Replacing Differential Girdle ?'s

[bcollie67]

I am having to replace the stock Differential cover on my 2002 GT because it is leaking.

-How easy is the swap?

-Whats the best thing to use to seal the new one with?

-How much oil is needed?

-I've had to top off my rear end fluid before and it's not a simple task trying to feed oil into the fill hole. What is the best method for trying to fill the rear end with oil.


Sorry for all the questions and I know they are very trivial and newbie but I want to make sure I do it right and seal it off properly.

 

[Mustang92]

Is the cover bent? The reason they leak is due to a bad sealing job in the first place. The cover shouldn't be an issue unless someone was under there with a screw driver prying on it too hard in one spot and it bent.

Black silicone (or any oil resistant silicone) is what I use the key is having a perfectly flat surface and clean. I use a razor blade and carefully (do not gouge the metal) scrape both surfaces clean of any old gasket or silicone. Then I use scotch bright or a light sand paper to further clean it of any residue and finally use brake cleaner or carb cleaner or alcohol to clean both surfaces. Then when you put the new silicone on just make a nice clean bead on the cover without going to crazy you don't need to use a full think of silicone to make it seal in fact most mechanics will spread it out and use a pretty light layer. If the surfaces are perfectly clean and free of oil they will seal just fine.

Check your manual for the right amount of gear oil I don't recall the exact amount off hand but on a dry pumpkin I'd put in close to the amount they recommend and watch the fill level hole to make sure it's right.

Best way I've found is use a 3/8" hose like a vacuum line or fuel line about 7-8" long and attach it to the end of the bottle top. Gear oil bottles usually all have a cone shaped tip and just make sure not to cut it off too much so the hose fits over it. That way you have more flexibility with the bottle while you are filling it up. You really have to be able to squeeze the bottle as you fill and you can't do that without the extra hose attached to it.

Bill

 

[bcollie67]

Thanks Mustang92!!!!

Yeah the cover is bent from being improperly jacked up. I've heard since then that this is a regularly occurring problem with these cars. I've jacked the rear up many times in the past but guess I just caught it wrong this time.

Thanks for the info!!!!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I beat my stock one back in shape and I sealed it up with Ultra Copper RTV. Worked great.

I used a gasket once, on a Mustang I had with an aftermarket girdle....F--- that. It leaked all the time after I beat the car. I took that thing, tried it again..same. Then I RTV'd it...problem solved.

 

[mixedbreed02gt]

hey bro, I had the same problem as you and so instead of having that happen, I just got a Rockcrusher 8.8 diff cover. this is a heavy duty steel/iron cover and it works beautifully.

8.8 Differential Cover from Rockcrusher Diffs

they are $85 + $15 shipping.

 

[Zoie_daGT]

If you are working on the girdle, I would suggest you get a replacement if you can afford it. They are A LOT easier to fill and drain since they have the drain holes and such built into them. Ford just uses a piece of cheap stamped metal. Also, I agree that the gasket is worthless. I used it and ended up using some RTV since everything else was leaking.

 

[neuf]

I need to stop jacking my car up that way. Mine leaked years ago, but I just placed a new gaket made of RTV and its been fine since.