Everyone should change the differential fluids sooner rather than later

[DanW]

I use my cigarette and booze money to get oil analyses done by Blackstone. I get to know what's going on in my engine and with my oil and I also get to live longer and keep healthy relationships. Win, win, win!

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[Blade1668]

I got my 3rd oil analysis back from Blackstone a few weeks ago showing up good. The dash oil monitor is at 15% about now and Fri is my last Jeep Wave oil change. I just went over 30k today. Changing fluid in axle and T-case to me is a good idea due to no filters for them. Many axle shops recommend change of gear oil and check wear pattern after 500-1000 miles after a gear or locker install. Is it needed your choice... Peace of mind or needed? Clean out micro metal in them? A gallon of gear oil is not to expensive to me $20-30 heck in the past I thought about buying oil in the drum due to having 4 Jeeps using the same oil. I was buying it by the case and gear oil 3 gallon, ATF by the gallon but I had a 12×24 shop and garage to store it. Spare T-cases, axles and transmission's. Working on my stuff was a hobby and distraction from work and life events.

 

[SwampNut]

Piece of mind or needed?

Peace.

 

[GLAD DAN831]

I would suggest everyone change the differential fluids sooner rather than later. Just opened up the plugs on mine with less that 3000 miles and the rear looked like it needed changed. The front was good but i am changing it also. Sport S with the tow package but not diff lock.

A friend's '20 Gladiator Sport Diesel is having his entire axle replaced under warranty @ 5k miles. Leaky right side seal. Water and sand worked into the entire housing. Keep your eyes open for leaks.

 

[Brfertig [HACKED ACCOUNT]]

If you have e an LSD in the rear its always going to look bad. It's the viscous material. I had the same oil in my rear. Front was clean. Here is a how to change and check the oil on our trucks.

 

[Jonny A]

"Looked like it needed to be changed" is completely meaningless. I've sent 20k mile diff oil that looked horrible to Blackstone Labs for analysis, and they said I could have kept running it. Nearly zero loss of effectiveness, but it LOOKED bad. Changing oil often is way over-rated and does so little.

Maybe overrated, but gives me a lot of peace of mind. Maybe a waste of money... but so ain't smoking, drinking and drugging. No shortage of that going on. My money will be wasted on preventive maintenance. I go by the owner manual maintenance schedule or slightly less miles. As said... gives me piece of mind.
You vehicle, your money. I do say though, it is nice to hear from others who do not do as stringent maintenance as I, that it doesn't always result in a failure or early wear out.

 

[Jonny A]

Well said. Empirical evidence is what matters, not emotions and "look." Also many of us are old enough to have grown up with 3k oil changes and engines that failed in 80-120k miles. Those days are WAAAAAY behind us and need to be forgotten. Times change, oil is better than ever, mechanical parts are so much better.

Right! I still can't get out of the mindset. 80,000 miles? I best start looking for a new vehicle. LOL. Doesn't seem that long ago, but I guess is was 20 or so years ago.

To go by oil life indicator that the owners manual says to follow, what is it 5,000 miles, 7,500 miles or something like that?

That being said... I still go in for LOF at roughly 5,000 miles. Probably
Probably could go a lot further.

 

[Brfertig [HACKED ACCOUNT]]

I had my synthetic oil analyzed in my last car at 8000 miles and the testing company said it had a few more thousand miles in it. So 10k is not a big deal for an oil change if using mobile 1 or amsoil imho.

 

[DanW]

I had my synthetic oil analyzed in my last car at 8000 miles and the testing company said it had a few more thousand miles in it. So 10k is not a big deal for an oil change if using mobile 1 or amsoil imho.

And, the Pentastar is pretty easy on oil, given that it is not direct injected. I've done two analyses at 7500 and they looked good. The oil easily could have gone 10k.

 

[WXman]

Just one question for the guys questioning the "look" of the fluid:

If a normally red or honey colored, transparent, fluid turns dark and loses its transparency, where do you suppose that darkness comes from?

 

[Whatscooking]

Just one question for the guys questioning the "look" of the fluid:

If a normally red or honey colored, transparent, fluid turns dark and loses its transparency, where do you suppose that darkness comes from?

Metal, i removed the glob that was on the drain plug and put that on a shop towel, a magnet picked it up from two inches away. The oil had that minnow in the creek look.

 

[Riccochet]

Just one question for the guys questioning the "look" of the fluid:

If a normally red or honey colored, transparent, fluid turns dark and loses its transparency, where do you suppose that darkness comes from?

Heat, as well as metal. Heating of oil starts chemical reactions that will cause polymerization which darkens the oil via converting hydrocarbons in to suspended carbons.

Take new motor oil and heat it to 200F and leave it sit there for hours. It'll turn black all on its own. The color does not translate in to loss of protection as that mostly comes from the additives. But it does start to break down over heat/time.

 

[NCLife]

Not to errantly spread fear this could happen to you, but to support the OP's recommendation, this is a thread I posted last year when I changed the diff fluid in my JLUR. Take a look at what I found. Sloppy work or QA? Maybe. I just hit 1800 miles and plan to change front and rear on mine just in case.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/front-diff-metal-“coil”-shavings.43994/

 

[WXman]

Metal, i removed the glob that was on the drain plug and put that on a shop towel, a magnet picked it up from two inches away. The oil had that minnow in the creek look.

Exactly.

Dark coloring comes from contaminates.

Contaminates are at their highest in the first several thousand miles of a vehicle's life. This is why oil analysis shows us high concentrations of metals and sealants and other contaminates when we do the first oil change. And it's also why aftermarket ring and pinion manufacturers always specify a 500 mile fluid change after installing new gears.

On a new truck, there is nothing wrong with changing the differential fluids at the first service interval. I usually do mine at 15,000.

 

[Blade1668]

Peace.

Auto correct and I didn't double check it ?? plus I was in the company of some good bourbon too. ?

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