Jump to content

Rear and front axle service?

Adamace1
 Share

Recommended Posts

Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have tried searching and only seem to find things for the older style trucks 2018 and before. Does anyone have a link or write up on how to change the fluids on the axles? 

 

I'm sure the rear is pull of the cover to drian? I think I read on here the front axle is now the same no drain plug like the older trucks?

 

I'm doing an oil change this weekend I'll do some crawling around and see what I can find. I have 15k miles thinking about doing both front and rear axles at 20k. 

 

Also if I understand right there's two different fluids depending on who makes your axle? Looks like I got aam axles so that's 19300457 high Efficiency 75w 85 fluid for both axles. I have no idea how much. Owners manual says see my dealer....

 

Thanks for any help.

Edited by Adamace1
Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Looks like I found the correct fluid for the axles at the dealer. I'm going to hold off on doing the axles untill 20k. I need to find out if I need to buy new gaskets or if they are reusable. And what is the proper fluid level, sometimes it calls for fluid to be below the drain plug. So I need to do more research.

 

I did do transfercase oil.

Plugs were easy to take out. I took out fill plug first. Then the drain plug. It took about 1.5 or more quarts of DEXRON-VI. The fluid was just a tiny bit darker than new fluid but was red. I only got 15,000 on my truck so that's what I expected. It was barely running out when I took the fill plug out. I filled it up to the same level then put plug back in.

 

So if anyone knows I have few questions.

1. How much fluid is in the front and rear axles?

2. How high should the fluid level be compared to the fill plugs?

3. Are the housing gaskets reusable or do I need to buy new ones?

Thanks for any help.

Edited by Adamace1
Transient Senior Enthusiast

Transient

Posted
Posted

If I read the owner's manual correctly, you only need an oil change and to rotate and balance the tires at 15,000 miles.  Why would you be servicing axles, etc?

diyer2 Senior Enthusiast

diyer2

Posted
Posted

Why not? Doesn't hurt anything. Easy, cheap.

  • Like 1
KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

I guess it’s one of those it doesn’t hurt to do so deals. It got me thinking. My latest truck had detailed maintenance records. The guy changed the oil every 3K, filter at 6K. Very old school. Still cold mornings under 40 degrees the lifters are noisy. He never changed the differential. I did at 168K, when I got it. Another interesting point. Iv been using dealer service for awhile. GM,Ford Ram, Hyundai, Toyota in that time period. Their favorite service is injection cleaning. The manual says if you use top tier gas your good. Non of them say a word about deferential, power steering or antifreeze. Interesting.

Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Transient said:

If I read the owner's manual correctly, you only need an oil change and to rotate and balance the tires at 15,000 miles.  Why would you be servicing axles, etc?

My 2021 owners manual never says to change the front and rear axle fluid. Doesn't tell you what fluid to use. Half the reason I want to do it is to make sure it's the correct fluid, and that it's filled properly.

 

I do my own maintenance. I'm sure 99 percent of the time the kids doing the oil change never check your axle fluid. For anyone who has has a rear axle lock up on them because of low/ bad fluid you will understand how important it is to maintain them.

Edited by Adamace1
Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
5 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I guess it’s one of those it doesn’t hurt to do so deals. It got me thinking. My latest truck had detailed maintenance records. The guy changed the oil every 3K, filter at 6K. Very old school. Still cold mornings under 40 degrees the lifters are noisy. He never changed the differential. I did at 168K, when I got it. Another interesting point. Iv been using dealer service for awhile. GM,Ford Ram, Hyundai, Toyota in that time period. Their favorite service is injection cleaning. The manual says if you use top tier gas your good. Non of them say a word about deferential, power steering or antifreeze. Interesting.

Humm injection cleaning, pour a 2 dollar little container into the gas tank for 159.99. My manual does give a recomend antifreeze flush timeline.

diyer2 Senior Enthusiast

diyer2

Posted
Posted

They push the services that sell IMO. How many people do transmission, coolant, differential etc. Me and 2 other people I know do these services. Most change the oil and fix it when it breaks. One of these people is my son, who is a mechanic.

