This Is What Happens If You NEVER CHANGE YOUR DIFFERENTIAL OIL!!
This Is What Happens If You NEVER CHANGE YOUR DIFFERENTIAL OIL!!
In this video I show not only how I changed my differential oil but I also show the inner diff cover magnet after 78000 miles and 24 years. Featured in this video is my 1995 GMC Suburban K1500 (GMT400) with just 78,000 original miles on it. The rear axle differential is the GM 10 bolt 8.5" version and has never had a differential fluid change. For the diff cover gasket I used a Felpro unit linked below.
FEL-PRO RDS55028-1: amzn.to/2CB8asS
**This channel is for entertainment purposes only! Do not do what I do. Do not take my advice. I am not a professional. The methods I use may be completely wrong and/or dangerous. Please seek professional help with anything and everything and do your own due diligence (research). Working on cars is extremely dangerous. I am not responsible for any loss of life or limb or property. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. THIS CHANNEL IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!**
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The rear differential is often neglected when it comes to regular maintenance. Great video, as always, Jimmy!
TreeFriar iis
That's because if they consider if a normal "lifetime" fill they don't give you an obvious drain for it. On my Lincolns it's only in tiny print that they tell you to replace the fluid if you're towing or the limo package but it's easy enough, especially if you suck the fluid out and leave the cover and gasket alone.
@@dyoel182, the obvious drain is the rear differential cover. For someone who doesn't do their own maintenance, it may seem like a daunting and messy task. Also, most people don't think about it because it's underneath the vehicle. Jimmy puts that misconception to rest with this video.
There isn't one fluid system in your vehicle that is life time. An honest mechanic will tell that before it fails on you, just saying
@@blainemcdonald6972, lifetime fluid a.k.a snake oil!
gotta paint the cover to let others know you take care of your rear end.
Or put a finned aluminum cover on to dissipate all that heat your daily beater puts out on grocery runs to a store 5 miles away.
Maybe he skipped that and had mamma paint his rear end?
My truck is oil sprayed and coated in thick grease I make up and apply with a brush everywhere, old motor oil in a gallon can mixed with 5 or 6 canisters of bearing grease mixed up and it lasts for years, my frame and under body are water resistant, hell of a lot better than ziebart
@@onceuponatimeintoronto891 anything is better then ziebart all ziebart does is hide the rust, instead of preventing it
@@onceuponatimeintoronto891 how good does used motor oil work to prevent rust? And can i apply it over existing rust? I’ve been wanting to preserve what’s left of my undercarriage but I can’t afford the good stuff that’s specifically made for that
I don't do any sort of mechanical work but I thoroughly enjoyed your video. It was edited extremely well (short and sweet) Your narration was very concise, and matched perfectly with the video segments. And...... NO STUPID MUSIC!!! Thumbs up.
I never even thought about differential oil needing to be changed. I'm going to get a new gasket along with required amount and grade of differential oil and this will be my weekend project. Thanks 1ROAD for taking the mystery out of this job! Great job!
100 bucks says you never did it
You have the perfect infomercial voice. Can you say, "but wait, there's more!"
Yeah my thoughts exactly. Also the G.M. gov. lock limited slip design is trash.
indeed , a sexy KZheadr voice 😍
or when are the Cloverfield monsters gonna make a cameo
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! "But wait! There's MORE!" hahahahahahaha
This was extremely helpful. Way to go Jimmy on your first time changing the diff oil as I never knew this had to be changed. Thanks homeboy.
I appreciate what you do on ur channel, and even keeping the older videos accessible, just got myself a suburban and looking forward to keeping it in great condition as possible ✊🏽👍🏽👌🏽
It's probably been pointed out already, but whenever you drain a differential or manual transmission it is always good practice to use a brush and some sort of solvent around the fill hole in order to eliminate any foreign from that area. This makes the fill plug area so much cleaner. Great video though, like you say most folks simply don't bother, this is a good lesson to those of us that intend to keep their vehicles for more than 3 or 4 years.
“Every day is a chance to turn it all around.” Powerful message even though this is a vid about changing differential fluid. I appreciate your content 1Road.
