torque diff fill and drain bolts? or good and tight is good enough?

[jalikaria24]

in my truck, the diff has a fill and drain bolt so i dont have to remove all 14 bolts and redo the gasket.
this is great and makes the change super easy

but the drain bolt is pointing directly to the ground so if it ever comes loose, im easily going to lose all my fluid aaha

the manual says 24 ft lbs for both

can i just tighten them good and tight? or how tight is 24

thanks

 

[Trav]

No offence but if you have to ask how tight 24 ft lb is then use a torque wrench. Do not use a large 1/2" drive one but a smaller one with a lower scale.
For reference it is snug and a slight tug.

 

[BHopkins]

I always torque my diff drain plugs. Gives me reassurance of avoiding exactly what you worry about. Also assures that I don't turn them in too tight, and cause problems the next time I service them.

Not sure I understand question of how much 24 is. Are you looking for conversion to a more familiar torque unit of measure, such as Nm?

 

[Astro14]

I always torque my diff drain plugs. Gives me reassurance of avoiding exactly what you worry about. Also assures that I don't turn them in too tight, and cause problems the next time I service them.

Not sure I understand question of how much 24 is. Are you looking for conversion to a more familiar torque unit of measure, such as Nm?

The question is as basic as it seems. He hasn’t done this before, this one of many threads on his differential: how low can the fluid go, what’s the best fluid, how long to let it drain, and yes, how tight should the bolts be.

Four separate threads (unless I missed one) and now, a question on how tight, with the supposition that the factory specification isn’t enough, even though the bolt has stayed on there for 17 years...

 

[DGXR]

IMO a guesstimate is good enough on a standard drain or fill plug. "Good and tight" is incredibly subjective and means nothing. So if you are not familiar enough with torques to do a guesstimate... get a torque wrench. You can borrow them for free from some parts stores. Once you have one, I'd practice on a few different fasteners and get more familiar with different torque levels.
Torque is very important with tapered plugs (the ones without heads that don't use crush washers) because overtightening can crack the case.

 

[Lubener]

in my truck, the diff has a fill and drain bolt so i dont have to remove all 14 bolts and redo the gasket.
this is great and makes the change super easy

but the drain bolt is pointing directly to the ground so if it ever comes loose, im easily going to lose all my fluid aaha

the manual says 24 ft lbs for both

can i just tighten them good and tight? or how tight is 24

thanks

The most worthless use of a torque wrench. Just snug it up and not make a science project out of it.

 

[SHOZ]

Depends if it use a washer or if it''s a tapered plug. Plugs with washers should NOT be over tightened or they are extremely difficult to break loose.

 

[jalikaria24]

Depends if it use a washer or if it''s a tapered plug. Plugs with washers should NOT be over tightened or they are extremely difficult to break loose.

yeah i actually noticed that. seems like the last oil change place got this one super tight

 

[Astro14]

yeah i actually noticed that. seems like the last oil change place got this one super tight

Unfortunately- an oil change place over tightening fasteners is a very common occurrence...those places can’t hire the best, and busy shops don’t put their best people on oil changes. One of many reasons that I do my own maintenance.

 

[andyd]

On my BMWs, I was constantly topping off. They were huge plugs with a 10mm female allen. Craftsmans 10 mm hex key bedded snugly in a cleaned socket. Hit with the flat of a 16 oz hammer head. Torque setting was gudentite. Never lost a drain plug on anything ever. Have had some that were too tight frequently.

 

[JeffKeryk]

yeah i actually noticed that. seems like the last oil change place got this one super tight

Count your blessings it wasn't cross threaded...
Please don't ask me how I know.