sleeve84028 wrote:
JJsKJ wrote:
How do you know when it is bad? Are you having it tested?
Typically if it looks dirty I replace it or if it's foamy because of water contamination I replace it. Gear oil is pretty easy to look at, or smell to determine if it needs changing. I've never had any problems with any differential by making a judgement call with my smell and vision as to its condition. I typically also consider mileage in my thought process to determine if the fluid should be changed.
I still think the front diff fluid callout was based on heat. When the Liberty first came out - the engineers spec'd a fluid that covered a broad range of weight. After some extended mileage testing and probably no customer complaints about failures, those engineers probably revised the fluid spec to the lighter weight. Sure there is an effect on MPG but because that front diff is so small the fluid has to get some serious abuse and thus the uncertainty in an exact spec.
And all the more reason to run the best dang Full Synthetic lube you can.
I check my gear oil after water crossings to verify if there is any water in the lube. Like you said, it will look foamy if it has been run while contaminated w/ water. To date, I have yet to see any sign of water contamination in either diff even after running Kane Creek in Moab where you cross the water many times though only a few are higher than the diff axle tubes.
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2011 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4