Now this guy know how to make videos you actually wanna watch straight to the point keep up the good work brotha
Great video. A couple of points 1) The use of a cardboard template to hold the bolts in the same relative location is a good one. On some older differentials the rear axle vent is through a hole drilled in one of the bolts, That bolt should be on top. Eyeball the bolts to see if there is a hole drilled in one. 2) On newer axles there is normally an axle vent mounted on top of the axle. Clean it periodically. A blocked vent will cause rear diff oil to leak out through the axle seals.
1) i did not know that, 2) a facebook group told me this problem, so glad they did, I was ready to change my pinion seal... i attribute it to rustproofing... that being said, now that I know, I clean it out every now and then, its a 10 or 12mm deep socket, very simple. I was going to replace, but I got it working pretty well. 3) nobody mentioned it, but loosen your fill before you start...
If the bolts are all same length it doesn't matter if they don't go back in the same hole
@@cruiser6260 I think you misunderstood what I was saying. On some older differentials the bolt position does matter. Some have small drilled holes in them and need to go topside, for proper venting. In all other respects the bolts look alike. The key word is "if".
Where do people come up with this stuff?
The first diff oil change i did on my 02 defender was an eye opener. It was like grease it was so used and old. Like i could actually hold it in my hand... Amazingly no visible damage done.
well done!! one thing I use is an air nozzle to super clean the magnet after most of the junk if off the magnet. the one thing you can do to help make this faster for future is to replace the cover with a drain plug cover!! and use a magnet on the drain plug!! that way you do not have to remove the cover every time you change the diff fluid!! this is important to change this often if you pull an rv!! this is the rear wheel bearing lube as well as the diff assy!! lol I get over 400k out of my old cars and trucks!! but I service them well!! 80k miles... that is a new truck!! lol!!
Some additional tips. 1. Using a die grinder with a surface prep disk will make cleaning the gasket surfaces a lot easier. 2. Putting thread locker on uncleaned oily bolts will serve no purpose. Clean the bolts and holes and let them dry first. Use that brake cleaner with a spray straw to clean the bolt holes then dry them with compressed air. 3. Put a little Teflon tape or pipe dope on the fill plug or you'll always have a slight seep from the fill plug.
Good info. May I add that when using that brake cleen protect eyes
You're gonna run a sander over the diff housing metal and flick grit into the gears?
Clean around the fill plug and remove the fill plug before unbolting the differential plate so that if anything falls in it gets flushed out. People often do this afterwards and when stuff falls in they either leave it or have to unbolt a second time to flush it out.
You never use a sander on gasket surface, use 1300 -1000 grit sand paper and try use a break cleaner while you clean , don’t give advice you dump …learn before giving advices
@@cruiser6260I was laughing 😂 too , the problem some of these jerks don’t know nothing and give advices
Thank you for your videos. I changed the diff fluids on 2 of my vehicles with no issues. I also did the cardboard mapping.
Great instructional video, very clear, enjoyable, and down to the point. Your perspective made me aware of a section of our vehicles that I had neglected to service forever. For being a beginner, you sure know your way around.
Neglected to service ?? No way is that possible, you just did it not long ago! Right?! That's right
You're wrong, I do go outside and say "I'm going to change my differential oil today."
😂
Hear hear!
i literally just said this today, so i've been watching some videos on it and ended up here
Liar.
I just whisper it...shhh...
Thank you - now 1- step further I would have done was to go ahead and clean- up all the bolts too .👍🏻
What I like about this guy's video is he gets to the point with no hoopla & and speaks clearly :)
Hell yeah! Me too!
Hi Jimi , you did a good job with excellent explanation thanks , will help lots of people with old rear and 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Harbor freight sells a fluid pump that works amazing for refilling the diff fluid and is super cheap. Takes the pain of holding and spilling the fluid away. Also you can easily measure out the fluid if using a gallon container like I did. Great video
Ya all the crap is on the bottom so the pump won’t get all the metal out better off taking it off and getting it all out
@@jimcatanzaro7808 he said for refilling champ
Great idea never thought about checking the fill plug first before you remove all the fluid and you're unable to refill the differential good job
I learned that the hard way long ago. I was sweating bullets when I couldn't get the fill plug out due to the head being stripped. Finally did get it out.
