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Author Topic: Diff Oil  (Read 1976 times)

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Offline Mozman68

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Diff Oil
« on: November 25, 2008, 10:02:03 AM »
Curious about something.....

A couple of weeks ago I decided to lock my front hubs for the Winter so I could drop into 4WD if necessary when the weather changed.

Coming back from a trip on the highway I pulled into my driveway...when I came out of the house 5 minutes later I noticed diff fluid from the front axle on the ground.  I determined it had come out of the vent tube.  After discussing with my fab guys, the think the guy who built the axles but the vent tube directly above where the parts are spinning and it was shooting lube up into the tube.

So, I just put some more lube in the diff and unlock the hubs.


A couple of days ago I notice the same thing on the rear diff....the vent hose is on the shaft, not the housing, so I can't blame the gears this time.

Is there any chance the extreme drop in temperature over the past week may have caused some of this??  It's not like it is spewing out constantly...I have put new lube in for now as I don't want to do a complete change until I get back from my run on Saturday. 

Just have never heard of this happening before.   :puzzled:
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Offline FourbangerYJ

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2008, 10:17:20 AM »
The only time I heard of this is from a buddy of mine who runs a 8.8. They don't have a fill plug on the diff cover. His pinion angle is a bit high. He kept having the fluid come out the breather line all the time. He ran the breather line from the rear up to the front by the radiator thinking it would solve the problem. It didn't. He ran like this for a couple years. His fix was to put a fill plug hole in the diff cover. It worked. The whole time he had to much fluid in the diff.

I would make sure there is not to much fluid in there.

Have you had the front hubs locked for long periods of time before?

Have you changed the fluid since putting those axles in?
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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2008, 12:14:58 PM »
I've been lazy and haven't changed the fluid yet...this was the first time I locked the hubs outside of wheeling.

I guess I would rather have too much in there than none at all.... :doggy:
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Offline FourbangerYJ

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2008, 02:15:37 PM »
Quote from: Mozman68 on November 25, 2008, 12:14:58 PM
I've been lazy and haven't changed the fluid yet...this was the first time I locked the hubs outside of wheeling.

I guess I would rather have too much in there than none at all.... :doggy:

From what I understand after the first 500 miles the fluid should be changed after a gear swap or new axle set up in your case. I was amazed how dirty the fluid was when I changed the fluid out of the rear of mine after my recent gear swap. The front has not been changed yet. I don't have very many miles on it in 4WD.

I asked the Klune guys about how much fluid to put in. They said if I put in to much it will come out the breather. I don't know if the fluids expand when hot or what but something happens when there is to much.
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Offline Jeffy

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2008, 05:08:03 PM »
One of two things come to mine.  The first is the diff was overfilled.  The second would be that the vent got clogged or semi-clogged so pressure built up until it cleared itself.
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DodgeMudder

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2008, 05:21:09 PM »
I had my diff fluid blow out the vent on the front axle one trip back from wheeling, but I got the axle realy hot because I was running some bad gears that I had made fit back together for one last wheeling trip before regearing.  I would run it again and check the temps of the diff's to see how hot it's getting.
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Offline aw12345

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2008, 05:11:23 AM »
Have you entertained the idea that they simply forgot to cut the extra drain hile in the diff housing when they installed the arb locker? That could very well be the reason its puking oil out of the vent. Might be a question you might want to ask
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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2008, 07:30:09 AM »
Quote from: aw12345 on November 26, 2008, 05:11:23 AM
Have you entertained the idea that they simply forgot to cut the extra drain hile in the diff housing when they installed the arb locker? That could very well be the reason its puking oil out of the vent. Might be a question you might want to ask

Hmmmm....I have no idea....
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Offline aw12345

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2008, 03:41:27 PM »
Well ask the offroad place that did the work if they cut or drilled and additional oil drain in the housing. It's a mandatory thing for a dana 44 but the dana 60 housings are very simular in design.
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Offline chardrc

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2008, 05:04:21 PM »
ok this may not pertain to me, but why would you need an extra drain hole?
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Offline aw12345

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2008, 05:16:13 PM »
Because on one side of the carrier an arb locker uses a ring that sends the pressurized air into the carrier to clock it. This mostly blocks of the bearing so the oil has a hard time draining back from the axle tube to the diff housing

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Offline rcrovo1

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2008, 06:40:35 PM »
dont mean to hi-jack this thread but, is this drain hole needed in both arb's new style as well as old style air lockers? i have the old style rd06 that i put in an xj dana 44. i followed the arb's instructions that came with it and there was no mention of drilling this hole. if it is needed where exactly would it be drilled? thanks
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Offline aw12345

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #12 on: November 27, 2008, 04:06:40 AM »
it goes towards the bottom on the side that the air supply thing goes. However if you don't have a problem might as well leave it alone.
Look at the bottom left you can see where I cut a small slot where the bearing sits

http://public.fotki.com/aw12345/jeep-wrangler-arb-i/arblockerrear004.html
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Offline Mozman68

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #13 on: November 27, 2008, 09:14:23 AM »
Just pulled the rear cover off....sticky, gooey, black mess....oil really needed to be changed.  Will fill it with a 1/2 gallon of synthetic and see if that fixes the problem...also will look for that drain hole.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2008, 11:42:39 AM by Mozman68 »
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Jesse-James

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Re: Diff Oil
« Reply #14 on: November 27, 2008, 08:40:24 PM »
Sounds normal other than the black part.  :whistle:
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