Took my truck in for the 30,000 mile service today. They wanted $900 for what they thought needed to be done to my truck!

Service front and rear diff - $335
Service Transfer Case - $110
Service Fuel System - $310

Now, I take extremely good care of my truck. I tow very little, and when I do it is a bass boat. This seems rediculous to me. I know that they are probably doing what the service manual says to do, but $900 seems excessive to me. That included an oil change (I provide my own oil, Amsoil 15-40 Synthetic) and tire rotation. I am also having the 2-3-2 trnasmission hunting that so many of us on here are having with the 48RE, so they are replacing my selenoid (spelling??). What do you guys do? How often do you change these items listed above? I think that I am going to start doing these things myself. I talked to another member on here and he says that none of the above items are very hard to do yourself. Any comments are welcomed.

 

Mine is doing the hunting shift thing also, was going to drop it off at a nearby dealer before the 36k miles is up to have them fix that and a few other things.

 

Mine was also hunting, they did the TSB 21-009-07 and a reflash and it hunts no more.

On the topic of the $900 service;

The transfer case service is as easy as removing the drain plug, letting it drain and refilling with about $40 worth of ATF+4. I doubt it even needs to be done truthfully. The front and rear diffs are also as easy, just more bolts to undo, and each holds a few quarts. EASY.

I'm not sure what they mean by fuel filter service, maybe changing the fuel filter? That's also very easy. Undo the cap, take old filter off, put new filter on, screw cap back on pretty much.

I know there is a how to article in the tech section w/step by step instructions. Save your $900, spend about $100 on parts/oil and do it yourself!

 

335 for the front and rear diff........LOL did mine myself for 50 bucks and and hour of my time. maybe 56 bucks if you buy some beers to drink while yer workin'.

Dont know what people consider "hard to do" so I cant speak for him. But if you know how to use a ratchet and open a bottle of oil yer good to go. Just my .02

 

Correct, I do all these things myself. The Differential gaskets are reusable. All you have to do it loosen the bolts and let it drain, then SNUG back up. Refill with GL5 fluid. I have a PML cover and they have drain plugs.

Fuel filters are about 14.00 and take about 10 minutes to change. I can usually do the entire truck service for about 110.00 or so.

 

I change my diffs and trans fluid/filter/transfer case every 20k. I change the fuel filter every 10k.

Like the others said...........Do it yourself. It isn't hard. Once you start doing it yourself you will see how easy it is. Just think thru each item and have the oil, supplies, etc on hand. If you have any specific question on "how"...just ask here.

For the diffs, I use Mobil 1 75w90 bought at Autozone. But any GL-5 rated synthetic gear oil in 75w90 is what is recommended. You don't have to use Mopar. Just remove the cover bolts and cover......let the fluid drain into a pan. Wipe out the diff and maybe spray some brake cleaner in. Replace the cover but only tighten the bolts good and snug. Don't overtighten. The gasket is reusable. Then refill with the new gear oil.

Transfer case.........remove the upper plug. (to make sure you can!) Then remove the lower one and let it drain. Put the lower one back in and refill with fresh ATF +4 ( I use mopar bought at the dealer but make them give me a deal) until it starts to comeout the top. Replace the top plug and your good.

You also need to remove the transmission pan, change out the trans filter...using a torx screw driver (2 bolts). Easy to do. Replace trans pan and refill with trans fluid.

It may sound intimidating if you haven't done it before. But it really isn't rocket science. It's easy.

..

 

Just wrapped up my 60k service (same as 30k) for under $125.00. Took maybe 3 hours total.

Just get a maintenance manual or search on here for the procedures. It's not rocket science and actually quite satisfying to know you did it yourself and you did it right!

 

I just did my 30,000 mile service today. Like you guys said, it's easy. Didn't even spill a drop of anything on the shop floor. Tranny fluid looked good, I was a little nervous about that. Only thing I didn't get to was the front differential because I could only get 4 qts of the 75-90 lube. I'll get that one next weekend I guess.

 

Mine was only $700 and they also flushed the brakes and the power steering. Didn't have em do the fuel system though.

 

Boy, those prices remind me why I do that stuff myself.

As noted above axles have resueable gaskets, fluid needs to be full synthectic GL-5 75W-90. There is a stamped "full" line on the rear differential cover that is hard to see if you aren't looking for it. It is about 3/4 below the filler hole. Torque specs are 30 ft/lbs bolts, 24 drain plug. Several people have broken bolts, though, so I'd suggest 25 ft/lbs and some blue locktite.

Transfer case takes a bit over 2q atf+4. 10mm drain plug and fill plug on the back of the casing.

Fuel filter is simple. Open the drain, and I think it takes like 1 1/8 socket on the top. Loosen the top and let it drain. Then have a plastic bag handy and pull the top straight up. There are clips on the top that will pull the filter out. Then it's just a matter of unclipping the old filter, replacing the O ring (included with new filter). Reinstall it. Then "bump" the key to start witout starting the engine to run the lift pump and purge air and refill the canister.

Transmission wise, I'm not too up on autos, but I think there's a band adjustement recommended at 30k? Anyway, that might be worth having done to get it flushed.