Well,<br><br>After all the talk about low levels in the rear diff, I went out and checked mine today, I think it is low, the dealer's mechanic does not (its about a 1 1/2&quot; below the fill hole) well, he said it was maybe a little low but nothing to worry about. I got my service tag from them for warranty purposes and they did not have any oil to top it off as they were a little lost when it came to the new diff. The tag says it was a slightly low and could go until the first service since they did not have the proper oil to top it off. I also told them all about these postings about the low oil in the rear diff and they kinda got a funny look on their face and said they had never heard about it (I don't think most people think the internet is very reliable for information).<br><br>Dealer's shops always scare me anyway, and since I have the situation documented and I would prefer to handle my own fills anyway, I was just going to do a dump and replace it with new oil to the supposed proper level. One of my concerns was that if they topped it off, how would I know they were putting in the same that was already in it, especially since they did not know what to put in it in the first place!!!!<br><br>I am at 130 miles right now and my thinking is that I should do this asap to prevent any future problem or failure.<br><br>What brand of GL-5 synthetic oil would you all recommend?<br><br>I will also check the trans, t-case and front diff for levels asap.<br><br>Thanks to all of you for being on top of this stuff and pointing it out. I don't want to be to paranoid, but at the same time I like to have things right when I shell out these kinds of dollars for a rig and I would rather do it myself as I know then that it was done right.

 

This was a hot topic over at the TDR site a few weeks ago and I saved the official specs just in case:

&quot;2003 Heavy Duty 11.5 American Axle rear axle fluid safe level should be 1&quot; +or- 1/4&quot; below the fill hole. All American Axles receive and should be serviced with SAE 75W-90 GL-5 synthetic fluid PN 05102232AA. Additive not required if Trac-Rite differential equipped.&quot;

So, the easy (but more expensive) way to ensure you get the right oil is to use the Dodge part # at the dealer.

Best to y'all
Bill

 

Would it be necessary to dump it all and change it, or just top it off w/ some Mobile 1 or Amsoil? If it's the same weight, and synthetic, would it really matter one way or the other?<br><br>Is there a drain plug, or do you have to remove the whole thing to drain it (if necessary)? <br><br>Any torque specs? For the plug and/or all diff. bolts?<br><br>Is the check plug the one w/ the hex type head? (I'm think it is, just checking).<br><br> Any Utahn's what to help bomb my truck? ???

 

Actually the Dodge synthetic is pretty cheap. Around 10 bucks a litre in Canada. Should around 7 bucks a quart for our friends to the south.<br><br>Casey

 

CTDCal, Mine was delivered about 1 1/2inches below the fill hole. By 2000 miles the drive pinion bearings were making noise. The dealer added fluid and the noise continued to increase. Drove it until the parts came in 3 weeks later at 3300 miles. It is at present in the shop having all gears, bearings, and seals replaced. Run it at 1 1/2 inches below fill hole and you will likely do some damage. :'( :'( :'(

 

Thanks fellas for the info!<br><br>Yeah Phil, I have read just about everything I could find about this problem, including yours, hope it comes out alright!!!<br><br>There seems to be some argument about where the level should be and this concerns me. Utah posted what DC has in the factory service manual cause the mechanic at the dealer showed it to me. The Owners Manual says something completely different, and the mechanic says its OK, so I got my tag from them and left. I am a little concerned about topping off as nobody has any idea what they put in there from the factory as we did not see it go in. Some really good mechanics have told me never to mix differnt brands of oils, either synthetic or non, as they have different chemical makeup even though they are the same grade weight.<br><br>By the way Phil, did you check your own level before they added fluid? How did you arrive at the 1 1/2&quot; below the hole? This is where the mechanic and I differ, he says it is higher than I do and we checked it at the same time. I was getting it on the very tip of my little finger with the knuckle bent at the fill hole, he says it is higher than that, but agreed that it could be a couple pints low. He says adding some to it could blow the seals or blow some oil, but my impression was that they were not yet that familiar with this axle. <br><br>Anyway, I am at a cross roads here as to what to do. I hate worrying about it, I just don't want to go through what others have if I can help it.<br><br>

 

PADZZ &amp; CTDCAL

I live 2 miles from the dealer and checked mine as soon as I got it home. It was O.K. and I felt much better. 8)

Heck, if for nothing other than your peace of mind - fill her up to within 1/2&quot; to 3/4&quot; of the plug. The worst that can happen is you could get some weeping around the fill plug if overfilled. In the not too distant past, that's how we could tell there was enough oil in an axle.

Mixing of the syn axle lubes will be fine but, if concerned, go with the Dealer lube.

You won't blow seals as the axles are vented.

The fill plug has a 3/8&quot; square place to insert your driver and back that puppy out. Mine was not tight and when I put it back in, it went 1/4&quot; further than the inspection tick put across it. Snug it in moderately firm and don't put your back into it and you'll be fine.

Best to y'all
Bill

 

My two cents<br><br>If you want to remove the rear end cover to completely change the oil. Be careful when you take the cover off, it is a reusable gasket so don't cut it.<br>My truck is a 4x2 with the 10.5 rear and it took the better part of 4 quarts of Mobil 1 to get it within a 1/4&quot; of the fill plug.<br>Mine was down 2 inches. I made a dipstick out of coat hanger wirebent at a right angle and trimed to 2 1/4&quot;.<br>My dealer uses a 80w140 to refill the rear ends. I used a 75w90 that the owners manual said to use.

