Rear Axle Fluid Change

01z71 · April 22, 2005

Well,It's time to change the rear differential fluid on my '04 TB. I bought a gasket for it and instead of the paper (Cardboard) type material likemy truck this one appears to be made of rubber. Question is do I need to use any type of gasket sealant or just pu this one in and go?

This is my first time doing it on the TB anything to look out for while I'm doing it?

Thanks and I'll post pics when I'm done.

blue2kzr2 · April 22, 2005

According to GM, no sealant needed. The rubber one is probably a re-useable one, so you'll want to make it easy to remove.

01z71 · May 1, 2005

Update:

Well, I'm still looking for my cable to hook up the camera but I'll give the update on how things went.

The gasket came off in one piece I could have re-used it but used the new one anyway. A small amount of fuzz was on the magnet. Cleaned it off and cleaned the pan out real good. The Trailblazer is an '04 and currently has 17,500 miles.

A couple of things I noticed that I wanted to run by you guys.

1.) The spare tire is mounted so that the valve stem faces up. I checked the air pressure and it was 24psi. I aired it back up to 35. HGaving it face up means I have to lower the tire everytime I want to check or add psi to it.

2.) Had a hard time getting the tire down. The diagram showed the bar going in at an angle facing towards the driver's side. I finally got my light (Thankfully this wasn't on the side of the road) and it angles straight down instead of towards the driver's side. Once I got aligned the tire came down with no problems.

Thanks for the help and so far the TB has been excellent to own.

03TRAILEXT · May 5, 2005

Why a fluid change already?

snoman · May 6, 2005

Why a fluid change already?

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It is a good idea to change rear axle at least once early on to remove break in grit. On the spare tire, I face them up too as they hold let water and grit on top side of rim than when the rear dished side of rim is faced upwards.

Envoy Fan · May 6, 2005

Well,It's time to change the rear differential fluid on my '04 TB. I bought a gasket for it and instead of the paper (Cardboard) type material likemy truck this one appears to be made of rubber. Question is do I need to use any type of gasket sealant or just pu this one in and go?

This is my first time doing it on the TB anything to look out for while I'm doing it?

Thanks and I'll post pics when I'm done.

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What brand of fluid did you use, and how much fluid did it take?

01z71 · May 7, 2005

Amsoil 75W90 Severe Service 75W90 Synthetic Fluid. It took about 2 3/4 qts. I was kind of surprised at the amount because my Z-71 just takes a little over two quarts.

Envoy Fan · May 7, 2005

Amsoil 75W90 Severe Service 75W90 Synthetic Fluid. It took about 2 3/4 qts. I was kind of surprised at the amount because my Z-71 just takes a little over two quarts.

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You didn't mention the front diff. Your TB a 4X2?