer I would rather save the time (I live an hour away one-way from the dealer) and money. I have been in mechanical engineering for 30 years and my 15 year old couple change the diff fluid.

 

[_olllllllo_]

So today I changed the oil in both the front and rear differentials. I decided to time how long I took to each one. I had never changed the oil in a differential before today. The rear took 25 minutes, which included putting black latex gloves on and basically getting all the other supplies and tools needed to do the job. I couldn't believe how easy it was to complete. I did the front diff in just under 13 minutes. All I can say in the end is that it would have taken me longer to drive one way to the dealer to give them $600 and wait a couple hours in the waiting room than to do it myself. One thing I really like is that owning a Jeep makes wanting to work on the vehicle yourself and learn about it much more desirable so that you can handle issues that may arise on the trail. I now find myself doing other routine maintenance on our other vehicles and learning, while saving money each time.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

This thread inspired me to change the gear oil in my rear diff. I’m at 27,000 miles and 18 months since taking delivery.

As stated by others, it’s a simple job. My oil looked ok. Some of the posts here made me think black mud was going to ooze out, but it looked normal. Some metal dust on the magnet, but nothing of concern.

FWIW I have a 2dr Rubicon and haven’t towed with it. I did opt for higher viscosity gear oil than the manual calls for (Royal Purple in the squeeze bottle). It took about a quart and a half.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, should pay $600 for this service.

 

[jeepdabest]

I want to change my own diff oil, manual tranny fluid, and transfer case oil....videos for JL's are pretty non existent except for Wayolife diff oil change. My JL is my first Jeep. Will JK videos guide me on these jobs? Or is the JL that much different? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[jmcdtucson]

Did this job today at 21K miles. I have the Sport S with LSD in the rear and I used Amsoil 75W90 in the front and 75W140 in the rear (as recommended for towing). The oil in front looked brand new of course. I've probably driven no more than 40 or 50 miles in 4wd. The rear was black. But there were no metal chunks on the drain plug so I assume things are A-OK.
Front took just over a quart and the rear about 1-1/2 quarts. I used about 1/2 bottle of the mopar friction modifier additive for a 4% ratio.
Followed the [Banned Site] video and it took about 20 minutes for the whole job.
The only hard thing was pouring the additive in since the bottle didn't have a nozzle and I didn't have a funnel that worked well. Spilled a bit of that so it was hard to be 100% sure how much I got in but everything seems to run fine.

 

[Edslittleworld]

The easiest way to know is to jack up the rear end and spin the tires. If both tires spin in the same direction you have a LSD, if they spin in opposite direction you have an open differential*** (unless the clutch plates are worn). You will want to know for sure if you are going to change the oil yourself, since you will need to add a special additive if you have an LSD rear end.

***There is another thread on here where this is being debated and one poster claimed the new LSD's will spin in opposite directions like an open differential. I'm doubtful about this, so I'm going to jack up mine and test it this weekend. I just bought a new 2020 Willys and it has the LSD.

Not a perfect test as the clutch plates in an LSD technically won't engage until there's a bit of torque applied to the axle from the engine.

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