Changed Diff Fluid and Tires

[MoladoGuy]

I had some time today and I changed out the front/rear diff fluid and also put my stock tires with Pathfinders back on. Man those Cragars with BFG's are severley heavy!!

I had problem with my hand pump putting the oil back in and kinda spilled some, but a quick cleanup made short of the mess. I really don't think that I would change anything I had done since I followed the directions from the HOW TO on this board. It went completely smooth except for the slight spillage. I took my time and talked with the new neighbor while waiting for the RVT to cure.

I will do it again!! Fun!! ALL PROPS TO JEEPKJ02 for the write up.


GARAGE:

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REAR END STICKING UP:

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DIFF OPENED:

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DIFF COVER CLEANED AND LUBED:

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SKID REMOVED:

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SKID DEBRIS CLOSEUP: HOW THE HELL DID THAT GET THERE?!

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PUT ORIGINAL RIMS WITH PATHFINDERS:

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[RAYMAN1007]

looks good! what oils did you use on the diffs? were they pretty easy to do?

i love those bfg all terrains, i wanna get some for my stock wheels

 

[2003KJ]

Changing the diff oils is one of the easiest things that can be done to a Jeep....and what a familiar site. The only thing that ***** is...gear oil smells like CRAP!!! It's right up there with the smell of ATF!!!

 

[hyde]

was it easy to remove after you unbolt it? I want to open it and see what the hell is so loose, it feels like they used one size smaller gear for the differential, the teeth doesn't line up properly, and keeps banging.. jeeezzz...

 

[JeepJeepster]

was it easy to remove after you unbolt it? I want to open it and see what the hell is so loose, it feels like they used one size smaller gear for the differential, the teeth doesn't line up properly, and keeps banging.. jeeezzz...

Thats the slack in your slip yoke coming out of the tcase.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Did you notice a big difference in performance going back to the stock tires?

It makes it alot easier if you put the jack stands under the frame and let the rear end drop down. That way the gas tank isnt in the way. O

What size tires are those stockers? They look good on there.

 

[MoladoGuy]

looks good! what oils did you use on the diffs? were they pretty easy to do?

i love those bfg all terrains, i wanna get some for my stock wheels

I ended up going with Valvoline 80W-90. for both the front/rear. I do not tow nor do I have Trac-Lock so I was good to go. The fluid change was very easy to do. Everything went perfect, minimal tools needed, and 5qt drain bucket.

My biggest concern was finding nasty build up in the rear because I never got my fluids changed, ever. 74K and I finally did something about it. I'm happy to do it myself to! Dealership wanted over $200 after labor/items. I went to AutoZone and bought everything for a grand total of $51 and gained my 5th AutoZone point which gave me a $20 gift card in the mail.

I took the BFG's off and put on the Pathfinders just for a change. I may go back to the BFG's but time will tell. Maybe I'll get better gas mileage with the lighter wheels/tires I have on there now.

 

[2003KJ]

was it easy to remove after you unbolt it? I want to open it and see what the hell is so loose, it feels like they used one size smaller gear for the differential, the teeth doesn't line up properly, and keeps banging.. jeeezzz...

It depends on how long it's sat on there. More than likely, you'll have to get creative with your tools and pry it off. Thats what I had to do, and mine had only been on there about 25K or so...

 

[hyde]

It depends on how long it's sat on there. More than likely, you'll have to get creative with your tools and pry it off. Thats what I had to do, and mine had only been on there about 25K or so...

I just got it done like at 20 or 23k something like that. Dude at the dealership cheated me into getting it serviced and checked, I posted the news somwhere here, $900 later I walked out of the dealer, brakes, front/rear and diff/case job, and oil change.

Thats the slack in your slip yoke coming out of the tcase.

I know you had it worse, but you got locker, I have stock set up. How could that be fixed? Recently it started doing it in 2x4 as well...
and 4x4 forget it, it is like I am getting hit in the rear every time I touch gas pedal at 10mph

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Woo Hoo! Nice garage... if mine wasn't packed with my junk from age 6-19, I might have some room to work with.

I did a little work on the Renegade today... tune up.

I hate cylinder #6 with a passion.... I'm not done, busy all day, started late, darkness stopped me and I may have to remove the coolant tank. I didn't have to do it on my red Jeep but there's something different about this one that makes it a real PITA!

All that diff fluid changing sounds fun. I too found some trash from Hamlin packed in the skid plate. Don't ask me how a piece of a plastic cup got in there...

 

[Dave]

Phil......Really nice looking Kj. The BFG's look good with either the original or Craigers.

Front diff and t-case are easy to do. The rear is a pain and takes longer. I bought an extra lube pump that is used to pump gear lube in a boat outdrive. It screws into any 1 quart oil container and has a plastic tube on it and you can pump the diff full quickly without spilling a drop. They only cost about $9-10 dollars so I actually bought 2 so I could use a seperate one for the t-case for the atf-4 so as not to mix fluids.

