i wanna change the fluids in my diffs, is there fill holes on the covers?? and what is the best lube to use in these trucks, being that i have the LSD dana 80 in the rear.... also/ whats the best thing to use to seal up the diff cover again?

 

Yes, there is a fill hole in the cover.....would be a fairly tricky thing to fill without the fill hole, not?

Just did this maintenance and have same truck as yours. Used synthetic valvoline gear oil, the heavier grade (not 85w, but 115w [Ithink?]). Takes nearly 4 of those 32 oz bottles per axle. At 11 or 12 bucks a bottle, it ain't cheap. If you have limited slip on the rear, then you'll also need a little bottle of friction additive. You can get it from Dodge for about the same price as Genos (about 6 or 7 dollars). As for gasket, I used RTV silicone. Be careful to not use too much....or not enough. Was guilty of the latter--had a small leak--and ended up going thru the PITA of resealing rear diff again. And it still doesn't leak, victory!

You may be surprised at what you find. I changed mine in 2001 at 20K after some heavy towing and found the OEM stuff looked kind of burnt or something--it didn't look right. Switched to the synthetic, have done a bunch more towing, and when I changed a few months ago at 150K the fluid looked next to new.

 

well i guess the fill hole was a stupid commetn lol. but how many oz. do the diffs take in these trucks. i want to do it here soon. and whats the best oil. or have you just always used the valvoline?

 

I used the Royal purple synthetic....1 bottle of friction modifyer didnt quite cut it.....Think i will add 2.

 

royal purple modifier you mean? add two? and whats the capacity fo the front diff and the rear dana 80???

 

Royal Purple comes with the friction modifier already in it. You have to remove the cover to drain the diff. RTV/silicone is the sealer I used.

 

Why not just use a gasket, you'll make a mess for next time with RVT.

 

I haven't seen any gaskets for sale for the diffs. I used gray high-strength silicone and it worked fine. If you do a little research I think you'll find that if you use synthetic oil you won't need any friction modifier. Read the bottles. I used Lucas 80W90 and the bottle says: "Excellent for use in limited slip differentials. No extra additive needed." I cut the nipple on the bottle and attached a 1 foot section of clear plastic hose which made adding the oil fairly easy.

 

I got gaskets at Advance, I don't recall them being very expensive, maybe $10 or so, sure makes life easier. Of course I had to scrape off all that RVT that the previous owner used to seal her up. I just don't see the point in anything but a gasket.

 

cool cool. any body else wiht differnt fluid experiacne and how much do i add?

 

heres a tip, remove the spare tire for a little added head room.

 

If you have limited slip, it calls for more frequent change. These limited slips can be a problem with synthetic, as if too much additive is in the fluid, the limited slip function disapears. Poyal Purple seems to work well for many. 85-140 for towing applications. I have gone 30k on mine, wil replace it. About 5 quarts, I think.

 

have used both royal purple and redline. both have the lim slip additive in them this is cheaper than any other diff fluid and its full synth. my rear I have a mag cover so dont need to mess with sealer or gasket. on my front dana 60 I bought my gasket through napa and oreilly auto. clean out the old stuff the best you can some people say lift one of the sides of the axle slightly to pull more of the old out. you can go and buy a bigger magnet and put this on your cover will collect more crap for you down the road. but if memory is correct redline was a little cheaper$ hope this helps.

 

I'm not pushing Amsoil but here's a link to look up your vehicle. It gives quantities and types of oil recommended, it also gives torques .http://www.amsoil.com/scripts/runisa...msoiloaf:index

 

thanks alot guys. where can i find royal purple or redline?