where is the front diff drain bolt?

[Fuel Fire Desire]

Nope. Another XR owner who recently took delivery is also seeing the same situation. I wonder if they are using a different part. Gonna be a PIA to change diff fluid.

At least it’s just the front. When I changed both of my diffs at 40,000 the front oil still looked brand new. And I use my 4wd fairly often. I could probably get away with doing the front every other time I do the rear.

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[rent]

At least it’s just the front. When I changed both of my diffs at 40,000 the front oil still looked brand new. And I use my 4wd fairly often. I could probably get away with doing the front every other time I do the rear.

Oh yes, very true. Guess I won't need to worry about it for a while.

 

[CTMopar]

Oh yes, very true. Guess I won't need to worry about it for a while.

Wait until your warranty is almost up and say “ hey I just noticed that I have a defective part” and demand a new one.

 

[word302]

Weird, but the drain on them is in a stupid location so I’d say you’re better off.

 

[bjm00se]

If you and another XR owner are seeing it, well, we know they did various strengthenings on the XR, and it sounds like they've decided to remove the weakness of having that diff drain bolt there.

 

[OllieChristopher]

Nope. Another XR owner who recently took delivery is also seeing the same situation. I wonder if they are using a different part. Gonna be a PIA to change diff fluid.

The cover should always be removed when changing diff fluid. It gives you a chance to clean and inspect components for wear and damage. It is not hard at all. 30 minutes tops to service provided components are within specs.

To make it easy on yourself always replace the cover gasket. It makes future service much simpler with less scraping. If you use silicone go real light so as not to get any into the cavity.

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[engineXI]

For reference, this is a 21 JLUR:

 

[rent]

The cover should always be removed when changing diff fluid. It gives you a chance to clean and inspect components for wear and damage. It is not hard at all. 30 minutes tops to service provided components are within specs.

To make it easy on yourself always replace the cover gasket. It makes future service much simpler with less scraping. If you use silicone go real light so as not to get any into the cavity.

.

Thanks for the pointers! I will try this when the time comes.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Oh yes, very true. Guess I won't need to worry about it for a while.

Change the rear early and a few times for the first 15K miles--I would dump it no later than the first 2K miles. These axles shed a lot of metal and have a reduced oil capacity versus previous generations.

 

[Fuel Fire Desire]

Change the rear early and a few times for the first 15K miles--I would dump it no later than the first 2K miles. These axles shed a lot of metal and have a reduced oil capacity versus previous generations.

Not to mention they use water thin oil. Mine was pretty black when I changed the rear (front looked new). No chips in the magnet luckily. Not really any glitter either.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Yep: either run 85W-140 or 75W-140. 75/80/85W-90 is a no-go for me with the reduced oil capacity and the temps at which these axles operate.

 

[Tredsdert]

Did anyone ever find a drain plug for the front diff??
I own a 2021 JLUWillysSportDiesel with the M210 front. No drain plug on the bottom of the front diff here either. I know there were a few other improvements/changes between the 2020 and the 2021 model years, ie. the backup camera is attached differently between these model years too.

Anyone find a drain plug, or do we have confirmation from a dealership that the drain plug's been removed??

 

[jaymz]

No more front drain plug. They were done away with because people kept ripping them out.

 

[word302]

Did anyone ever find a drain plug for the front diff??
I own a 2021 JLUWillysSportDiesel with the M210 front. No drain plug on the bottom of the front diff here either. I know there were a few other improvements/changes between the 2020 and the 2021 model years, ie. the backup camera is attached differently between these model years too.

Anyone find a drain plug, or do we have confirmation from a dealership that the drain plug's been removed??

Do you really need a dealership to confirm whether or not your diff has a drain plug?

 

[Tredsdert]

Do you really need a dealership to confirm whether or not your diff has a drain plug?

Found another thread which was more informative. But as this thread ended, yeah, no definitive answers were presented, the dealership is your local Jeep Representative. So yes, if I didn't find the other thread, I would've contacted the dealership to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

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