Man am I depressed......

[Schmo]

I've got to flush my diffs something aweful . . . figure it's coming down to this weekend or next. I thought I'd start off with the rear as I'm not always in 4x4 so I'd imagine it's the worst of the two. I've got a new but cheezy jack set with a 2 ton jack and two 2 ton jack stands . . . will that suffice? I've heard unless you have a 3" lift you'll need to jack it up a bit. I think it was Kurt (rat patrol) who was telling me I could suck out the old and refill her so I don't break the seal, etc . . . I sure like the sound of that . . . what all do I need to make sure I'm not screwing anything up? Any tips would be appreciated!

[Kodiak Spirit]

Most auto parts stores will have the fluid pump you need, with a hose to go into the diffs to suck out the oil. Just make sure you got a oil pan for the fluid to go into and some rags handy. The Diff fluid is sold in jugs that can have a pump put on the jug, so you can pump the fluid back in the diff easy... fill 'em untill they bleed out the fill hole when level.

if your gonna do one, do t'other it won't take long. I like to put a magnet in the old drained oil and see what kinda shape the wear is... how much metal I am loosing... don't put anything metal in the diff, just the hose.

[Mtbikbob]

I've got to flush my diffs something aweful . . . figure it's coming down to this weekend or next. I thought I'd start off with the rear as I'm not always in 4x4 so I'd imagine it's the worst of the two. I've got a new but cheezy jack set with a 2 ton jack and two 2 ton jack stands . . . will that suffice? I've heard unless you have a 3" lift you'll need to jack it up a bit. I think it was Kurt (rat patrol) who was telling me I could suck out the old and refill her so I don't break the seal, etc . . . I sure like the sound of that . . . what all do I need to make sure I'm not screwing anything up? Any tips would be appreciated!

Hey Joe,
Just my 2 cents.... spend the minute to pull the cover off the diff. Clean the surfaces, inspect the gears and or locker mating surfaces, check the bottom of the diff for any foreign objects, or any amount of metal shavings. Replace cover as Kurt mentions, fill again. Peace of mind of what is going on in there is a good thing.
BobO

[Old Fart]

I'll chime in my .01 with BobO on this (hey I'm old - and a penny saved is a penny). Pull the cover.

Unless you have 22's on that TJ, what do you need jacks for?

[92yj]

ya i just did mine as well. i pulled the cover also, so i could see the shape of my gears. i also put Lucas gear oil in, i have found that there oils are vary good. total for all of it was 25$ do both at the same time. good luck and happy trails.