What is the good differential fluid for first change?

[AKLespaul]

I have a Sport with the rear LSD and a normal poor front. I am going to change the oil and was wondering what is a good choice or just use the Mopar stuff. It was anything goes in my YJ, but I want to do better with this one. I have one parts store in town and can use Amazon, the selection is OK at the store.

What is good stuff or is it all about the same? No hard wheeling, wet, but not submerged, and no roads longer than 42 miles.

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[dcmdon]

Use Mopar.

There was a guy on the Gladiator forum that used Amsoil and when his diff had problems his warranty claim was denied.

And save the receipt.

*****EDIT - this is wrong. The guy on the Gladiator forum had a warranty claim for a transmission, not a diff denied based on the use of Amsoil ATF.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...transmission-warranty-for-using-amsoil.60204/

 

[Old Dogger]

I run Lucas gear lube, in our Wrangler diffs.

 

[gsbrockman]

What is good stuff or is it all about the same?

Choose an oil that meets the spec and is of the correct weight.

No need in lining the pockets of boutique oil companies.....

 

[58Willys]

Check your owners manual for correct API rating, and get an oil that matches. Make sure to use friction modifier if you have a limited slip diff.

 

[Spank]

Use Mopar.

There was a guy on the Gladiator forum that used Amsoil and when his diff had problems his warranty claim was denied.

And save the receipt.

Eh, that's just a shitty dealership. I got denied warranty work for a faulty evap canister on my JK because I had scrapes on my skidplates. I went to another dealership and it was fine.

 

[2nd 392]

Gears being installed Monday— East Coast Gear Supply “We recommended 85w140 Non-Synthetic Lucas in all differentials! Synthetics thin out quickly and lose their cling ratio to the metal object, when the oil is stuck to the gear it provides a cooling factor for the metal. We also believe the dino oil has better pressure properties” it continues, they also say dino oil has better water separation, just change it more often.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Castrol, Valvoline, and Mobil 1 are all good off the shelf synthetic gear oils that meet specifications and have the LSD additive already in them.

I would run 75W-140 in the rear.

 

[Vinman]

Currie Enterprises recommends non-synthetic gear oil in differentials.
I’m not sure but think they’ve built a few diffs over the years

 

[Rhinebeck01]

I have a Sport with the rear LSD and a normal poor front. I am going to change the oil and was wondering what is a good choice or just use the Mopar stuff. It was anything goes in my YJ, but I want to do better with this one. I have one parts store in town and can use Amazon, the selection is OK at the store.

What is good stuff or is it all about the same? No hard wheeling, wet, but not submerged, and no roads longer than 42 miles.

@AKLespaul

I encourage you to read the whole thread BEFORE you do your diffs..
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/differential-oil-change.47318/

By the way... I see you are from Alaska. Have you seen the unique, Alaska design key lock caps and wiper arm caps that forum sponsor @Threedom offers..

 

[CarbonSteel]

I run conventional 85W-140 in my axles to break them in--as many gear and after market axle manufacturers recommend, however, the problem with conventional oil is cold weather and the OP is from Alaska. I would not run conventional oil in the temperatures that he is likely to see.

In addition (and no disrespect to any vendor that recommends using conventional oil), but there are millions of axles that come from the factory with synthetic gear oil. Short of a poor design, these axles last hundreds of thousands of miles with no issues running synthetic oil.

Below is a video that compares conventional gear oil versus synthetic in extremely cold weather.

From the video, according to SAE J306, here are the lowest temperatures these viscosities can be used:

75W-XXX = -40°C or -40°F
80W-XXX = -26°C or -14.8°F
85W-XXX = -12°C or +10.4°F

 

[AKLespaul]

I will read that this weekend. Thanks. I have seen the Threedom covers and I have one of the key fobs. Nice stuff.

 

[Northridge4x4]

I have a Sport with the rear LSD and a normal poor front. I am going to change the oil and was wondering what is a good choice or just use the Mopar stuff. It was anything goes in my YJ, but I want to do better with this one. I have one parts store in town and can use Amazon, the selection is OK at the store.

What is good stuff or is it all about the same? No hard wheeling, wet, but not submerged, and no roads longer than 42 miles.

Being in AK, definitely stick with a synthetic oil. That video @CarbonSteel posted shows why the correct oil in cold weather is better and a full synthetic is better than a partial or non-synthetic oil.


We use Red Line full synthetic gear oil, it exceeds all of Chrysler's specifications:
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/gear-oil/50104-red-line-75w85-gl-5-gear-oil-1qt


Jeep recommends an SAE 75W85 API GL-5.
Cut and pasted from the owner's manual:

Use Mopar.

There was a guy on the Gladiator forum that used Amsoil and when his diff had problems his warranty claim was denied.

And save the receipt.

As long as the diff oil meets the Chrysler specifications, the manufacturer cannot deny the warranty - Magnusson-Moss act

 

[CarbonSteel]

Use Mopar. There was a guy on the Gladiator forum that used Amsoil and when his diff had problems his warranty claim was denied. And save the receipt.

As long as the diff oil meets the Chrysler specifications, the manufacturer cannot deny the warranty - Magnusson-Moss act

I am definitely not an Amsoil shill, but their gear oil is some of the very best on the market and it is absolutely better than OEM Mopar in every way possible.

I towed heavy in a 2010 FX4 for 45% of the 160K miles that I put on it and the thing that impressed me the most about it was the viscosity retention. After 80K miles on a run, it retained 93% of the initial viscosity. The person in that example should have pushed a lot harder on FCA to prove that Amsoil was the root cause of the failure--highly doubtful.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

Doesn't really matter, swap it soon at like 5k miles then after breakin every 30-40k.. its not that big a deal. I'm on my 2nd gear upgrade and swap it early/often to check for leaks and install issues... otherwise 30k

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