The front skid is a mud scoop. Yours is not bad. I've filled mine a few times and had to scoop it out with a garden trowl and then my hands. The ****** skid collects mud too. I had it packed solid to the pan. I spent 2 hours under the KJ after I pressure washed the underside to get all the mud and debris out from everywhere. I had to shovel it off the driveway afterwards.

Dave

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Dave, about that mud scoop....

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Phil, how are those Pathfinder All Terrains wearing? Any clue how many miles you have on them now?

 

[Dave]

Yup, I told you it was a mud scoop....

Dave

 

[rchung813]

I'm not a car expert, but you have to change the oil in the diff? How/what does it help?

What else should I or another person look out for beside getting the regular oil changed?

 

[Marlon_JB2]

It should be changed... you can tell when it has recently been changed on an axle when you see an oil trail on the rear of someone's axle.

My mom has driven almost 90k on her old car and the original fluid is still in there. Man I wouldn't ever buy anything she's had....

 

[2003KJ]

I'm not a car expert, but you have to change the oil in the diff? How/what does it help?

What else should I or another person look out for beside getting the regular oil changed?

The gear oil over time gets dirty and old, and breaks down (much like any other fluid, such as motor oil, ****** fluid, etc etc). The more hard towing you do, the shorter the life span. Also, the more four wheelin you do, where the differentials are constantly submerged under water/mud, the shorter the life span is.

However, if you drive mainly on road, don't do an excessive amount of towing, which is about 90% of the people out there, yours will last a long time to come.

Many people don't ever change their differential oils. So it's not uncommon to see a "truck" (read: a vehicle with live axles, or vehicles that have differentials) thats been mainly street driven like a regular car to have as much as 100,000+ on it, with the orig. gear oil in it. While you hardly see any problems, you'll get MUCH more life out of your differential and axles if you change the differential oil on a regular basis. Also, differential/axle rebuilds aren't cheap....especially if you take it to a shop. And if your differential goes out, you're not going to be driving anywhere any time soon. So why would you want to ignore changing the fluid in there? I'm going to be following a every 30-40K, or two to three years schedule.

I changed mine for the first time at about 27K, just for peace of mind. I believe the book calls for 30K intervals.

My best advice, look at the service schedule that is in your owners manual, and look at what is recommended at what mileage. Going one mile over isn't gonna make the thing explode....heck going 10K over probably isn't going to hurt anything (speaking in terms of everything with the exception of motor oil, obviously). Use you're own judgment, based on your driving style and typical conditions.

 

[Dave]

It should be changed... you can tell when it has recently been changed on an axle when you see an oil trail on the rear of someone's axle.

My mom has driven almost 90k on her old car and the original fluid is still in there. Man I wouldn't ever buy anything she's had....

On a street driven car I wouldn't worry about 90,000 on the diff fluid. It's not like it's being raced or something.

Dave

 

[rchung813]

Thanks 2003KJ! =D>

Very sound advice which I will take into consideration with the maintanence of my Jeep. Hopefully I won't get "jacked" with price from the dealership or any gargages when I have my oil changed..

 

[2003KJ]

Thanks 2003KJ! =D>

Very sound advice which I will take into consideration with the maintanence of my Jeep. Hopefully I won't get "jacked" with price from the dealership or any gargages when I have my oil changed..

If you're going to the dealer for it, be prepared. I was quoted $150 PER AXLE....so you're lookin at about $300 out the door. I only considered taking it to them because I was short on time at the time....after recovering from sticker shock, I forced myself to make time to do it on my own. It was pretty simple, and I learned a good bit in the process. Plus, who doesn't enjoy popping that cover off and looking at all the gears inside a differential? Makes you stop and ponder on how everything has to work in a certain way...

Oh, and you're welcome O

 

[MoladoGuy]

Did you notice a big difference in performance going back to the stock tires?

It makes it alot easier if you put the jack stands under the frame and let the rear end drop down. That way the gas tank isnt in the way. O

What size tires are those stockers? They look good on there.

So far I have only driven 15 miles since yesterday. However, I feel that my pick up is better. Thanks for the tip on the jack stands, I did run into having to maneuver around the stinking gas tank.

The tires on the stock rims are 265/70/16's. They are the Pep Boys PATHFINDER AT's. Nice tread pattern, similar to the BFG's.

Phil, how are those Pathfinder All Terrains wearing? Any clue how many miles you have on them now?

Still have great tread on them. I think they are now at 18K or something, not even sure lol! One tire was at 27psi but the others were decent. I went straight to the gas station and filled them up to 38 (max is 44). To be honest, they sound louder on the road than the BFG's!! Regardless the ride feels smoother and turning is not as heavy feeling (don't ask what that means). I think the Jeep likes me because its shoes are much lighter right now.