@@camarokurt Worst case you buy a nice aftermarket cover with a fill plug or drill a hole on the OEM cover and have a bung welded so you can screw a bolt with a copper washer - do one for the bottom to drain easier next time - better than OEM !
@@miltoshatzi4528 Generally you can fill through one of the bolt holes.
Although I am not able to do my own mechanical work, I found your explanations and demonstration most helpful in understanding why this should be done and exactly what is involved when I take my truck into the shop to have this done. Excellent video!
Wow! You made me feel like running to my car and changing the fluid. Awesome video, thanks so much!!
Great vid I'am OCD when it comes to changing the oils on all of my new cars from new.
Awesome job Jimmy. Very clear, concise, and complete!
Your videos are great and encourage the weekend warriors to tackle easy maintenance tasks that will increase the life of your vehicles. I buy one year old cars and drive them 15 to 20 plus years. A little TLC to my GM vehicles has served me well. I would however suggest that you solvent clean the bolts and internal threads before applying the locktite. Not so much an issue putting the bolts back in the same holes as the old days. Machining tolerances are much better these days but I do remember when that was a good idea. Love your videos for the common Joe weekend warriors. Keep doing what you're doing bro!
Best vid I've seen in a while. Few of us ever think to do this. Love my motorhead buds. Keep it running clean.
Hopefully everyone realizes you also have to clean the brake cleaner and any residual gunk out of the differential before putting the cover back on. He kinda skipped that part.
What's best to use for that ? Shop towel ..old rag?
Yep
Or, just let it evaporate for a clean result.
Thank you!!
@@snowcrest7863 It should not be allowed to just evap, the bottom of the housing needs to be wiped from all the stuff that if solvates down there.
Excellent video, great quality, advice and instruction. Makes a nasty, undesirable chore a lot less intimidating for DIYers.
I'm 63 and have done ALOT of mechanic work in my lifetime. The FASTEST AND EASIEST way I have found to clean metal surfaces is a wire wheel. Bench mount, drill mount, angle grinder, doesn't matter, just don't bear down super hard, let wire wheel do the work. I use this method on almost any metal surface ( including aluminum ) and have never had any problems. Heads, engine blocks, name it. Again, let the wheel do the work, don't use alot of pressure. The gasket material is much softer than the metal, with reasonable care you will not cause any damage
There are also wire wheels with brass wire, it may be a little bit ''softer'' to materials like aluminum, the method however will also work in the same way
Do not use a wire wheel to remove a base gasket on an aluminum cylinder Harley-Davidson. Two mechanics and a machinist told me I was an idiot. And I felt like one. Precision alu. surfaces are veery easy to damage.
@@busterland1805 yeah, don't use a steel wire wheel on aluminum. You can use a brass brush or brass wire wheel and be just fine though.
Bought my Jeep and I concentrated on getting all the fluids changed in the first 30 days. Focusing first on the most overlooked, the front and rear differentials and Transfer Case fluids.
It's wierd to think that that oil was pumped into that differential before I was even born and was still at work throughout all my life and that vehicle still runs.
Haha me to ay
It's a chevy
It's oil. If you really think about it, it just needs to lubricate. After all these years it can still do that by means of being oil. It probably won't be at 100% efficiency but it'll still work. I don't see why not.
Weird to think that's how you were born, a lot of pumping.
Yeah, the only reason to change that stinking mess is if you have time on your hands....the stuff is bulletproof thick goo for a good reason. If it was critical to have it changed, there would be a drain plug.
Thanks for the video. Siiigh. Yet another job I gotta do if I want to keep my old 96 on the road.
I have a 2nd Gen Nissan xterra and live in the northern snow belt where salt is prevalent. I have had oil pans, diff covers and transmission lines rust thru. When I replaced the diff cover on the X terra, cleaned out the fluid and replaced it, I also coated the exterior of the diff cover with flex seal as a barrier from future rust thru. It was amazing how thin the metal of the diff cover was on the original and replacement. Did the same treatment on the oil pan replacement.
