front and rear differential fluid change.

dgeist · **Posted:** Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:47 am

Even though I probably don't NEED to do a change on the diff lube, I probably will anyway. I may as well knock out as many things as I can if I make an after noon of it. Along those lines... do any of the aftermarket diff covers make the job significantly easier, or should I save my money since I'm not doing wheeling that could incur serious abuse to the diff?

Speaking of which, any firsthand recommendations for aftermarket covers that are full-featured and not too expensive?

Dan

CaKJFreedom · **Posted:** Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:36 pm

Quote:

We all have winter....right?

Not really.

riptricket · **Posted:** Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:39 pm

so i am probably good till 50K before I need to change them?

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:57 pm

You should really stick your finger in the pumpkin and take a look at the fluid to see if it's still clean or dirty...

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 3:31 am

The front and rear factory differential fluid on my ‘05 CRD at 20,000 miles looked pretty dirty, much more than I had expected.

I traded the CRD for the ‘07 gasser.

I will switch to Amsoil probably at 10,000 miles this time around. With Amsoil, I will probably change it out every 20,000 thereafter. I’m overkill when it comes to maintenance, I guess that’s why my past vehicles lasted. I plan on keeping my Cummins and Liberty for LIFE, and I’m 31 now, so it’s important to me to keep all my fluids cleaned. My goal is to reach over 1 million miles on my Cummins, and 300,000 on the Liberty before replacing the motor or transmission. I had 247,000 on my ‘95 Tahoe, so I was getting close.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:44 am

BlueFreedom wrote:

Thanks for the response! Are those the tools needed for both the front and rear?
Are the areas you have to get the ratchet and allen wrench into hard to reach?
What gear oil and additive do you use (I have the Trak-Lok rear on my 2003).

Thanks again!!

You will need a 12mm (IIRC) socket and ratchet to pop the rear cover off and the allen and the 3/8 extension are for doing the front. You do not need to remove the front cover, unless for some reason the front won't drain when the plug is removed or you feel the need to remove it and clean the insides out.

Amsoil Severe Gear in a NEW 75W-110 flavor would be a great coice for both front And rear. The suggested lube for the KJ varies by year but it is either 75W-90 or 75W-140 for front & rear depending on how you feel you will be using Your Jeep. Will you tow w/ it? If so, how much weight and how often? Will you wheel it hard in hot environments? Even if you are just doing a lot of stop and go city driving, you are being tough on the diff. I think, based on it's specs, that the New Amsoil 75W-110 will work great in all these service applications and would be perfect for front or rear diffs.
For the Trac-Lock, you will need a bottle of friction modifier added to the diff to reduce/remove any chatter. Amsoil also has that covered or you can usually find it at your local parts store.

Don't forget a tube of RTV sealant for sealing up the rear cover. My personal favorite for almost anything needing RTV is Permatex Ultra Copper. Or you can try to find a gasket for the Corporate 8.25 rear. If it is just a cork or paper gasket I suggest a thin film of RTV on it too.
Hope that helps.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:38 am

Hmmm....so the 75w-110 is a nice in-betweener?

I might tow a camper once or twice a year, plus the 1-2 x month off-roading in the Rockies.

Is that enough justification for the 110 or should the 140 be the better route?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sun Mar 11, 2007 1:32 am

Tokyojoe wrote:

Hmmm....so the 75w-110 is a nice in-betweener?

I might tow a camper once or twice a year, plus the 1-2 x month off-roading in the Rockies.

Is that enough justification for the 110 or should the 140 be the better route?

What year is your Jeep?

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:00 am

Tokyojoe wrote:

Hmmm....so the 75w-110 is a nice in-betweener?

I might tow a camper once or twice a year, plus the 1-2 x month off-roading in the Rockies.

Is that enough justification for the 110 or should the 140 be the better route?

I think (IMO) it is a nice "in-betweener" for those that might tow a light trailer once in a blue moon or those just wanting to run a heavier than 75W-90, but lighter than a full 140 weight gear oil. IMO the 75W-110 would be a good lube for the front diff of a KJ.

The recommended weight for All KJ's rear diff for towing is 75W-140.
But towing how much how often and in what conditions?

There are different suggested weights for the front diff. The earlier years suggested weight is 75W-140 and later years (05-up) show 75W-90.

Use whatever weight your manual shows if you are concerned about warranty issues, etc. but if you are not, you can decide to use whatever you want and IMO the new 75W-110 would be a great compromise for those that tow a small, light trailer in flat conditions, etc. or those wanting to use a slightly lighter than 140 weight in both diffs.

If anyone is unsure of where I am coming from on this please let me know via PM.

BlueFreedom · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:40 am

Att: KJ WEST:

I wrote you an email, did you receive it? -

the email address was from brianmac66@hotmail.com

I just had some more questions about Amsoil.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:05 pm

CaKJFreedom wrote:

Quote:

We all have winter....right?

Not really.

There are a few locations that don't. Traffic knoks just about everyone out of "A".

