9.5" Rear Diff

[2005LT]

Good evening,

 

Well, I picked up my 75W90 synthetic oil this afternoon to do a drain & fill on my rear diff to clean out the break-in junk. I have the 9.5" 14-bolt 3.73 trailering axle (not the 8.6" diff) and was under the impression that the HD diffs had drain plugs. Am I missing something...

 

(View towards the front of the truck. I assume the plug mid-way up is the fill?)

 

(View from underneath looking toward the back)

 

(Right underneath looking up at the bottom of the diff)

 

Looks like I need a gasket too

[knipper_03]

thats a bummer and surprising. just remove the fill plug and lift the front of the truck up straight with a crane

[MS3DALE]

Must have removed it for '09 (My '07 has a drain plug that I've used)

[pm26]

Must have removed it for '09 (My '07 has a drain plug that I've used)

 

They should also remove the fill plug.

To fill it up with fresh oil, you would pick up the truck vertically with a crane by the tow hitch, fill the differential with the required amount of oil and bolt on the rear cover while the truck is still hanging in the vertical position. Quite simple, isn't it?

[foghorn23]

Does your truck have the G80 rear end or is it an open diff? Just wondering if that might be the difference.... On a separate note, my 04 Silverado Z71 didn't have a drain plug either. I just assumed they value engineered it out. Glad to hear some of the 07+ trucks have the drain plug.

[2005LT]

Must have removed it for '09 (My '07 has a drain plug that I've used)

 

Dammit! I shoulda known, that's about my typically level of luck Thanks for the responses guys, I thought I was having a dumb moment when I didn't see the drain plug anywhere. I knew I had heard of others with the 9.5" diff using a factory drain plug.

 

To answer your question movinon, yes I do have the G80 diff.

 

Thanks for the idea Hank!...I'll head down to my local crane rental shop tomorrow and see what they got

[music]

Well, I knew that the 8.5" axles didn't have a plug, but I would have swore that the NHT axle did. Don't the trucks use full synthetic now and, if that's the case, do they even have a maintenance interval? I plan to change mine, and had considered putting on a mag-hytec for the extra fluid and the drain plug... since I tow (a little pricey though). That said, it's probably better to remove the cover and clean out any gunk that may be in there rather than just drain/fill. I looked under a Tundra when checking them out, and they *do* have a drain plug. Go figure...

[2005LT]

Me too Robert, I was thinking the same thing about the NHT axle and didn't even think twice about it till I got under the truck. It's true that there's no maintenance schedule, at least not in my owner's manual. I figure a change somewhere between 6k - 10k miles certainly can't hurt.

 

It's probably better this way anyway, since like you said, it gives you the chance to clean out sludge in there with the cover off. Only downside is it increases the chance of leaks/sweating after removing & replacing the cover.

[MS3DALE]

I've always changed the rear-end fluid in my trucks around 4-5k for the first time just to get all the little metal shavings out of there as well.

After that I do it about every 15-20k just for piece of mind!

And I even removed the cover on mine,even with the drain plug,so I could clean all the metal shavings off of the magnet thats in there,WAIT until you see how much is on it!!

[brims]

Well, I knew that the 8.5" axles didn't have a plug, but I would have swore that the NHT axle did. Don't the trucks use full synthetic now and, if that's the case, do they even have a maintenance interval? I plan to change mine, and had considered putting on a mag-hytec for the extra fluid and the drain plug... since I tow (a little pricey though). That said, it's probably better to remove the cover and clean out any gunk that may be in there rather than just drain/fill. I looked under a Tundra when checking them out, and they *do* have a drain plug. Go figure...

 

Doesn't matter, the computer will go WOT and it'll be totaled by a sapling before you need to change the fluid.

[700 sportsman]

Just an FYI, my local napa had a gasket for my 14 bolt 9.5", so if you don't want to order one, you might try there

[Jim67]

Well, I knew that the 8.5" axles didn't have a plug, but I would have swore that the NHT axle did. Don't the trucks use full synthetic now and, if that's the case, do they even have a maintenance interval? I plan to change mine, and had considered putting on a mag-hytec for the extra fluid and the drain plug... since I tow (a little pricey though). That said, it's probably better to remove the cover and clean out any gunk that may be in there rather than just drain/fill. I looked under a Tundra when checking them out, and they *do* have a drain plug. Go figure...

 

Doesn't matter, the computer will go WOT and it'll be totaled by a sapling before you need to change the fluid.

 

 

 

Hey, at least we can check our tranny fluid and change the oil filter without disassembling the truck.

[Bronc]

No drain plug in 09. The gasket is reusable as it is a metal/rubber overmold gasket much like a trans pan gasket. The cover bolts torque to 30 lb. ft. Be sure to use blue loctite on the threads when going back with them. Easy job.

[music]

No drain plug in 09. The gasket is reusable as it is a metal/rubber overmold gasket much like a trans pan gasket. The cover bolts torque to 30 lb. ft. Be sure to use blue loctite on the threads when going back with them. Easy job.

 

Thanks for that info.

[music]

Doesn't matter, the computer will go WOT and it'll be totaled by a sapling before you need to change the fluid.

 

I almost spilled my coffee... good one!