Rear DIfferential Fill/Drain Plug

[savegoodautonfg]

I don't have one at all anywhere on my rear differential cover. I was wondering could i just drain it by unbolting the bolts and i could fill it up by puttin on all of the bolts except the top one and filling thru there?

 

[HISSIN50]

There's a fill plug on the front of the housing.

The drain plug issue is one reason girdles are so popular.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Where on the front of the housing?

I can't find it.

Can you please find me a picture hissin?

 

[JChalfan]

I don't have a picture, but it's kinda tucked away in there. On the drivers side I believe. It's not real noticible, you remove it with a 3/8 extension. The plug just has a 3/8 square hole in the front. It's up towards the top. Feel around and you'll find it.

You drain it by taking off the back cover. Remove all the bolts except the top center one. Loosen the top center one a little, and crack the cover loose. You leave the one bolt so the cover doesn't fall off all the way, and get fluid everywhere.

EDIT: here's a pic I found on google, I circled the fill plug.

Jeff

 

[savegoodautonfg]

thanks for the pic now if i look under my car and the rear diff cover is facing me from the back of the car is that what this picture is showing or no

 

[bill302]

do you see the mans hand in the picture (bottom left) thats where the driveshaft is mounted.its hard to see from under the car because of that fin you see in the picture but its up there on the drivers side looking back at the axle from the driveshaft...

 

[JChalfan]

The pic is showing the front if the differential. If you crawled under there and looked from the transmission, that is what you should see.

Jeff

 

[savegoodautonfg]

That sounds good so that means if im looking at the cover from the back of the car then its like on the other side of what i can see.

 

[TRWXXA]

That sounds good so that means if im looking at the cover from the back of the car then its like on the other side of what i can see.

Unless you get the car up on a lift, you probably won't see the fill plug. Just feel around for the square hole in the front of it, and put a 3/8" extension in it to remove.

You'll probably want to get a cheap fluid pump to fill the housing, since it's nearly impossible to get a bottle of gear lube anywhere near the fill hole. For $5 to $10 you can get a pump that screws onto the top of the bottle. It takes about 2 qts, 8 ounces to fill -- 2 qts, 4 ounces of lube and a 4 ounce bottle of friction modifier does the trick.

 

[HISSIN50]

Very nice input from everyone.

One other thing: When you go to loosen the fill plug (do this before removing the cover so you know if it's an issue before you remove the fluid), I'd recommend you wear your Mechanics gloves. More than one member in here has ripped his hand open on metal in the area when the fill plug breaks loose.

Good luck.

 

[dec322]

Be prepared to throw away all the clothing that you are wearing. That stuff stinks worse than anything I've ever smelled. I tried to fill it without the pump (bad idea) and ended up getting soaked. The day I changed the fluid was a bad day for me.

 

[TRWXXA]

One other thing: When you go to loosen the fill plug (do this before removing the cover so you know if it's an issue before you remove the fluid).

If that's the case, then you can remove the vent from the top of the right side axle tube, and fill through the hole. I forget what size wrench it takes -- 9/16" perhaps?

 

[HISSIN50]

If that's the case, then you can remove the vent from the top of the right side axle tube, and fill through the hole. I forget what size wrench it takes -- 9/16" perhaps?

While this is correct, I dont go off of fluid specs when filling - I watch for it to come out the fill plug. I'd use the vent for convenience of pouring, but still need the fill plug to come off.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Is the fill plug going to be hard to remove?