miketriton

Reading threads about changing diff oil I seem to remember that the torque setting should be 30 ft/lbs. I succeeded in shearing off two bolts when re-installing the front pumpkin head.

Looking at the bolts fter shearing them (expensive mistake) it seems that the bolts had loctite on them. The dealer had previously replaced the gasket due to an oil leak.

I think the old loctite may have casued the bolts to shear as the bolt heads never made it to the cover before shearing.

Any thoughts

amartinson

Is it loctite or rtv?

Either way you are probably right. Unfortunately, I would think it would be your responsibility to clean the bolts and holes before reinstallation.

miketriton

I am pretty sure it was loctite as there was no RTV on the gasket or sealing surface. All done now and the truck is back and running. I guess a guy has to learn a lesson.

Many thanks

handymantim

If the bolts broke off during installation then my guess would be they were cross-threaded. Especially since the bolt heads never made it flush with the cover.

Once the Loctite is "broken" during the removal process it basically becomes worthless and loses any of its holding power. It does leave behind debris which would cause some resistance but not enough to cause those bolts to shear. It could cause the cross-threading though.

Dufrain

There are more than one kind of locktite,the blue is for normal bolts that you want to remove later.There is a red type that is for studs thats not made to come out.check and see if the old locktite dried on the threads is red or blue.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Why on earth would anyone put loctite on cover bolts? Take a drill that just clears the threads, run it in til it bottoms on all the holes, then blow them out.

Dufrain

id use a tap to clear the threads

miketriton

Red loctite was used. I ran in the bolts finger tight and seems to make up the majority of the way. I am pretty sure that they were not cross threaded. What makes me wonder is that the bolts did not shear off just below the heads but approx 3/16-1/4" from the heads. Anyway all done now just makes me a little gun shy of trying again.

miketriton

Just checking, is 30 ft/lbs the correct torque value?

Dufrain

Yes 30lbs is correct for the pan bolts and 25 for the plug.I just looked it up and did it a couple days ago on my Dana 70.The red loktite is for like screw in studs in heads and other pretty well permanant stuff.whoever used that on your rearend shouldnt have used it.The blue is fine for those pans,i have used it on almost everything on cars and trucks for a long time and have never had one problem getting it to let go when i remove the bolt later.it keeps the threads from rusting pretty good to so its probably easier to get loose than a rusted in bolt.

Dufrain

you may want to double check that torque spec the ones i gave you are for a 95 dana 70 and it may be different on your newer truck with the 80 in it.

Haulin_in_Dixie

I'll say it again, why on earth would anyone want to put loctite on axle cover bolts. Waste of time and money. Clean it right, put sealer on it, bolt it up tight. Why get all that crap in your threads that has to be cleaned out at the next change.

miketriton

Ask Northwest Dodge in Houston, they repaired a leaking front diff when the truck was almost new. These are the same people that charged me for the repair.

slowerthanu

Just an offhand question, Are you guys just using standard 90 weight in your diffs or are you sticking with the stuff Chrysler dumps in at the factory?

miketriton

My plan was to put 75/90 synthetic in both front and rear diffs. Following my bolt episode, I took the truck to the dealer and I believe they put 75/90 in both front and rear. According to them only the rear needed the synthetic and the front needed regular oil I returned the synthetic I bought to the dealer.