Any kits made specifically for this or can I just use an ATF drian bolt kit? Is it possible to just use a tap set and a correct size bolt?
For the Dodge Ram.
For the Dodge Ram.
Adding drain bolt to diff cover?
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The differential cover on my 1500 is not thick enough to drill and then thread a plug.
If you have to have a drain you can weld a nut to the pan and the drill out the center. Or. Use the tranny drain kit.
You can buy an after market diff cover with a drain plug. Not cheap though.
Negatives----
You better check for clearance between the gears and cover before you drill a hole and expect to use the tranny thing.
REMOVE the pan before you drill or weld on it.
Why add a drain, not a big deal to open it up and let it drain. No gasket to replace just black RTV. I have done a twice on my 1500. Heck it sits high enough off the ground, you don't even have to jack it up.
If you have to have a drain you can weld a nut to the pan and the drill out the center. Or. Use the tranny drain kit.
You can buy an after market diff cover with a drain plug. Not cheap though.
Negatives----
You better check for clearance between the gears and cover before you drill a hole and expect to use the tranny thing.
REMOVE the pan before you drill or weld on it.
Why add a drain, not a big deal to open it up and let it drain. No gasket to replace just black RTV. I have done a twice on my 1500. Heck it sits high enough off the ground, you don't even have to jack it up.
Sounds like its more work than its worth.
When you used the black RTV did you apply it and wait a few minutes before putting the cover back on the diff? After putting the cover back on, did you hand tighten the bolts then torque it down after a few hours? Or did you just torque everything down at once?
When you used the black RTV did you apply it and wait a few minutes before putting the cover back on the diff? After putting the cover back on, did you hand tighten the bolts then torque it down after a few hours? Or did you just torque everything down at once?
Okay!
I broke all the bolts loose, taking the bolts on the bottom half of the diff completely out. Then used a scraper to pry the cover open enough to drain the lube out. Nearest I can remember 3 or quarts worth. When it slowed to a drip I pulled the cover the rest of the way off.
Wiped out the oil in the cover and sprayed it down with electric motor cleaner spray (brake parts cleaner works too). Cleaned surfaces with a scraper, degreased with the spray. Coated with the black RTV. Put the cover back on and tightened the bolts back down.
No waiting on the RTV to cure, no hand tightning and torque later. Heck I ain't never torqued drain pan bolts. Snugg'em up and then chase'em tight going back and forth across the pan. Works on trannies and diffs. Never had one leak.
Oh Yeah, Dodge does recommend full synthetic lube, with the LSD additive.
I am driving an 2004 1500 Quad cab Hemi, 3.92 gears
I broke all the bolts loose, taking the bolts on the bottom half of the diff completely out. Then used a scraper to pry the cover open enough to drain the lube out. Nearest I can remember 3 or quarts worth. When it slowed to a drip I pulled the cover the rest of the way off.
Wiped out the oil in the cover and sprayed it down with electric motor cleaner spray (brake parts cleaner works too). Cleaned surfaces with a scraper, degreased with the spray. Coated with the black RTV. Put the cover back on and tightened the bolts back down.
No waiting on the RTV to cure, no hand tightning and torque later. Heck I ain't never torqued drain pan bolts. Snugg'em up and then chase'em tight going back and forth across the pan. Works on trannies and diffs. Never had one leak.
Oh Yeah, Dodge does recommend full synthetic lube, with the LSD additive.
I am driving an 2004 1500 Quad cab Hemi, 3.92 gears
On several types and brands cast iron housings, I have drilled and tapped a drain plug in the bottom of the housing. Many of the older designs of housings once had drains. Do it with the cover off so you can see where you are drilling (the lowest part of the housing, obviously) and clean up afterwards. I recommend a 1/4-in. tapered pipe plug, a flush type (allen, torx or square). Don't run the tapered pipe tap too deep. Try to end up with the plug nearly flush, maybe proud by a couple of threads and use a little teflon sealer to make sure you have no leaks. I made the mistake, once, of running the tap too deep and the tapered plug went halfway down the hole before it tightened. I was nervous about that, so I redrilled for a 1/2-inch pipe plug. Fortunately, there were no issues with that. Once you have it drilled and tapped, you can reinstall the cover, knowing you won't have to remove it again for a while.
Also, AutoMeter makes weld-in bungs for temp senders and I used them on metal covers to install an oil temp sensors in axles. You could use one with a plug instead of a sender. I don't think you could install it low enough to be able to drain all the oil, though. At least not on all covers.
Also, AutoMeter makes weld-in bungs for temp senders and I used them on metal covers to install an oil temp sensors in axles. You could use one with a plug instead of a sender. I don't think you could install it low enough to be able to drain all the oil, though. At least not on all covers.
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I have read many positive reviews of http://www.mag-hytec.com/differential.htm products which have drain plugs in applications that never had one.
Kestas
Staff member
Our family has driven Ford sedans for decades. None of them had drain plugs for the diff.
They really don't need a drain plug, the cover is easy to remove and it doesn't make a mess.
Kestas
Staff member
The problem is now they use RTV to seal the cover, and the drippage precludes making a good tight seal when resealing with RTV.
Originally Posted By: Kestas
The problem is now they use RTV to seal the cover, and the drippage precludes making a good tight seal when resealing with RTV.
