Differential cover

[az'03Silverado]

Does anyone know of a good aftermarket differential cover with a magnetic plug? I just changed my diff fluid and although it was relatively easy once I removed the spare tire I was wondering if I can get a new cover with a drain plug. Thanks!

[vhato]

Does anyone know of a good aftermarket differential cover with a magnetic plug?  I just changed my diff fluid and although it was relatively easy once I removed the spare tire I was wondering if I can get a new cover with a drain plug.  Thanks!

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

 

Their not cheap, but they are the best.

 

http://www.mag-hytec.com/

[azswede1960]

I also just did it .... didn't even take off the spare!!! And for $240, I think I will just keep it as is, and eat the cost of a gasket and 3qts Mobile1 synthetic 75w-90 gear oil

[pm26]

Keep in mind that finned aluminum dissipates heat as least three times as quick as stamped sheet metal cover (OEM). I would definitely install an aftermarket finned aluminum differential cover if i was doing heavy duty long distance trailering. for ordinary hauling and short towing trips it is probably not worth $ 240.

[juliedean]

PML covers are also very good and priced more reasonably. We have one of these on our Suburban and are satisfied with the product.

 

 

http://yourcovers.com/newdifferential.htm

 

 

Months ago when we were researching such products, I also saw some on the Summit Racing website.

 

 

If you are putting one of these aftermarket covers on a truck with the five-link suspension, make sure there is enough clearance between the top of the differential cover and the track bar.

 

 

Distinctive Metal Polish is an authorized reseller of PML. They ship for free (over $75 purchase, which the covers are easily over).

 

http://www.dmpolish.com/catalog.php?main_p...ex&cPath=201_75

[C & A s Dad]

Juliedean, I am considering adding one to my '02 Yukon XL due some towing that I do. I am curious, did you install yours or have it done and were there any clearance issues with the track bar. I have looked at mine several times and there is very little clearance between the bar and the factory cover. I had e mailed this co. and they said that theirs would clear. Pickups do not have this track bar but Yuks and Burbs do.

 

Thanks for any info that you can provide.

[juliedean]

Juliedean, I am considering adding one to my '02 Yukon XL due some towing that I do. I am curious, did you install yours or have it done and were there any clearance issues with the track bar. I have looked at mine several times and there is very little clearance between the bar and the factory cover. I had e mailed this co. and they said that theirs would clear. Pickups do not have this track bar but Yuks and Burbs do.

 

Thanks for any info that you can provide.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

Short answer: did it ourselves; cleared by about an eigth of an inch; put the rear wheels up on blocks and curbs and test drove; no contact, but ended up moving the trackbar back by pushing the bushings further in the bar. Installed it at 37,000 miles on the truck, we have about 45,000 miles on the Sub and no complaints, happy with the cover. Get P/N 10815, and you won't have the same clearance concerns.

 

Long answer: We installed it ourselves. We measured the distance from the differential housing to the trackbar, and it showed that the new cover would clear. For our half-ton '03 Sub, there are two choices from PML. To ensure better clearance, we wanted to get PML P/N 10815, which also looks better than P/N 9330. P/N 10815 has a sloping top. Given the angle of the differential housing mating surface, this was going to ease our concerns about ample clearance. On the PML website, there are links to blueprints of the two different designs.

 

http://yourcovers.com/dc_9330_10815.shtml

 

P/N 9330 sticks out 2.87 inches. The same dimension for P/N 10815 is 2.83 inches; however, more significantly the sloping design at the top of the cover looks to give an inch or so of clearance.

