Basic Fluid Change Instructions
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| 1. Using the square head of a 3/8" Drive ratchet, remove the fill bolt from your Jeep JK Wrangler’s differential cover. |
2. Place an oil catch pan underneath your Jeep JK Wrangler’s differential. Then, using a 3/8" drive ratchet with a 3" extension attached to it, remove the drain bolt from the base of it as shown in this pic. |
3. Allow your Jeep JK Wrangler’s differential to drain completely before proceeding. |
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4. Your Jeep JK Wrangler’s drain bolt is magnetic and the inside end of it should be fuzzy with fine iron filings. Use a paper towel and some brake cleaner to wipe the bolt clean. |
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5. Using a 3/8" drive ratchet with a 3" extension attached to it, reinstall your Jeep JK Wrangler’s drain bolt back on to the base of your differential as shown in this pic. Tighten this bolt to 25 ft. lbs. of torque. |
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6. Fill up your Jeep JK Wrangler’s differential with SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil. The Front differential only needs 2.7 pints (1.35 quarts) and the rear only needs 4.75 pints (2.375 quarts). If you have factory covers, all you need to do is fill up your differentials until gear oil oozes out of the fill hole. If you have an after market differential cover that has a higher fill hole (like a SOLID or ARB), DO NOT be tempted to fill up your differential with any more gear oil than it needs as it will just end up getting pumped out of the breather tube and make a big stinking mess. |
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7. Using the square head of a 3/8" Drive ratchet, re-install the fill bolt on to the differential cover of your Jeep JK Wrangler. Tighten this bolt to 25 ft. lbs. of torque. |
Thorough Fluid Change Instructions
In order to perform a thorough differential fluid change, you will need to pull your differential covers off of your Jeep JK Wrangler’s axles. For instructions on how to do this, click on the Jeep JK Wrangler SOLID Differential Cover Installation link below as it will cover all the steps you need to follow in order to do this. Of course, if you do not have aftermarket differential covers, all you need to do is follow this write-up with the only difference being that you will be reinstalling your factory covers:
Jeep JK Wrangler SOLID
Differential Cover Installation |
That’s it! Please let me know if you have any questions and don’t forget to take your old gear oil to your local recycling center (PepBoys, Autozone or the like).
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DO NOT be tempted to fill up your differential with any more gear oil than it needs as it will just end up getting pumped out of the breather tube and make a big stinking mess.
Lol I did this filling up the front diff =) Funny thing was the stinking left it made was in my friends driveway =)
You the Man Eddie.
thanks
Also any thoughts on Amsoil products from anybody?
Amsoil products are great
Dana 30
Dana 44
it´s the same quantity ?
The Dana 30 is what you will have as a front axle if you have an X or Sahara. A Dana 44 is what you will have as a rear axle on all but a handfull of 2-Door JK’s made in early 2006. Rubicon’s will have Dana 44 front and rear axles and they are a stronger.
Eddie
Just did this…Great write up. Its sooo easy to do, i will never have anybody do this for me again
Thanks
I just did this and I didn’t need as much oil as was listed. I filled until it came out the fill hole but only had about 1qt for the front and about 2 for the rear. Has anyone else noticed this? Just want to make sure that I put enough in there.
Thanks for the info.
Jim
Hi Jim, with factory diff covers, this would be correct and you have the exact amount that you need in.
Eddie
yup, i just finished mine on my 07 2 Door. required about 1 qt on front and 2 qt on rear.
Hey there!
Just to clarify; I have a X with Rubicon axles. so D44 front and rear.
I assume they will have the same capacity? just want to be sure i buy enough at the store.
Thx Craig
if you have an x, you should still have a d30 front and the capacity is about the same. just get the same amount of fluid and fill the same way.
I too was barely able to put 1qt in the front and 2qts in the rear. I have an X by-the-way. Would it be a big problem if there wasnt enough fluid in the diffs? Also, are you supposed to cut the top off the Royal Purple bottle cap? I couldnt figure out any other way to pour it. And do you have to squeeze the hell out of it to pour. …this is why I am not a mechanic.
that sound about right especially since you have a dana30 up front.
Hi,
is it really necessary to change the differential oil every15k miles?
ffs
hey ffs, no, it is not but if you drive your jeep hard and follow the schedule B service guidelines, it is recommended that you do
I just drained my rear d44 and the oil is black and the magnetic drain plug has about 1/8″ to 1/4″ sludge on it. The history: I had 5.13s in for about 500km and then put my old gear set back in. It’s been 7000km since then and after reading this article I decided to take a look. I’m worried that the gears were installed wrong although they are dead silent. Are my gears OK?
yeah, what you are seeing is totally normal especially after changing gears - even if it’s the orginal set again. after installing gears, they will create new wear patterns and will shed metal.
For Rubicons that have Dana 44 front and rear, are the oil capacities the same for front and rear axles?
no. not exactly. but, if you are still running factory covers, just fill the diff till it starts to ooze out of the fill hole and you are good to go.
I just went in for an oil/lube service at the dealership and they informed me that it was time to change out the oil in the diff’s and it was going to run 179 for the front and 169 for the rear. I told him he was crazy and I would do it myself. He said that I could but the oil would cost around $90, about $10 for the aditive and another 15 to 20 for the sealer and gasket. Oh yeah. . . that’s just for one Diff. Do I have to get this stuff from them or can I get it over the counter some where else?
no, you do not need to get this stuff from the dealer. you can get mobil 1 synthetic or royal purple for less.