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Adamace1 said:

Humm injection cleaning, pour a 2 dollar little container into the gas tank for 159.99. My manual does give a recomend antifreeze flush timeline.

The last time I looked it was 150K. It my be going the permanent line now. My 04 GMC had it at that. I changed it and right after my water pump seal started leaking. 

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

They push the services that sell IMO. How many people do transmission, coolant, differential etc. Me and 2 other people I know do these services. Most change the oil and fix it when it breaks. One of these people is my son, who is a mechanic.

In my pulling days. It did running gear half the recommended with Amsoil. Especially the transmission. Amusing from what I read about some people feelings on oil changing. The engines I didn’t. Also on Amsoil. As long as the engine didn’t over heat. I stopped pulling my equipment in the early 2000s. I amused and amazed at oil change threads on here. You look it up on the net. The average life of a vehicle is nearing 200K. Most vehicle manufacturers are extending oil change intervals. GM may be lowering theirs. May have something to do with cylinder deactivation. Let’s keep that our secret. Even though they  increased oil capacity. One dude on here added engines are junk to his oil is junk threads. Still vehicles are lasting longer. Puzzling.

Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

The dealer did have a scrolling tv with prices on it by the service area.

 

Tranfer case flush was 127 I paid 25 and did it in 5 minutes.

 

Their per axle price for diff fluid change was 179 per axle. So 358 plus tax. I belive it might cost me 90 for the right amount of fluid, not sure if I need to buy new gaskets for the diff covers. But I should be able to do it for 150. So in 3 hours of work I'll make $113 an hour working on my truck. I will also know it's done right. Lol once I figure out the axle fluid level, and if I can reuse my gaskets.

 

1. Still wondering are the rent and rear axle cover gaskets removable? 

 

2. Where should the fluid level be on front and rear axle? I checked rear and fluid was almost 1/2 inch down from bottom of fill plug hole.

Edited by Adamace1
Z45 Senior Enthusiast

Z45

Posted
Posted (edited)

The dealers got a new tool for changing axle, it sucks out the fluid.  A friends kid got a job as "Lube Tech" at the GM dealer,  Said he can do 2 per hour, asked what lube they put i?  Says don't know, comes out of a hose connected to a tank in the oil room.   Easy money.

Edited by elcamino
Z45 Senior Enthusiast

Z45

Posted
Posted (edited)
Quote

 I checked rear and fluid was almost 1/2 inch down from bottom of fill plug hole.

That may the spec, some say not to overfill and leave it below the fill hole. 

 

When they fill the axles in the axle plant, no one is measuring it out. A tool is programmed to fill with a certain amount and it shuts off.  If they let the operator make that decision he might fill it to the max and cost the company money.

Edited by elcamino
Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 7/11/2021 at 12:37 PM, elcamino said:

That may the spec, some say not to overfill and leave it below the fill hole. 

 

When they fill the axles in the axle plant, no one is measuring it out. A tool is programmed to fill with a certain amount and it shuts off.  If they let the operator make that decision he might fill it to the max and cost the company money.

Yea thats what I can't find out. Where the fluid Leven should be on my front and rear axle. Tried searching on here, on Google, on YouTube. Its a mystery 

diyer2 Senior Enthusiast

diyer2

Posted
Posted

Find the amount of fluid they take and put that amount in.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Grumpy Bear
      Some Assembly is Required

