Diff covers with drain plug

[ShadowsPapa]

They made the fill plug magnetic.

Which is ok because the fluid, and thus particles, are tossed around like crazy (it's like a spray in there) so it's going to catch a lot, but then in hot fluid after you stop, heavier stuff eventually settles.
I wish I had pictures as a week or so ago I took my grandson to the Des Moines science center. They had a display with fine steel powder in tubes filled with an oil-like fluid. And the fluid itself had nano-particles making it magnetic. While my grandson was having fun ignoring the science while he made fun monster shapes in the tubes with magnets outside of the tube - guess what I was thinking of........... gee, this is sort of like a differential housing, oil, steel powders, and magnets.
My son later thanked me for taking Anson to the science center, I didn't tell him I had almost as much fun myself.

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[DrewsJT]

I am NOT doubting you - you're the expert at what you do. I'm merely asking a question for some insight and maybe clarification - nothing more so please don't take it as a "yeah, but...." thing. I'm by nature a very curious person........

In those industrial machines - what sorts or types of gears are used?
I've been around the equipment (my father worked in a factory for years and I've done multiple "tours" of automotive plants, John Deere and others) but haven't been inside anything larger than a Hart-Parr or Rumley or a Case steam tractor.

And in the end - I agree. For me it's not necessarily looking at gears - my main concern is bearings. I've got about 200,000 miles on the original gears in one of my cars - the bearings went south but the gears have perfect wear patterns. And these hypoid gears are "extreme pressure" gears that slide a lot during each contact. Good lube, they'll last forever unless something else fails or there's contamination.

Everything in an oil refinery, 1500 megawatt nuclear steam turbines and Everything it needs to operate and gas turbines up to 280 megawatts. Unless the oil gets contaminated or it overheats( extremely unlikely in a rear end) ball bearings run nearly for ever.
My point is, if I drain the oil every 20-25k (I'm ocd) and it isn't milky or contaminated with metal flakes there is no reason to go through the trouble of removal the diff cover.
I just changed the oil in my jt. (11k) and replaced with Amsoil severe gear 75w-90. I'll order
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tnk-12npt-ff and a magnetic drain plug for both covers.

 

[Rusty PW]

Everything in an oil refinery, 1500 megawatt nuclear steam turbines and Everything it needs to operate and gas turbines up to 280 megawatts. Unless the oil gets contaminated or it overheats( extremely unlikely in a rear end) ball bearings run nearly for ever.
My point is, if I drain the oil every 20-25k (I'm ocd) and it isn't milky or contaminated with metal flakes there is no reason to go through the trouble of removal the diff cover.
I just changed the oil in my jt. (11k) and replaced with Amsoil severe gear 75w-90. I'll order
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tnk-12npt-ff and a magnetic drain plug for both covers.

You ever do vibration monitoring of bearings in your equipment? At the power plant. Everything that had ball bearings got monitored. You can pick up early failure by monitoring.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Everything in an oil refinery, 1500 megawatt nuclear steam turbines and Everything it needs to operate and gas turbines up to 280 megawatts. Unless the oil gets contaminated or it overheats( extremely unlikely in a rear end) ball bearings run nearly for ever.
My point is, if I drain the oil every 20-25k (I'm ocd) and it isn't milky or contaminated with metal flakes there is no reason to go through the trouble of removal the diff cover.
I just changed the oil in my jt. (11k) and replaced with Amsoil severe gear 75w-90. I'll order
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tnk-12npt-ff and a magnetic drain plug for both covers.

Interesting. I used to work at Compressor Controls Corp - a multi-national that made control systems for turbocompressors that allowed them to run on the edge of surge, but prevent the very destructive surge condition. We had a big computer system that was made to simulate a compressor the size of a locomotive and tested various systems on it. The field engineers would go out to the sites where the turbocompressor equipment was and connect our equipment up and take readings and take the compressor to the edge and grab so much data it made me dizzy, and then customized the software for that specific compressor - the software at that time ran on their new Series IV controllers. I designed and built the computer interfaces for the controllers. I never got out to the field - I didn't then have a passport and where some of the field engineers went was truly scary, some didn't make it back without some big cash payments)
I was chicken and stayed back here where it was safe.
But I've always been fascinated by such things.
When I left they were coming out with their power plant control systems to allow generators and such to come online in sync.

And now back to our regularly scheduled "do we need a drain plug" or whatever the question was.

 

[DrewsJT]

You ever do vibration monitoring of bearings in your equipment? At the power plant. Everything that had ball bearings got monitored. You can pick up early failure by monitoring.

Yes. Laser alignment and vibe. My favorites

 

[smlobx]

With all this talk about rear diff covers I was wondering if a friction modifier is needed in a Rubicon axle along with the correct fluid…

 

[ShadowsPapa]

With all this talk about rear diff covers I was wondering if a friction modifier is needed in a Rubicon axle along with the correct fluid…

No, lockers don't need it. It's just to allow the LSD to slip inside under the right conditions. Otherwise the clutches can be grabby.
Since the Rubicon locks solid when you push that button, no slipping.

 

[Rusty PW]

Yes. Laser alignment and vibe. My favorites

I was taught to do alignments with a dial indicator. Then a couple of different laser aligners.

 

[Rusty PW]

With all this talk about rear diff covers I was wondering if a friction modifier is needed in a Rubicon axle along with the correct fluid…

No. The Rubi doesn't have a LSD clutch pack. Just a locker. So no additive is needed.

 

[DrewsJT]

I was taught to do alignments with a dial indicator. Then a couple of different laser aligners.

Me too. Single dial and reverse dial then optilign then rotalign ect

 

[Rusty PW]

Me too. Single dial and reverse dial then optilign then rotalign ect

Yep.....the same stuff I used.

 

[Sandevino]

I’m personally not a fan of drain plugs in differentials. I swear the non-owner operators go out of their way to abuse every component on the rigs they don’t own.

 

[whiteglad]

It is easy to drill and tap 1/8 NPT with 1/4 inch thick steel covers like Cav Fab and Motobilt.

 

[RockJeep98]

I’m personally not a fan of drain plugs in differentials. I swear the non-owner operators go out of their way to abuse every component on the rigs they don’t own.

I agree.
I don’t recommend a drain plug in the diff cover because if you hit it on a rock it can cause a leak. Changing your fluid is also a good time to take the cover off and inspect the inside of your differential as well.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I agree.
I don’t recommend a drain plug in the diff cover because if you hit it on a rock it can cause a leak. Changing your fluid is also a good time to take the cover off and inspect the inside of your differential as well.

Then put the drain on the top where it won't get hit so easily.















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