Glad you mentioned the additive. Very important with some models.
And that was pretty cool I usually see diff that are wet probably never changed the oil thank you for the video
Excellent video Sir. Thank you. You made it look so easy while providing valuable info along the way...a real gem video.
Thank you for the detailed video. Keep posting these videos.
dude, your videos are awesome and give me confidence to work on my suburban. i really appreciate your work
Thanks brotha'! Good job, great video & keep em' coming.. time to go change my diff fluid..
Now this is what I call an excellent video. The lighting was good and all related parts and actions were clearly visible. And Jimmy was very easy to understand with great audio...thanks for leaving out the dumb background music many posters like to use.
Wow!! I've never had my diff oil changed. It has 315K miles on it. Will get it done this week. Thanks for the video.
Great advice and tips. No stupid background music. Clear steps, I’ll have to check your other vids.
Great video and presentation. I will be doing this soon. We just got through flushing the transmissions on 3 of our cars thanks to another video you did a while back. I will be doing this on the truck I just picked up. On a platform where the biggest jackasses get the most views and make the most money you provide something of real value. Its rare and very much appreciated thank you. Avery Neilson
78,000 on a 96' is pretty good. My 08 Silverado has around 150,000. Thanks for the reminder, I'll be adding this to my "to do list" along with the transmission filter and seal.
I have a 91' Ford Econoline with 40K on the odometer
Great video. Just the facts in a well delivered message.I’m gonna tackle mine ...next week when she warms up 👍
you are one of the best educators for an 80 yrs old person. God bless you. ajp
This man looks like a "Bad Santa" - Billy Bob Thornton! One of my favorite movies, btw. And thanks for the good video (but my ears are tired, haha), I do the same thing 2 months ago with my 8.5 GM rear end, when I put a locker in it, but I added a little NPT 1/8 drain plug to case, to refill axle without gasket changing.
I never thought that changing your own Pumpkin fluid could be so much fun! Great video mate! 🙅🏼♂️
I would jack up the rear wheels and run them for a bit to let all the old dirty oil out after spraying with brake cleaner or diesel.
Excellent presentation sir. Very helpful. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.
A good point that everyone should be aware of. In the case of Ford or GM limited slip, you must add the correct friction modifier as he mentions. There should be a metal tag on the diff that identifies this and the fluid from the manufacturer should be used. Something that wasn't mentioned is make sure the differential is level when filling it, as in not on the jack stands. This will ensure that the fluid comes out of the fill hole at the proper level, not elevated and overfilled.
Good point, if you don't have a hoist, find a child to crawl under that level vehicle and add oil, can't have 2ml extra in there
Well, if he had the front tires on ramps and the rear frame on stands and it WAS level, then it will be ok...
@@cruiser6260 Funny!
Thank you, Jimmy! Your video helped me show my buddies that its easy and necessary to change the differential fluid!
Nice swap out, and explanation for why to do it and how. Good work.
Great job, very professionally explained....thank you very much !
Good man! Repainting my 94 f150. Doing good has no end. I appreciate you
Thank you for taking your time to do this video. I really appreciate it. You did a great job explaining things!
Replaced an entire rear axle on my 2008 Xterra a few years back. A few months after purchasing it, the differential literally shredded the pinion gear to bits all at once, while driving down the road with just myself in the vehicle. I was totally blown away that destruction like that was even possible on a vehicle used as lightly as mine. Previous owner must have given it hell while towing... but still... I couldn't believe it was even possible. I've never been so distraught as when I saw all those pieces of pinion gear literally puking out of the drain hole when I first drained it!
Did it cause an accident?
So important to change the oil in the rear; great job!
Great video, just did this on my 2006 Silverado with 120,000 miles and it actually fixed what I thought was the transmission shifting rough. Not sure if it was low or the fluid was worn out but the truck drives like new again!
Wow, that’s good to hear! 👍
Do you know if it leaves any permanent damage?
