What fluid is used for rear differential?

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To change or fix rear differential leak, what fluid do I use? Also, is it necessary to drain ATF fluid first?
 
what vehicle we talking about here?

Check your manual for fluid grade, usually it is 75-90.

To fix a leak you need to loosen the fill plug on the differential, then remove the cover, usually like 10 bolts, keep a pan under the diff to catch the fluid.

Clean the mating surfaces well, they need to be spotless. Clean out as much of the old gear oil as you can out of the differential. Get a tube of RTV sealant ( I use Black RTV by Permatex) apply a 3/8 bead all around the cover, and make sure to go around the bolt holes. Use your finger and smear it around evenly (this will eliminate any air bubbles present in the silicone,) and let it sit for 30 on a sunny day, to an hour on a cold day. Replace the cover, making sure not to damage the silicone, and apply the bolts finger tight in a criss cross pattern. Do not over tighten, once the bolts are finger tight, use a combo wrench and tighten snug, not too tight.

I like to wait another hour or two after placing the differential cover back on and then refill. After a long drive or a couple of days recheck the tightness on the differential bolts.
 
94 Bronco. Do I need to touch the tranmission or drain the differential fluid to fix a seal leak, assuming there is a leak but I can't find it?
 
Is differential fluid the same as ATF?

Is the ATF need to be drained to work on a rear differential seal?
 
Originally Posted By: defektes
what vehicle we talking about here?

Check your manual for fluid grade, usually it is 75-90.

To fix a leak you need to loosen the fill plug on the differential, then remove the cover, usually like 10 bolts, keep a pan under the diff to catch the fluid.

Clean the mating surfaces well, they need to be spotless. Clean out as much of the old gear oil as you can out of the differential. Get a tube of RTV sealant ( I use Black RTV by Permatex) apply a 3/8 bead all around the cover, and make sure to go around the bolt holes. Use your finger and smear it around evenly (this will eliminate any air bubbles present in the silicone,) and let it sit for 30 on a sunny day, to an hour on a cold day. Replace the cover, making sure not to damage the silicone, and apply the bolts finger tight in a criss cross pattern. Do not over tighten, once the bolts are finger tight, use a combo wrench and tighten snug, not too tight.

I like to wait another hour or two after placing the differential cover back on and then refill. After a long drive or a couple of days recheck the tightness on the differential bolts.



Perfect advice right there. As a note ATF is not in the differential of most cars and I would guess your diff would be damaged pretty quickly if you used it. Like was mentioned above consult your owners manual and use the exact viscosity product they call for. It can be found at any Pep Boys, Advance, or Autozone.

And the reason you want to loosen the fill bolt first is sometimes it cannot be budged and if that is the case and you get the pumpkin off then you are outta luck because you cannot refill the diff.
 
The reason I ask is that I am disputing my charge that the state inspection station charged me. They claimed my ball joints need replacement and my rear differential seal is leaking. However, they charged me for ATF change but not the rear differential fluid or seal or gasket or anything else. It is a bogus claim that they may say is a requirement when working with rear differential.

They charged me 4 quarts of ATF as well as 90 dollars of labor. 94 Bronco XLT with a 351 Windsor requires 6 quarts of ATF. Additionally, I don't know any shop out there neglecting the opportunity to charge you for gasket and filter if they worked on your ATF change, regardless of whether or not they actually performed the work. They also told me they had to drain my ATF. That is another lie as there is no drain plug on my Bronco. Therefore, I am asking you guys whether or not ATF fluid is needed in working on fixing a rear differential seal leak, which I cannot find but they claim I have.

Thank you for any help you may provide and sorry for the confusion.
 
The rear differential has nothing to do with the transmission and draining ATF is absolutely not necessary to change any seal on a differential. No offense but, are you looking in the right spot to see this leak? I mean, it should be pretty obvious that the rear diff is nowhere near the trans and that you can service them completely independently.

Which seal do they say is leaking? The pinion seal? Cover gasket?
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
If they pulled the driveshaft, then they would have had to refill the ATF.


it wouldnt have been 4 quarts though, ive pulled the shaft on cars before and just about the most ive had leak out is 1/2 quart on an incline.
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
If they pulled the driveshaft, then they would have had to refill the ATF.

I'm about 95% sure this truck is a 4x4, in which case there's a transfer case in between the transmission and driveshaft. Draining the t-case fluid is absolutely not necessary when removing the driveshaft, but even IF it were, it only holds about 2 quarts.
 
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