I am rubuilding the rear diff. When I go to put it back on as well as the inspection cover what's the best gasket or combination of gaskets that you would recomend.
I use the factory gaskets and nothing else. No leaks and I am able to remove and reinstall the cork gasket on the rear inspection cover multiple times before it needs replacement. RTV also works fine, but if you are going to use it you may as well skip a gasket of any type.
RTV also creates the need for much scraping and cleaning when you eventually need to remove the cover and reinstall. This is not the case if you just use the factory gaskets.
I always use both. RTV both sides of the gasket too. just a very light bead the sqooshes out as you torque the nuts. Removal is a lot easier next time, the gasket rips in half, leaving a very thin coat of RTV on both faces. Quick scrape with a razor, buzz it with the die grinder with a ScotchBrite biscuit, good to go back in.
At the risk of sounding unhelpful, if one had the advanced ability to 'rebuild a differential', don't you think one would know how to seal a simple cover? This is like a cardiac surgeon not knowing how to take blood pressure or an engineer not knowing how to use a calculator. Cork gasket w/ silicone.
To reply to your smart ass comment. I'm simply putting it back on, and had it rebuilt by a qualfied mechanic to do so. The reason I'm inquiring about the gasket is because I have heard that the gaskets alone will leak. Next time I'll be a little more careful with my wording for ya.
To reply to your smart ass comment. I'm simply putting it back on, and had it rebuilt by a qualfied mechanic to do so. The reason I'm inquiring about the gasket is because I have heard that the gaskets alone will leak. Next time I'll be a little more careful with my wording for ya.
I have used gray Permatex on the cork every time. The nice thing is, it sort of rubberizes the cork and I have been able to reuse the cork gasket on the trail in these circumstances. It also makes it much easier to remove, and in my experience, it has never leaked. I don't see a down side. If you apply just the thinnest of layers, it works great.
OE Cork gasket - covered with a thin layer of axle grease. The gasket seals fine and the grease prevents the gasket from sticking if you need to remove it down the line.