@@Dbeats62 not that I’m aware gm recommends every 30,000 to 60,000 miles depending on driving conditions. It’s been 10k miles since I did mine and it still drives great
@@1RoadGarageI hear that if you change transmission fluid if it's never been change before then it'll make it worse I wonder if the same applies to the rear differential fluid
No, you can change diff fluid with recommended spec and friction additive if necessary. You can change the fluid on your transmission too. If it is an automatic, just open the pan, replace the filter(s), clean the pan & magnets, top off with fresh fluid. Some say you should get an exact measurement of what drains out, but this is assuming you have checked the level first and afterward of course. Some of these newer transmissions do not have dipsticks, so it can be tricky to check the fluid level. Drain and fill, never flush and use the highest quality OEM parts and fluid spec only. If a transmission goes bad after a proper drain/fill procedure, it was on it's way out already.
You are great Making and producing so useful videos Thank you so much 👌👌 So clean work
Sometimes it's a good idea to check the vent diff vent tube to make sure it's not clogged.
"Sometimes" needs to be changed to "Always"
Always a must
Yes that's correct it's an excellent idea to make sure that the vent is not clogged otherwise the differential fluid will leak out of the seals every time the vehicle warms up due to backed up pressure.
Budget Panther Fan where would that be...? Read nothing on that for my genuine chevy service manual rwd astro passager van.
@@isaacb4955 it looks like a little nipple on top of the axle tube, about in the middle. and it might have a hose coming up if it's an off-road vehicle.
I'm glad I found your vids,I have a 97 gmc truck,that I would like to do some maintenance on.
Thanks Jimmy for taking me under your wing....now I'm going to change my differential oil too...
Man I like how you explain everything and talk too much for us to understand your videos. Thank you for sharing and I like it
Hate to disagree with you. You must already know this stuff, but for us non-mechanics, his videos are very informative and helpful.
Appreciate your honesty about the Amazon thing and you getting comissions.😉 Makes it even more fun to watch.
Talking cat virus
Thank you for a well done video, with plenty of tips, precautions, best practices. I will subscribe!
Good looking Jimmy. I needed this video. I think this is something I should do for my 96 Yukon. I'm ordering a new rear drive shaft.
Dark lube doesn't mean it's cooked. Some gear lube was dark and stinky before it went into the diff because it contains lithium disulfide and friction modifiers in the additives. Also, you forgot to mention cleaning the gasket surface in the diff body. That's just as important as the cover.
You're right, forgot to film that part. I'm only human, Harry.
Yeah the dark color don't mean much, quantity and viscosity didn't look bad either.
@@PeterCieplyI thought the color looked good.
@@1RoadGarage how did you enjoy the smell of the gear oil? I have a manual transmission and on most motorcycles same type of gear oils first time smells you don't forget it so easy😖
No bullshit, but It’s really not that dark. -ford tech
I always use gasket sealant on diffs great video
This fella sounds like an infomercial host, but his content is legit. Guess I'd better do the wife's '04 Xterra open diff this weekend, 197,000 miles on the original oil. Great info, thanks! 👍
She’s usually leaking out a little bit when she is full. The haters should make a video. I think you did a fantastic job! Sure a little common sense would dictate whether you wiped out the brake cleaner from the bottom of the diff. housing. Taking off the magnet is also something you can do or not. Just bottom line is everyone does things a little bit different. You did a great service by showing a lot of people that have never done that before how to. Thank you buddy!
Going to do this in the future, recently did my oil change
Dude that was awesome you did a tremendous job you we're doing that I would do plus a couple of good ideas I enjoyed the video God bless you
Very interesting video. Don’t remember changing diff. oil on any of my trucks. (and I’m 67 years old) 🤭 But now I’m going to have my truck done. Thanks Stay Safe
I have a 1973 Chevy Malibu with over a millions miles on it. My Aunt has maintained it and kept it in good condition over the years when she bought it brand new. But she never bothered to check the differential and it still working very well.
Hw many mile
man, you explain so easy, thanks a lot !
You make it sound so exciting! Of the hundreds that I've changed for customers I've never once found it to be exciting like you do.
