Change the Diff. Fluid....Often! (1 Viewer)

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Jun 13, 2004
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Sacramento Ca.
Well, I decided today that I would change the rear diff fluid. Hasnt been done in over 25k miles. Anyway, I open it up and damn, it was nasty brown and bubbles. I have taken it under water a few times over these 25k miles but never thought about changing it. So, after the rear, I cracked open the front Diff. and wouldnt you know it, same thing. I did rebuild the front (new bearings, seals, racers, etc) about 1.5 years ago. Same story, under water and never changed it!:crybaby: The pain didnt stop here, noooo, I then decided to change the transfer case oil..........holy crap, same thing. Damn, I have neglected my beast for too long. Lesson is, change oil when ever in doubt. Its a very VERY easy thing to do, its a one :banana: job and anyone can do it. Cheap to change and will save a huge headache in the long run.:)



Oh yes, since I was on a roll, I busted out changing my wifes Taco (truck):grinpimp: rear Diff, transfer case, transmission, and oil. Holy crap, I did two trips to the recycling place today! ;)
 
what kind of gear oil are you using??

I was using the Valvaline but I switched over to the Autozone brand (Coastal). It meets all the same specs. and can purchase in a 1 gallon form. Way cheaper and if I am going to stay ontop of the oil changes, then this will be the way to go for me.:)
 
No way it should look like you're describing after only 25k of normal driving. I think the lesson is that you need to change it immediately if you suspect water got in there.

I stay out of water myself, but it sound like you, sir, need some extended diff. breathers asap.

Cheers,

Curtis
 
I run Coastal in the diffs and change it often. After any trip that involves crossing water pull the fill plugs and check for water.
 
Another reason to put the cheap stuff in the diffs and save the $ynthetics for the something that can take advantage of long change intervals.
 
No way it should look like you're describing after only 25k of normal driving. I think the lesson is that you need to change it immediately if you suspect water got in there.

I stay out of water myself, but it sound like you, sir, need some extended diff. breathers asap.

Cheers,

Curtis


Exactly!! That is why I posted this in the first place. IF it was under NORMAL conditions, I wouldnt have had to worry about it.......BUT, it wasnt.:eek: I take full advantage of the LandCruiser and use it for what it was designed to do. That means full water crossings, mud, snow, rocks, dirt, etc etc.

The lesson I learned was that if you cross ANY amount of water that could have been past your axles, then, you MUST change the oils ASAP. Oh yes, I have had extended diff breathers on since before I ever took it in the water. Still, even with that, water will seep in no matter what.:beer:
 
Is water seeping in common with our rigs..... we never had a problem with water crossings, water into the diff, in my friends blazer :confused:
 
Is water seeping in common with our rigs..... we never had a problem with water crossings, water into the diff, in my friends blazer :confused:

It is common enough with anything with a few miles on it and older seals.

I make a point of stopping to boil the billy and have a cuppa, or a :beer:, at the end of the bitumen or the first river crossing. It gives everything a chance to cool down, and reduces the chances of it wanting to suck in water as it is cooled by plunging into a cold creek.
 
Is water seeping in common with our rigs..... we never had a problem with water crossings, water into the diff, in my friends blazer :confused:

Yes, it is. Out diffs get hotter than most rigs do so when you plunge into a cold creek you can get some condensation moisture build up in there.

I had to put a new rear axle in mine about 5.5 years ago because the axle was so pitted from moisture being in there (From the PO) The new seals would not seat properly and only lasted about 4months before they began leaking on my rear drums and locking up the brakes again.
 
I changed my diff oils recently and was happy to notice no grey grease contamination or bubbles. I had 30k miles on the diff oils and have had her in water a few times. When you packed you bearing grease did you fill the cavity or leave it 3/4 full like is recommended. I suspect you may have had too much grease in there and popped your seals.
 
Chans,

Do you have extended diff breathers?
Could they be plugged?

