This is why I should stick to computers and pay somebody else to do these maintenance items I try to do. I don't do them so much to save money, but to carry on the dirty finger nail, wrench bending tradition my father tried to pass on to me...

Here's my problem - i drained my rear diff to put in the synthetic gear oil I just bought. When I realized that the pump I bought would not fit the quart bottles I have (the lable says fits quarts/half gallons/gallons), I decided to test if I was going to be able to pour the stuff straight in. With the fill/check bolt out, I stuck the neck of the bottle in, with the cap on still. Now the cap is in the rear diff...

What's going to happen if it stays in there? Any ideas on getting it out? Do I need to open the whole thing up?

My latest brain storm is to pour in the oil and see if it floats up where I can see and retrieve it near the fill hole. But given my track record...

Scott

Well, maybe I won't sell the wrenches on E-bay just yet.

1. when you take off the lens/bezel assembly of a mini mag light, it fits almost perfectly into the drain hole - it lights up the inside of the diff pretty well. Gently cross threaded, it will stay in unassisted.

2. peering in through the fill hole, you can get a useful, though limited view of the innards

3. plastic floats in gear oil, though it never mattered much

4. jacking up the driver side gets more of the old gear oil out and can help make foreign objects roll towards the drain hole....

5. coat hangers are tools, too. (I know what those chimpanzees that use twigs to fish termites out of mounds feel like)

6. if your metric wrenches run out at 19mm, a 15/16" is a pretty damn good fit on the diff fill/drain bolts

7. it is good to have cold beer on hand to use as enticement to get your neighbor to help.


Time for a cold one... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Scott

too funny. the plugs are 24mm. i have metric through 36mm i think. i do not think the piece of plastic would have done any harm, but am glad you got it out. beer is always a good enticement.

so i assume you got it out ?
airrikk17

Well done, man. And I just gotta say; I'm glad I'm not the only one. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> Hope the assistance fee still meant you had plenty for yourself.

What oil did you use? All those I've bought have a cutoff spout on the top. Pop it in the micro for about 3 minutes (weak micro), cut, pour and collapse bottle at the same time.

My neighbor and I debated about whether it would do any damage or not - he thought not, unless it managed to block something through which the oil must pass. Looking at the FSM and peering through the holes, we didn't really think it would, but we weren't sure about the No-Slip... What I settled on was if I couldn't get it out in another hour, I'd chance it. I jacked up the one side and had it out in another 15 minutes.

With the spare tire out of there, I had no trouble dumping the entire contents of the bottle. I'm taking that [email]d@mn[/email] pump back today. [Thing is, now, I remember the last time I did this, I bought a pump, it didn't fit the bottles, and it turned out I didn't need it - this time I wrote a note in my manual... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />]

I went with the Mobil1 75W90 because that was the only pure synthetic I could find at the shop on the way home. There were Castrol and Valvoline blends, but nothing 100% synth but the Mobil1. In my test drive it already seems quieter.

With the No-Slip, I haven't heard clicking or had much additional tire noise (seems to differentiate fine in tight turns, forward and reverse). What I am getting is noticeable, audible thunks when going on or coming off the gas - more pronounced at highway speeds. Only got to 45mph on my test drive, so I'm not sure how much the Mobil1 has helped yet. Aside from that, in normal driving I wouldn't know it is there and I'm very happy with it.

Scott

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Now I don't want you to panic or anything...but that same progression of behavior ended up being my carrier bearings. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

I'm assuming you've checked the tire pressure and it's even-steven. And the magnet on your drain plug - how did that look?

Pay attention to it; if it progresses to the point that it feels like the shafts are threatening to walk out of the tubes, then you probably need some bearings.

When I say audible, I'm not sure if somebody who was not listening closely would even hear it - probably just the hyper-aware me. Today both the thunk and the noise were greatly reduced. I'm going to guess that the synthetic oil made the difference, that or some fine tuning I accomplished with that coat hanger.

The drain plug had no particles big enough to feel - just some grey pasty stuff that seemed to be mostly anti-seize paste.

Going to keep my fingers crossed...

Thanks!

Scott

that grey pasty stuff is typically micro particles of metal. thats why its stuck to the magnet. It collects the metal articles as they wear off the moving parts.

The "anti-seize" was wear, typical however; gobs and piles of it might be excessive wear. I rinse it with Brakleen once I get whatever I want to inspect off of it.

I found what looked like the end of a spring (< .5 cm) when I got the 80/90&LSD concoction out of it just now and a teensy bit of brass. Around the block the locker's already quieter.

Tune your hyper sensitive ears for a growl from the rear end, tho' your sit. presently sounds more like just a fluid change after your last post.

The outer axle bearings will growl, all the time, load or no. Carrier bearings will growl only under load and make the locker "walking" more acute.