 

CTDCAL, I picked up my truck at 5:15 p.m. It sure is quiet with all the new gears and bearings. I wish I could shed further light on the lubricant situation. <br><br>On my copy of worker order under parts it list two lubricants:<br>&quot;4 each 4874466 Lubricant G 1081033 Warranty&quot;<br>&quot;2 each 4318060-AB Lubricant A 1081033 Warranty&quot;<br><br>The 4 each 4874466 I believe is the gear lubricant. However it is not the same number as 4874469 Lubricant G which was added on 11/1/02. Neither of these agree Utah's statement, &quot;All American Axles receive and should be serviced with SAE 75W-90 GL-5 synthetic fluid PN 05102232AA.&quot; <br><br>So the mystery continues. I have confidence in the tech at this dealer knowing the American Axle. Until August these Techs worked in shop which was Chrysler &amp; GMC. The worked on both. At that time because of growth the D-C sales moved into new facilities and GMC into other new facilities. <br><br>As to fluid level, I would trust these Techs to know the proper level for the American Axle as they have worked on these axles prior to the 2003 Ram as they are on the GMC.<br><br>You are more likely to damage gears with an underfill of lubricant. If it is too full it will come out the vent more likely than blow the seals. If the seals do blow, they will replace them under warranty.<br><br>As for how I Checked my level, I had to use a piece of 10 gauge solid copper wire bent into an &quot;el&quot; for a dip stick. I used a tape measure and found oil level was between 1 1/2 &amp; 1 5/8&quot; below the bend. <br><br>

 

Phil,<br><br>Glad you got it back in it is all good. As for the mystery on this oil stuff, I am thinking time will tell.<br><br>I did go out this PM and pull the plug again on the rear and front diffs, made a wire thingy similar to your suggestion and my measurements show that the front diff is actually 1/2&quot; below the fill hole and the rear is actually 3/4&quot; below the fill hole, and I am pretty confident that these were right on with the wire method. I guess the finger method is too hard to tell, and I was really worried when I used my finger yeterday because every other axle that I have ever dealt with you filled by letting it run out the fill hole and then put the plug back in real quick. This is different I guess.<br><br>I think I was being too paranoid because of all the horror stories. But I would rather be save then sorry. I am just going to run it and see what happens, I am tired of thinking about it. I will probably do a dump on the rear axle when I do my first enging oil change.<br><br>By the way, any of you guys notice how much stuff was on the magnetic drain plug when you checked yours? I had a small amount of fine particles on both front and rear each time I pulled the plug. Never had a magnetic drain plug on any diff before so I have nothing to compare it to. Maybe as the axle breaks in it will accumulate a little more and then stop?<br><br>Thanks again guys for all the useful information.<br><br>CTDCAL

 

CTDCAL, My levels were pretty much the same as what you observed in your truck. I had a slight film on my rear diff plug, but the front diff plug was clean. I think had under 500 miles on her when I checked.

 

CTDCal, I think a little fine stuff on the drain plug is normal for break-in. When my differential started making noise, on the plug was about 1/8&quot; and there were some bright metal flecks, indicating something was getting chewed up. Using my little finger I couldn't find any Lube.

Have a good day.

 

I was considering upgrading in a year or two but I think I'll wait a while based on all the problems I have bee nreading on here. I'm coming up on 114000 miles and not a nano seconds problem.

 

Bulabula,<br><br>Did you do anything or add, or just leave it as is at those levels and how many miles you got now?<br><br>Dieseldude,<br><br>If you have not went down to your local dealer and driven a new one, DON'T If your really are going to wait! After my test drive and then getting back in my old truck (Gas Chevy 4x4), I just had to have one!!!!!! Oh so smooooth and the steering is miles ahead of the previous years CTD's! I like the old trucks too, but these are just too smooth. I think the problems will work themselves out! Maybe we are just being too paranoid with our new babies. Heck, if nobody had mentioned the rear diff oil thing, alot of us would never have pulled the plug until it was time to change the oil!<br><br>CTDCAL<br><br>

 

CTDCAL, I left the level as is. I've got 2400 miles on her now - no problems.<br><br>I was on the phone with my service dept just as soon as I was out from under the truck, but being it was 6:30pm there weren't many knowledgable folks to talk to. At that moment I wasn't confident of even driving it the 25 miles to the dealer for them to look at it, so it stayed in the driveway until I was satisfied. I talked to the service manager the following day, who did some investigation on acceptable fluid levels, and he satisfied me with his explanation. The explanation being that my fluid levels were ok, but not in accordance with the owners manual that came with the truck.<br><br>To be perfectly honest here, I think this one-half-inch-below-the-hole-rule goes against almost all common engineering practice established since the crust cooled. If my level(s) were lower, I would have topped them off myself (with dodge material), and noted in the maintenance log for my own satisfaction. I would never knowingly and purposely abuse my brand new truck to be a warranty martyr. <br><br>I will be standing next to the service manager when we're under the truck when I take her in for my complimentary 3000 mile oil change. We'll be checking the levels in the tranny and xfer case too.