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:05 pm

I just wanted to add a little bit more on to this thread:

I just got done changing the oil and fluids (57380 miles to be exact)
The front dif fluid was toast [I did change it]
The T-Case fluid was toast [I did change it]
The rear diff fluid was perfectly OK looking and smelled great

So after almost 30K miles on the fluid in the rear - it still looks brand new. I'll recheck it during every 6K mile tire rotation and then maybe get scared and change it before the next 15K mile mark approaches

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:10 pm

sleeve84028 wrote:

I just wanted to add a little bit more on to this thread:

I just got done changing the oil and fluids (57380 miles to be exact)
The front dif fluid was toast [I did change it]
The T-Case fluid was toast [I did change it]
The rear diff fluid was perfectly OK looking and smelled great

So after almost 30K miles on the fluid in the rear - it still looks brand new. I'll recheck it during every 6K mile tire rotation and then maybe get scared and change it before the next 15K mile mark approaches

If you Transfer Case fluid was toast, wouldn’t that mean that your Transmission fluid is toast?

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:20 pm

they are seperated by the rear flange on the transmission (or something like that!)... I have been keeping a very close eye on my transmission fluid as well but it's been very clean for the last 30K miles.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:48 pm

Mopar ATF+4 is a World Class Fluid having exceptional durability. However, the red dye used in ATF+4 is not permanent; as the fluid ages it may become darker or appear brown in color. The ATF+4 also has a unique odor that may change with age. With ATF+4 fluid, color and odor are no longer indicators of fluid condition and do not support a fluid change. Use 45K miles or 3 Years as your guide also replace filter and have bands adjusted at service intervals.

Pulled this statement from the APS web page.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:02 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Mopar ATF+4 is a World Class Fluid having exceptional durability. However, the red dye used in ATF+4 is not permanent; as the fluid ages it may become darker or appear brown in color. The ATF+4 also has a unique odor that may change with age. With ATF+4 fluid, color and odor are no longer indicators of fluid condition and do not support a fluid change. Use 45K miles or 3 Years as your guide also replace filter and have bands adjusted at service intervals.

Pulled this statement from the APS web page.

The Mopar+4 (factory oil) is made from a Group III base oil but achieves Group IV performance. DCX designed this oil to be an extended 100,000 mile oil. Group III base oils are used in synthetic oils, but are not considered a super longevity oil. Whereas Amsoil is made from a Group IV stock oil that has been chemically engineered and tested for high performance and extended intervals. I would have to see a side by side comparison through multiple testing to prove that one is better than the other. Although, I would be nervous to take my Liberty to 50,000 miles running the factory oil

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:11 pm

Quote:

Although, I would be nervous to take my Liberty to 50,000 miles running the factory oil

So I'm I,I've flushed and changed both filters 3 times in 49,000 miles.I also change my transfer case fluid every other oil change(6000 miles),front and rear diffs at 12,000 miles(I use Royal Purple),and have flushed my PS fluid twice with Valvoline syn PS fluid.So I have OCD about maintance on my KJ,but it should last a long time.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:47 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Quote:

Although, I would be nervous to take my Liberty to 50,000 miles running the factory oil

So I'm I,I've flushed and changed both filters 3 times in 49,000 miles.I also change my transfer case fluid every other oil change(6000 miles),front and rear diffs at 12,000 miles(I use Royal Purple),and have flushed my PS fluid twice with Valvoline syn PS fluid.So I have OCD about maintance on my KJ,but it should last a long time.

You should let me help you with that. :wink:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:01 pm

JJsKJ wrote:

tjkj2002 wrote:

Quote:

Although, I would be nervous to take my Liberty to 50,000 miles running the factory oil

So I'm I,I've flushed and changed both filters 3 times in 49,000 miles.I also change my transfer case fluid every other oil change(6000 miles),front and rear diffs at 12,000 miles(I use Royal Purple),and have flushed my PS fluid twice with Valvoline syn PS fluid.So I have OCD about maintance on my KJ,but it should last a long time.

You should let me help you with that. :wink:

Even if I ran Amsoil I'd still change my fluids at the same intervals,but I would just be broke :lol:

.Been driving for 22 years and leagally licensed for 17 and have been this way about maintance on all my vehicals I've owned.If there was a place locally to get Amsoil I would use it but being in the military and forced to live in the barracks I would have no place to stock up on fluids.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:14 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Quote:

Although, I would be nervous to take my Liberty to 50,000 miles running the factory oil

So I'm I,I've flushed and changed both filters 3 times in 49,000 miles.I also change my transfer case fluid every other oil change(6000 miles),front and rear diffs at 12,000 miles(I use Royal Purple),and have flushed my PS fluid twice with Valvoline syn PS fluid.So I have OCD about maintance on my KJ,but it should last a long time.

You and I would get along real well. Even though I run Amsoil products in everything, I still change fluids and filters fairly frequently. I’m 31, so I haven’t had the years to really put on a lot of miles. The most I’ve managed to put on was 247,000 on our 1995, 4 door, 4x4 Tahoe, which had the original motor and transmission the day I sold it. I’m sure it could have logged well over 400,000 the rate it was running. My Wife and I had never owned a new vehicle before. But with some lifestyle changes, we decided to splurge and buy a brand spankin new Dodge Cummins and recently a brand spankin new Jeep Liberty. Neither of us have had an auto payment in 7 years, so it‘s been a financial journey to say the least. But we figured these vehicles will last us the next 15 years before thinking about buying new again. “If” and “when” we buy new again, we do not plan on getting rid of our Dodge or Jeep, we love them too much!

front and rear differential fluid change.

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