Outstanding! Thanks again.
Quick question. . . just changed out the diff oil and everything went well. Very little metal shavings on the rear Diff drain plug (good deal). On the front plug, there was quite a bit more, may be between 1/8″ and 1/4″. The oil looked almost new up front (to be expected, haven’t had it 4wd much compared to 2wd). Is this normal? There is about 21k on the JK and this is the first Diff oil change. Without a dought, it will get done every 15k for now on. Wish I would have found this forum sooner. The dealership will have you thing they are the only way. Spent about $80 verses the almost $375 the dealership wanted. My hat’s off to you and this awesome Forum!!!
Would you recommend using 75w140 in the dana 44 axles if your running new gears with larger tires, example 35’s or 37’s?
Or is the 75w140 only if your doing lots of towing?
hi trevor, metal shavings in general is normal and not that big of a deal. chunks of metal is a real problem. needless to say, you should be just fine.
LAHAL, i have run both and you should be fine with either. if you are running 5.13’s, 75w140 would be adviseable.
Just did mine today with Mobil 1 75W-90. Quicker and easier than an engine oil change. Had the same issue as others have written about above. 0nly 1 quart in the front Dana 30 and just under 2 quarts in the rear Dana 44 before the oil spilled out of the fill holes.
I can’t imagine the amount of oil in the diffs to be absolutely critical. As long as the level is up to fill hole there should be plenty for the gears to splash in.
Is that aaumption correct?
unless you’ve rotated your pinions up, yes, your assumption is correct.
Am i correct to assume that if you use Royal Purple Gear oil , you DO NOT need tracklock Additive ?
correct, you will NOT need to add anything else.
This is awesome! Dealer told me today it would be $279. do you know of any instructions out there for changing the transfer case fluid for jeep wrangler 08? Thanks!
yup, check out the write-up link and you should find one that i did.
My manual says to use 80W-90. That is what I used (Valvoline). Is there much difference between 75W-90 and 80W-90?
naw, it’s pretty much the same
I did this over the weekend and it was real easy. My experience was similar to others here as far as only 1 quart up front and just over 2 quarts in the rear.
Question: From the factory, the plugs were apparently installed with teflon tape on the threads. (This was the first change performed on the front. The dealer had to replace the rear diff. gasket. I can’t tell if the dealer used tape on it or if the residue on the plugs was from the factory.) Anyhow, your write-up doesn’t say anything about using teflon tape. Is it OK without it? I haven’t noticed anything leaking in the last couple of days. What do you think? It’s not as easy to check the level in the diff as compared to motor oil or transmission fluid and I would hate for it to get low and lead to a costly repair. Thanks!
you’ll be fine without the teflon and the plug should not leak if it’s on to the proper torque setting.
I spoke with the dealership and they quoted me $240, but they remove the covers “to make sure all the metal shaving are out”. They said that not all the metal shavings will stick to the drain plug. How detrimental would this be if there are still some shavings and at the bottom of the diff? Thanks in advance!
unless you are doing a routine fluid service after doing a gear install, no, you do not need to pull the cover off to do a thorough fluid change. if after you pull the drain plug you find chunks of metal stuck to it, pull the cover at that time to see what’s going on. but, i seriously doubt that will be the case.
Has anyone put Mobil 1 75-140 in a D44 rear with limited slip? If so, did you have to add the LS additive from Mopar to prevent diff chatter, or was the straight Mobil 1 ok?
I want to do this my self, but I’m not a mechanic, and don’t know what the LSD needs to be happy. I think my Sahara Unlimited tow package from the factory came with Mopar Syn 75-140 with LS additive added.
you can run 75-140 without any problems and you will NOT need the additive.
Thanks Eddie!
Dealership wanted $350 to do it but I was able to do it, thanks to your write-up, for $54 & 45 minutes of my time.
Excellent write up. Going to do mine this week. Thanks !
good write up I use royal purple in all my diffs,f250,jeep and honda 4whlr no problems, amsol is great but expensive. glad to hear about not using additive
hi, i got two questions. is an aditive needed for rubi axles? only asking cus the dealership said that it was required, but it only would make sense for diffs with limited slip. and the second is the oil capacity with the riddler covers. they look a little bigger than the stock. should i put the normal amount in or a little extra? thanks
you’re dealership is blowing smoke up your rear end or doesn’t know what the hell they are talking about. the additive is only needed for limited slip diffs and just about every synth gear oil i have seen has the additive in it already anyway.
awesome, thanks.
Just wanted to mention that doing the front diff will require a bottle pump. There was no way to get the bottle nozzle over the track bar in order to fill the Diff. Thankfully I had one that I was going to use for the transfer case.
I too just filled my 08 Sahara rear diff with 3inch teraflex lift. It looks like the diff is tilted upward so that the fill hole may me in a lower position than if it had now lift. Because of this I was only able to put in 1.75 qts before it runs out. What should I do? get a pump or am I fine where it is?
so long as the amount of fluid level inside your diff is at least a bit over the bottom of the axle tubes, you should be okay. otherwise, a new diff cover with a higher fill hole is a good solution to this problem as it trying to jack up your rear end to get more in.