 

In any case, we decided to order through DM Polish after they assured we would get P/N 10815. We even ordered through the phone, because their online store just bunched P/N's 9330 and 10815 together (which caused our concern in the first place). When it showed up in the mail it was P/N 9330. As we were closing in on a big road trip and not feeling too much like playing the return game and waiting for them to get the right P/N part from the manufacturer, we installed it on the truck. Armed with a tape measure, we figured there'd be enough clearance. After putting everything back on the clearance between the top edge of the cover and the edge of the track bar measured out to be in the neighborhood of 3 to 4 mm. We test drove the truck: no contact. We also put one rear wheel at a time (to increase axle movement relative to the body) on 4" wooden blocks, curbs, pot holes, and whatever we could find. After all that, we found no sign of contact. Nevertheless, we took the track bar out and used a hydraulic press to push the two bushing further into the track bar, thereby moving the track bar farther away from the differential cover. We ended up seating the bushing all the way up against the surface of the track bar just to make it easier to move both bushings the same distance. This really opened up the clearance to a more than comfortable level.

 

To form a gasket, we used Ultra Copper RTV Silicone sealant, which turned out to be easier to use than anticipated. The cover had a very solid and well machined mating surface, so using this stuff between the two machined mating surfaces was pretty easy.

 

Lastly, if you do it yourself, don't forget to get a couple of threaded studs. M8 standard pitch sounds familiar, but just check when you get the package, which comes with all new bolts and washers. Use two or three studs as a guide to slide the cover onto the housing. Finger tight is fine, since you would be taking them out in about two minutes anyway; just make sure they are not loose.

 

This can be very helpful so that the freshly applied RTV silicone bead doesn't get smeared as you put the cover on. You can gently push the cover on as it is supported by the studs. Then after securing the cover with two-three bolts, take the studs out, and put in the rest of the bolts. If you decide to use a factory gasket, you don't have to bother with the studs, of course. If you use RTV silicone alone, defintely get a torque wrench. Torque all the bolts to the prescribed value so as to avoid over tightening and compromising the seal.

 

We let the seal sit for an hour or so before putting the oil in the differential.

 

If we had to do it over again, we'd get P/N 10815 directly from PML.

 

P.S. if you end up dong this yourself in your driveway, get a couple of 2" to 4" wooden or stone blocks big enough to have the rear wheels sit on them securely. Putting the truck's behind up like this will give you a more comfortable "work space." You'll appreciate this when cleaning the old gasket off the differential housing, and especially when putting the silicone bead up and mating the new cover. Taking the spare tire out for the day, of course, goes without saying.

 

We put all four wheels up on blocks, as we were changing the transfer case fluid as well. That way we didn't have to worry about an uneven level situation complicating draining the fluids and also filling back up to the proper level.

 

[Wingnut]

That's good info right there ^^.

[juliedean]

That's good info right there ^^.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

Not familiar with the GM pickup line, but for Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons, etc., the half-ton models (at least on the GMT800 platform) tend to have the five-link suspension with the track bar running right behind the top part of the differential housing. The above clearance concern is applicable to such models.

[pm26]

What I really like about the mag-hytec differential covers is that they use a moulded O-ring instead of a gasket. This eliminates need for a sealant and messy gasket cleanups if the cover needs to be removed for whatever reason. I have the same type O-ring gasket on the water pump of my Mazda 626 and it is a very slick design. the O-ring fits into the machined groove in the pump housing. Mag-hytec cover has a similar O-ring groove.

[juliedean]

What I really like about the mag-hytec differential covers is that they use a moulded O-ring instead of a gasket.  This eliminates need for a sealant and messy gasket cleanups if the cover needs to be removed for whatever reason.  I have the same type O-ring gasket on the water pump of my Mazda 626 and it is a very slick design.  the O-ring fits into the machined groove in the pump housing.  Mag-hytec cover has a similar O-ring groove.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

You've got no argument from us on this one. Actually, we saw one of these covers on a Ford F-350. It looked d**n good. The rubber O-ring is definitely a plus. The water pump on our Accord is similarly equipped with an O-ring, which made replacement much easier (had some experience with water pumps on other makes that used that "paper"kind of a gasket with a sealant applied. It was a nightmare to clean those off the housing surfaces.

 

 

If money had been no object, we probably would also have gone with the Mag-Hytec, but $240 was beyond the budget. The PML for $150 was a satisfactory compromise; especially when the whole idea of replacing the differential cover sprung from the frustration of having no drain plug on the rear differential.