This is very helpful, we always neglect the rear differential
My suv was making grinding noises and hard thunks when you change the transmission fluid change both diff fluids aswell. I learned my lesson.
Great video! I am an auto mechanic and machinist/CNC programmer..and I approve this message..lol even the cardboard template to make sure to replace the bolts into the same location is great..but not necessary..but a great detail non the less..sometimes that does matter. Great video!!
Very important to put the cross threaded bolt back into the cross tapped hole.. that's why he put them back where they came from?
Thanks, brother that was fabulous!
All good tips to know, you were very clear and precise ,thanks for sharing 👍👍
My '06 Ram(217,000 miles) is getting this done soon. I'm sure it's never been done. Thanks for all the tips!
Gotta love the smell of diff fluid in the morning lol
It smells like a victory.
I know that smell. Lol
Fish Market
@@ptotheog8445 Yeah!😎
I just changed my diff oil for the first time this morning and yeah that stuff stinks man
Very high quality and professional video I have ever seen here, very clear and straight to the point, thanks for teaching us the correct way to get jobs done safely!
Thanks for sharing these types of videos. it helped me too much.
thank you - you made this sound doable... And some of the comments were useful for a first timer...
The guy talks to us like my dad does when he's on the phone. It's like he's yelling across a field to you.
ya sounds like he recorded it with the audio recording level too high. makes it hard to listen to him.
Hey, my mother DID yell across about 8 acres to us!
Try Scotty Kilmer---------------he is always yelling.
@@RobHTech No he's just yelling. He's also overacting like he's a soap opera actress -- you know -- a bobblehead. It comes from Attention Deficit Disorder. He feels a deficit of attention from everyone around him and therefore the need to yell.
I have never changed diff. fluid on any of my vehicles but I will put that on my to-do list, thanks Jimmy, great video.
I have a ta do list as long as my arm , seems with working every body else's stuff my ta do isn't ta done yet. Lol
@@charlesknaack1042 Make my shit priority before anyone elses.
I have 138k Miles on my 2011 Nissan Pathfinder and now that you mention it I took it to Valvoline to get it the read diff fluid changed out. Thankfully everything still runs!
Nice video. Straight to the point with excellent instructions.
@7:00 also also - when tightening the cover, do it in a cross pattern. That will make sure the gasket seats correctly.
Better to not spray down the inside of the diff with brake clean. The new oil will actually do that for you as you drive. Brake clean washes out the oil from the bearings and seals, possibly running into the axle tubes. That is detrimental to the new oil install.
I have a Toyota Tundra 2002 I changed the rear differential oil before and the truck have a drain plug and I think is time to change it again but this time I’m going to change the gasket to thanks for the video
Awesome. Thank you for sharing the wealth. God bless you and your family my friend. Keep up the good work.
As a mechanic, Ive cussed guys like this in my head many times, while trying to remove bolts that they have drenched in loctite, that did not need loctite at all. Like these rear end cover bolts. They aren't going anywhere genius!
As a diesel mechanic i agree. Only use it where the repair manual say to use it.
Its only a blue locktight its only very low grade its no problem at all and will help as an antiseize rather than a hindrance. And yes I am a diesel fitter trained by Caterpillar and I would use locktight there as well in fact I use it almost every bolt. Its not Bearin retaining fluid just remember to use the correct grade for the correct application
Black Sheep well said
@@mauri7306 yeah I’m a machinist and the blue is nothing. I use it on 4/40 screws with no issues
I could never get that Loctite to work!
If you've got 4 wheel drive, your transfer case needs love too. Dont forget
And your front differential oil...
AND the front diff oil.
AND the front diff oil.
Um, just to be clear, Are you saying that the transfer case uses a different oil from the trans(manual or Auto)?
And the front diff oil
I just changed the rear diff fluid in both my 99 Sierra 2500 4x4, and my sons 95 K1500 4x4. Each of them are over 300,000km (both bought with over 300K). Both were a lot dirtier than yours, but the diffs are both still on good shape. Changing it every 100,000km is plenty enough.
One of the first things I did when I bought my truck. Full synthetic, bought new aftermarket diff cover with heat fins and a drain plug.