Sorry to beat the dead horse, but, I just got done putting two quarts of syn. in my differentials!! I specifically told them to check it at delivery and now have 6,000+ on the odo. (5 weeks old) Thanks to this site for giving me that "curiosity" to see if they really did do as I requested. Anyhow, if you have an '03, check the axles- it's easy with a 3/8 drive and the peace of mind is priceless. Popeye.

 

I checked mine and it was full. Trans and front diff full too

 

Heard alot about the diff's being low but has anybody other than me and the one East coast Canada had a failure due to low fluid?

 

Thanks to you guys, I would have never thought to check the diff's so early. After seeing an earlier thread, I checked the diff's, the rear was about 32 oz low and the front about 16 oz low at 3500 miles. The tranny was OK. Do yourself a favor, check your diff's now!!<br>BTW, the original oil filter is a to get off.

 

Out of curiosity would somebody check their owners manual on their '03 for levels on the differentials. On an '01 HO the manual said 1/2 inch below the fill hole on the front and 1/2 to 3/4 inch on the rear. It doesn't say to fill till oil comes flowing out. Just wondering if it's not the same. Lon

 

The manual says + or - a 1/4&quot; from lip of hole. MY truck was exactly one quart(943ml) low in the rear dif. I too specified that the difs be checked prior to my pick up.<br><br>jt

 

OK, how could you fill it to +1/4&quot; ?

 

On a shallow downhill with the rear end uphill- nose downhill.

 

Ahh, I'm pretty sure you need to check it on level ground but if you want to explain how you can fill it above the hole in your given situation, I'm listenting.

 

All right whats the consensus ¼ ½ ¾ “ below. Mine was about ½ below.

 

[quote author=dodge-til-i-di link=board=20;threadid=11172;start=0#108135 date=1046042830]<br>All right whats the consensus ¼ ½ ¾ “ below. Mine was about ½ below. <br>[/quote]<br>Yes.

 

The 2003 Service Manual says:<br><br>10.5 AA takes 2.25 L (4.75 pts) +/- 0.03 L<br>11.5 AA takes 3.62 L (7.65 pts) +/- 0.03 L<br><br>It doesn't seem to indicate distance from fill hole, probably in the owner's manual.

 

ok so lets say the manual says 1 inch below the fill whole whats the big deal if u go a little over. as long as the vent is clear and there is some room for expansion i dont think u have to worry about blowing the seals....

 

I picked my new CTD up 3 days ago and also specifically asked them to check the differentials which they assured me they did. I picked it up, drove straight home and checked them and both front and rear diffs were low. They never checked them because the plugs were still painted over. The transfer case was ok and so was the 48RE. Took it back to the dealer the next day (it had just over 100 mi.) and told them to fill it up. They thought I was nuts, I even told them what to put in it.

 

my 03 dually sits up high in the rear, so it's easy to be + a 1/4&quot; from a level reading. My front was okay.<br><br>jt