I finished changing my rear differential oil today and I thought I'd type a write up with some pictures for those interested in doing it themselves. As far as supplies needed I ran down to Napa and purchased 3 quarts of Royal Purple 75w-140 synthetic gear oil ($12/quart).. I also picked up some Permatex thread sealant ($5) for the plugs (see pics). It's really nothing more complicated then changing your engine oil except there isn't a filter to change.
First I took the truck for a little joy ride to get the fluids warmed up. Once I got back I checked the level of oil in the differential by taking out the fill plug and sticking my pinky finger in to make sure I had enough in there to begin with (something I should have done a while ago just in case). Luckily it seemed ok.
Next I drained out the old oil by using a rachet to unscrew the drain plug. The old oil seemed very dark/thick and almost smelt burnt. I have 28k miles on my truck and I'm following the 30k mile maintenance but I probably should have taken others advice and changed it around 10k miles (see pics).
While it was draining I went inside to clean the drain plug. I did notice a few metal shavings and quite a bit of sludge stuck to it (The picture is hard to see but take a look at the arrow. That's a small piece of metal sticking up). I cleaned it well with a toothpick and placed some thread sealant on the treads and screwed it back it when the oil was finished draining.
To get the new oil into the differential I first let the bottles soak in hot water for a few minutes to warm the oil a bit (it's 35 degrees out today). Then i attached a piece of clear tubing to the bottle and squeezed the oil in (see pic). The specs call for 2.0 liters of oil and each quart is about 0.95 liters so after I put two quarts in I checked the oil and it was a tad bit higher then the original oil. I took the truck for a spin and checked it again and it seems adequate. I know others are putting a little over 2 quarts of oil in but I think 0.1 liters isn't going to make much of a difference and it will save you and extra $12 in oil.
Really that was about it. It was very easy and cost me a little over $30. Make sure you get a fully synthetic 75W140 gear oil and some high temperature thread sealant and you're on your way. It probably only took a half hour to do. Everyone feel free to chime in on some things I've left out or ideas that might make it better.
First I took the truck for a little joy ride to get the fluids warmed up. Once I got back I checked the level of oil in the differential by taking out the fill plug and sticking my pinky finger in to make sure I had enough in there to begin with (something I should have done a while ago just in case). Luckily it seemed ok.
Next I drained out the old oil by using a rachet to unscrew the drain plug. The old oil seemed very dark/thick and almost smelt burnt. I have 28k miles on my truck and I'm following the 30k mile maintenance but I probably should have taken others advice and changed it around 10k miles (see pics).
While it was draining I went inside to clean the drain plug. I did notice a few metal shavings and quite a bit of sludge stuck to it (The picture is hard to see but take a look at the arrow. That's a small piece of metal sticking up). I cleaned it well with a toothpick and placed some thread sealant on the treads and screwed it back it when the oil was finished draining.
To get the new oil into the differential I first let the bottles soak in hot water for a few minutes to warm the oil a bit (it's 35 degrees out today). Then i attached a piece of clear tubing to the bottle and squeezed the oil in (see pic). The specs call for 2.0 liters of oil and each quart is about 0.95 liters so after I put two quarts in I checked the oil and it was a tad bit higher then the original oil. I took the truck for a spin and checked it again and it seems adequate. I know others are putting a little over 2 quarts of oil in but I think 0.1 liters isn't going to make much of a difference and it will save you and extra $12 in oil.
Really that was about it. It was very easy and cost me a little over $30. Make sure you get a fully synthetic 75W140 gear oil and some high temperature thread sealant and you're on your way. It probably only took a half hour to do. Everyone feel free to chime in on some things I've left out or ideas that might make it better.
over the magnet. I scraped it off with a shop rag and the picture is below...
