Originally Posted By: Artem
My question is, since I NEVER engage the front axle and only drive with the dually's doing all the work, is it really necessary to change the oil in the front axle? I mean, sure the gears are spinning since the front tires are rolling but they aren't getting any LOAD, unlike the read axle does. Why on earth would RAM suggest I dump perfectly good oil from the front axle every 15k miles? It doesn't make any sense to me.
The last time I changed the fluid, the rear axle lube looked a bit darker then it went in and was loaded with metallic bits floating in it, the front looked clean as the day it went in! with not much metal in the oil.
Who else thinks that Chrysler is out to get my money and nothing more with this absurd maintenance schedule for the front axle, which isn't even in use!!
for front axle i don't know dodge but if it's anything like the GM indep. front suspension (IFS) then the ring & pinion does not turn unless you have 4wd engaged.
while parked in 2wd see if you can turn your front drive shaft by hand, if so then that's the case and you may have 100k miles on the truck but not on the front axle.
but if the front axle is turning while you drive, then you are correct it's not loaded and you are only wearing the coast side of gear not the drive side. typical trucks/vans go 100k miles on rear axle oil before changing and i've seen a few that see normal use that drained clean, so i would not worry at all about the front axle.
the way things are today, the dealer is just checking front axle fluid level and billing you for parts/labor never done saying the fluid was changed.