How deep was the water you went through?
To get water on the T-Case means you went pretty deep.

Regards

Alvaro
 
I gotta call bullcrap on the "our diffs heat up more than others". Let's see some technical info to back that up.

Karl
 
I changed my diff oils recently and was happy to notice no grey grease contamination or bubbles. I had 30k miles on the diff oils and have had her in water a few times. When you packed you bearing grease did you fill the cavity or leave it 3/4 full like is recommended. I suspect you may have had too much grease in there and popped your seals.

I did the recommended 3/4 full. The front oil did not look as bad as the rear (perhaps due to I never have changed the rear seals yet........but looks like I am going to soon;) )
 
Chans,

Do you have extended diff breathers?
Could they be plugged?

How deep was the water you went through?
To get water on the T-Case means you went pretty deep.

Regards

Alvaro

Hey there Alvaro,

I do have extended diff breathers but, I am thinking they might be clogged now that you mention it.

As for the water crossing and depth, well, the worst thing was I kept playing in the deep mud (damn mud!) and basically covered every inch of my rig. Its been a few months and I still cant get the mud out from under the beast, it just keeps falling off:crybaby: . Not sure how the mud/soup like water could have gotten in there but I think that one fatefull day is what put the beast over the edge.

Big lesson learned for me, DO NOT PLAY IN DEEP MUD!!!;)
 
Hey there Alvaro,

I do have extended diff breathers but, I am thinking they might be clogged now that you mention it.

As for the water crossing and depth, well, the worst thing was I kept playing in the deep mud (damn mud!) and basically covered every inch of my rig. Its been a few months and I still cant get the mud out from under the beast, it just keeps falling off:crybaby: . Not sure how the mud/soup like water could have gotten in there but I think that one fatefull day is what put the beast over the edge.

Big lesson learned for me, DO NOT PLAY IN DEEP MUD!!!;)

If your using the stock breather ends they are a one way valve, allowing air out but not in, at first glance this looks good, you don't want to suck dirt/muck/water into the diff right? So your cruising and the diffs are up to operating temp, then submerge them. The water rapidly cools the diff causing a vacuum in the housing, the stock breather holds the vacuum so any little leak in the housing pulls in water, also blamed for pulling grease from the birf housing into the gear oil. With a free flowing filtered breather the diff is always at the same pressure as the surrounding air, I use these cheap fuel filters.

When we were in Moab in October they had record flooding, we were in mud and water crossings for days. The trucks were totally covered in mud and made many crossing where the water was over the tires, didn't get any in the diffs.

breather2.jpg
 
...
As for the water crossing and depth, well, the worst thing was I kept playing in the deep mud (damn mud!) and basically covered every inch of my rig. Its been a few months and I still cant get the mud out from under the beast, it just keeps falling off:crybaby: ...

A lawn sprinkler is the proper tool, put it under the truck, move it every few minutes until all of the mud is removed.:D
 
I think it would be OK just as long as you pick up the muck that will fall from your truck. When I do this, specially when coming back from Moab, I create a nice beach like surface on my curb. Beautiful red sand from the desert.

Alvaro


I am soo going to do this.........Do you think the people who run the condos where I live will mind this?:D
 
If your using the stock breather ends they are a one way valve, allowing air out but not in, at first glance this looks good, you don't want to suck dirt/muck/water into the diff right? So your cruising and the diffs are up to operating temp, then submerge them. The water rapidly cools the diff causing a vacuum in the housing, the stock breather holds the vacuum so any little leak in the housing pulls in water, also blamed for pulling grease from the birf housing into the gear oil. With a free flowing filtered breather the diff is always at the same pressure as the surrounding air, I use these cheap fuel filters.

When we were in Moab in October they had record flooding, we were in mud and water crossings for days. The trucks were totally covered in mud and made many crossing where the water was over the tires, didn't get any in the diffs.

breather2.jpg

doing this when I extend my breathers later in the year
 

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