There are many aftermarket gaskets made that if you measure the diff cover there may be a gasket made for your specific application ,I found one for my wifes Superduty.I used to change rtv-ed diff covers without any problems at work,I think rtv sucks in place of gaskets though I have seen many applications where it has worked well .
The problem is now they use RTV to seal the cover, and the drippage precludes making a good tight seal when resealing with RTV.
There are many aftermarket gaskets made that if you measure the diff cover there may be a gasket made for your specific application ,I found one for my wifes Superduty.I used to change rtv-ed diff covers without any problems at work,I think rtv sucks in place of gaskets though I have seen many applications where it has worked well .
Kestas
Staff member
I usually end up making my own gasket. I can make one faster and cheaper than it takes for me to find a store that sells the gasket. Who can afford to drive all over town looking for a gasket nowadays?
ive always used RTV on diff covers and have never had a leak.
^^^Me too.
FYI, there still are a few diffs in newer rigs with drain plugs. I recently saw that the AAM 8.6 axle in my neighbor's '02 GMC K1500 has one.
Even if you don't opt for adding a drain plug or adding a cover with a plug, pulling the cover and resealing it isn't so bad to do every 30-60K miles. I avoid drippage and potential RTV contamination by making sure most of the oil is drained and then manipulate the level of the axle to move the remaining oil away from the sealing face. In reality, a little oil won't mess the RTV up on a very clean surface.
Even if you don't opt for adding a drain plug or adding a cover with a plug, pulling the cover and resealing it isn't so bad to do every 30-60K miles. I avoid drippage and potential RTV contamination by making sure most of the oil is drained and then manipulate the level of the axle to move the remaining oil away from the sealing face. In reality, a little oil won't mess the RTV up on a very clean surface.
Some of the dodge differentials (namely the 11.50AAM and 9.25AAM that I'm familiar with) have reusable gaskets and don't need RTV.
I bought an aluminum cover off ebay cheaper than I could have went through the process of drilling/tapping.
You can also find gaskets on ebay for about any differential, negating the need for RTV (and the associated cleaning and setting time).
I bought an aluminum cover off ebay cheaper than I could have went through the process of drilling/tapping.
You can also find gaskets on ebay for about any differential, negating the need for RTV (and the associated cleaning and setting time).
Why bother when you can use syn oil like Amsoil and extend the drain interval?
Originally Posted By: PT1
Why bother when you can use syn oil like Amsoil and extend the drain interval?
A caveat to your statement: You still have to change it regularly. Because there are no filters involved (a magnet if you are lucky or if you add it), gunk and wear metals eventually build up to harmful levels. If you run a tow rig and get the oil hot on a regular basis (250-270 degrees isn't unusual), even syn oxidizes from heat and shears from the hypoid action. It may take longer than a cheap dino, but it still wears out and needs to be changed out. Even a good syn might need changing at 30-60K miles of hard use.
Why bother when you can use syn oil like Amsoil and extend the drain interval?
A caveat to your statement: You still have to change it regularly. Because there are no filters involved (a magnet if you are lucky or if you add it), gunk and wear metals eventually build up to harmful levels. If you run a tow rig and get the oil hot on a regular basis (250-270 degrees isn't unusual), even syn oxidizes from heat and shears from the hypoid action. It may take longer than a cheap dino, but it still wears out and needs to be changed out. Even a good syn might need changing at 30-60K miles of hard use.
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Originally Posted By: PT1
Why bother when you can use syn oil like Amsoil and extend the drain interval?
A caveat to your statement: You still have to change it regularly. Because there are no filters involved (a magnet if you are lucky or if you add it), gunk and wear metals eventually build up to harmful levels. If you run a tow rig and get the oil hot on a regular basis (250-270 degrees isn't unusual), even syn oxidizes from heat and shears from the hypoid action. It may take longer than a cheap dino, but it still wears out and needs to be changed out. Even a good syn might need changing at 30-60K miles of hard use.
Ok lets call the OCI 50,000 for severe which is what my truck is. How hard is it to do 2 changes every 100k versus dealing with a drain bolt that doesn't get the gremlins off the magnet anyway? FWIW I have a friend with a tow truck that runs Amsoil SVG and his OCI is 200-250k. Has 3 trucks all with 300-500k on them and never a diff issue. He coonverts them to Amsoil at 1,000 miles. Then changes every 200-250 whether it needs it or not.....
Originally Posted By: PT1
Why bother when you can use syn oil like Amsoil and extend the drain interval?
A caveat to your statement: You still have to change it regularly. Because there are no filters involved (a magnet if you are lucky or if you add it), gunk and wear metals eventually build up to harmful levels. If you run a tow rig and get the oil hot on a regular basis (250-270 degrees isn't unusual), even syn oxidizes from heat and shears from the hypoid action. It may take longer than a cheap dino, but it still wears out and needs to be changed out. Even a good syn might need changing at 30-60K miles of hard use.
Ok lets call the OCI 50,000 for severe which is what my truck is. How hard is it to do 2 changes every 100k versus dealing with a drain bolt that doesn't get the gremlins off the magnet anyway? FWIW I have a friend with a tow truck that runs Amsoil SVG and his OCI is 200-250k. Has 3 trucks all with 300-500k on them and never a diff issue. He coonverts them to Amsoil at 1,000 miles. Then changes every 200-250 whether it needs it or not.....
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