I recently picked up a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee HEMI with 90k miles which has ELSD diff's which call for 75w140 fluid. When I first picked up the truck I was getting a bad shudder in the front end which was temp dependent and would go away once the driveline got up to temp. I narrowed the shudder issue down to the front diff. I drained and put fresh Valvoline 75w140 with the appropriate Mopar diff additive to no avail. I was still getting the cold temp shudder. On a whim I decided to crack the front diff open and replace the ELSD solenoid, wire harness and once again put in new fresh Valvoline fluid in and Mopar additive. Perfect! The shudder is now gone.
Upon opening up the front diff it seems that I was the first person to service the diff in it's 90k life. Everything was covered in a brown/rust colored film, almost like rust but it was not rust. I also noticed a small screen below the solenoid that I wiped clean, which is where I guess the solenoid/valving picks up fluid to lock/un-lock the diff.
So I bought it with 90k miles and changed the fluid right away, a couple thousand miles later is when I put in that new solenoid and new fresh fluid.
My first question, is there a diff fluid or additive that I can put in there for a few hundred miles to REALLY clean everything out very well? Or was my first fluid change and now fresh fluid after 2k miles good enough?
If I do put fluid in once again what is the best 75w140 to go with? Valvoline with Mopar additive or a designer fluid like Redline, RP, Amsoil, etc?
For what it's worth, the truck is my daily-driver and this week I'll be installing a 4" lift with 34" tires. I also like to drive onto the beach a lot during the summer months.
Upon opening up the front diff it seems that I was the first person to service the diff in it's 90k life. Everything was covered in a brown/rust colored film, almost like rust but it was not rust. I also noticed a small screen below the solenoid that I wiped clean, which is where I guess the solenoid/valving picks up fluid to lock/un-lock the diff.
So I bought it with 90k miles and changed the fluid right away, a couple thousand miles later is when I put in that new solenoid and new fresh fluid.
My first question, is there a diff fluid or additive that I can put in there for a few hundred miles to REALLY clean everything out very well? Or was my first fluid change and now fresh fluid after 2k miles good enough?
If I do put fluid in once again what is the best 75w140 to go with? Valvoline with Mopar additive or a designer fluid like Redline, RP, Amsoil, etc?
For what it's worth, the truck is my daily-driver and this week I'll be installing a 4" lift with 34" tires. I also like to drive onto the beach a lot during the summer months.
