Front Diff

[rick08]

Just had a service done on my '15 Sierra, 58,000 klm's and the fluid in the front diff was a grey milky colour. Have a appointment Monday at the dealer to have it checked out. Has anyway seen this on their trucks?

[sdeeter19555]

Just had a service done on my '15 Sierra, 58,000 klm's and the fluid in the front diff was a grey milky colour. Have a appointment Monday at the dealer to have it checked out. Has anyway seen this on their trucks?

I've seen it in other brands, it was caused by the marking compound used to set the gearset up.

2012 2500hd 6.0l CCSB 4wd

[Sierra706]

Just had a service done on my '15 Sierra, 58,000 klm's and the fluid in the front diff was a grey milky colour. Have a appointment Monday at the dealer to have it checked out. Has anyway seen this on their trucks?

Same with mine


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[newdude]

3 hours ago, rick08 said:

Just had a service done on my '15 Sierra, 58,000 klm's and the fluid in the front diff was a grey milky colour. Have a appointment Monday at the dealer to have it checked out. Has anyway seen this on their trucks?

Have a read below: 

Quote

 

PI0020E: White, Milky or Cloudy Appearance of Front Differential Fluid

 

The front differential fluid may appear milky white to slightly off-white giving the appearance of water contamination.

 

This condition may be noticed during new vehicle Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI), or on low mileage vehicles with less than 16,000♦km (10,000♦mi). Patterning white rouge is used to check gear tooth alignment and contact surface at the axle supplier. This marking material may stain differential fluid white and could be mistaken for moisture contamination.

This is a normal condition and does not indicate any need for service. Do not change the fluid for this condition.

Important: Do not change the front differential fluid for this condition.

 

 

[FlipZ71]

Just changed mine yesterday... 

 Was all grey...   Was shocked..... 

Started going into worry mode...  

 So went to the beach...    

[rick08]

Had the front diff checked out today by the Dealership and as mentioned in the above post the greyish coloured fluid is completely normal. They flushed the diff and refilled with new fluid. Thanks to all who posted.

[Donstar]

15 hours ago, rick08 said:

Had the front diff checked out today by the Dealership and as mentioned in the above post the greyish coloured fluid is completely normal. They flushed the diff and refilled with new fluid. Thanks to all who posted.

I'm sure it probably is normal.  I just personally find it humorous when dealerships find something normal.  I believe service reps are taught a much broader interpretation of the word "normal" at their training schools.  I remember the debates I had with service reps and GM advisers over this particular word as it applied to my oil burning '09.   it may have been common for vortec 5.3's to burn a lot of oil but it wasn't normal!  To this day, I get little comfort when my service rep categorizes one of my concerns as "normal".  All I hear is, "It probably won't become a serious issue before the warranty expires."   I always make sure my concerns are recorded even if they are not considered abnormal.  

[diyer2]

I believe every dealership and it's employee's are schooled by GM ( other manufacturers too)  to deter warranty claims as they are the first line of defense.

 

[2018GMC]

Normal. GM has been doing this for years in front diffs.

 

My 1997 had the same milky appearance when changing the front factory gear oil. Comes from something GM uses during assembly at factory.

 

 (It's never crossed a river, but seen lots of dry dirt roads.)

 

Filled with redline 75W/90 = no more milky.

[Ozer]

Related post.. How hard is it to replace the front diff fluid in the garage and what oil should be put in?

im at 104k miles and i dont know if it was ever changed. Bought truck at 82k and got rear diff, TC and trans fluids changed at dealer.

Didnt want to pay another $150 for the front one at the time, thinking i could do it myself.

[sdeeter19555]

Do the 1500 front differential have a drain plug like the 2500s? I want to remember they do...

Any 75w90 synthetic or 80w90 conventional gear oil would work...there is no limited slip to concern with in the front differential.

2012 2500hd 6.0l CCSB 4wd

[Sierra706]

Drain and fill plugs. Easy job just buy yourself one of those little pumps that goes on top of the lubricant bottle, as you won’t be able to pour it in due to clearance.


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