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Can it still be Assembled I?    Stribeck says that we need a certain amount of viscosity under conditions of load and velocity to prevent two surfaces of a know roughness from tearing each other asunder. And we have marketing trying to tell the masses that those two surfaced require less of that commodity due to more exact limits being placed on the same old clearances. We also know that there are limits to how hard something can before it becomes to brittle to be viable and to smooth to 'wet' the surface and that both of those conditions have been known and met since about the Second World War.    That viscosity value shook out at 10 centistokes at 212 F just under a hundred years ago.  Give this a look: [Anton Parr]     What is advertised is the Kinematic viscosity (mm2/s) or that which has been density adjusted but the value we are after is the dynamic viscosity (mPa.s) or true viscosity. You can see that this number is dependent on density thus base stock and temperature. You can also see that an SAE 30 doesn't reach that value in this example. However an SAE 30 that is at the upper end of the SAE 30 range; 12.5 cSt (mm2/s), might. 12.5 * .83 = 10.375 (mm2/s). If you could find an SAE 30 at the upper end these days.   Then there is the complication of viscosity modifiers or VII or VM, whatever you wish to call them. Polymers added to very thin base oils, perhaps 3 to 6 cP oils, that will meet the SAE *W30 spec at 'tested' shear rates and 100 C/212F  target temperature. So a polymer fortified base that is a fraction of the 10 cP requirement Stribeck insist upon.   This could be all well and good if those polymers didn't have two very problematic 'features'. They shear or loose viscosity both 1.) permanently and 2.) temporality. And they do both omitted in the advertised data with the distinct  purpose of deceiving the consumer of the actual operating state of the fluid. I've shown the example of Warren Oils COSTCO 10.91 cSt 5W30 formuation several times where the 100 C HTHS value is 6.9 cP!! That's the temporary shear down and with and SSI or shear stability index of 9.4 cSt. Note the intentional deception in using mixed units?    After a short while that 9.4 cSt oil has a viscosity corrected dynamic value of 7.8 cP. But as the SSI is still within the range of an SAE *W30 whose lower value is 9.3 cSt.    This allows them to continue to call this SAE 16 weight oil a 30 weight, the cake, and still meet the API requirements for fuel efficiency IMPROVEMENT mandated by the EPA. The eating of the cake. By the time you've worn out your motor doing the responsible thing by adhering to the warranty requirements, (the stick), you get deprived of the carrot, wear control. So sad, to bad.   So what can be done? Do I need actually say? [Anton Parr]       Even this must be monitored if the oil is on the low side and the VII an organic or you opt for a 0W40 with an even lighter base oil and more / higher MW VII. (Note the lower density of the 40 weight versus the SAE 30 mono-weight?)    There is another workaround. Temperature. An SAE *W30 run at a bulk temperature of between 180 and 195 F.    Being the belt and suspenders sort I am I do both. Run it cook and run it heavy.    In Part II I'll work the AW package. 
    • Atlas
      Wow I'm in a pickle. (Broke down truck) and a story.

      By Atlas · Posted

      So, do I go elbow-deep on this thing or list it for sale and play dumb? Seems to "runs good."   I'm about $1200 away from having: -a rebuilt injector ($300) -a new cat ($250) -a new cat back exhaust (OE style) ($300) -a new AC compressor ($200) -AC refrigerant charge ($150)   In theory, this should rectify the obvious detracting issues from its value and operability. Cold AC with a non-squeaking AC pulley both sounds and feels good. An exhaust that isn't cut/hacked in 17 different places and doesn't vibrate on a crossmember would make it sound and feel less janky. A working cat would help the stink, and will save the earth, but *if and only if* the fuel system is working properly, which would also address the intermittent "rich" CEL.   Heard a good one... CEL for "Rich condition" means you haven't spent enough money on the truck lately, and it's letting you know.   Rebuilding the injector would seem to be the most important part. Replacing the cat would be secondary. I don't think mine is plugged or overly restricted, but it might be a little restricted? I have no good way to tell other than seat of the pants feel. I hate the smell.   The current theory is I have a rich idle problem: A bad fuel pressure regulator, or a leaking injector(s) being the highest probabilities. I already replaced the FPR but that doesn't mean its replacement isn't also bad. It was a new part from Dorman, but the packaging looked like it had been sitting on a shelf for 20 years.   This is the (single) upstream O2 sensor shown at idle. I'm getting a lot of "rich" it seems. Sometimes it stays high like that and doesn't drop down. That makes me think it's processing injector leaks or a partially stuck open injector.     Other times it looks like this. Nice oscillations between rich and lean, which is what I think it should be. Under load and at speed, the oscillations are nice and tight and uniform looking, high and low.     Fuel trims suggest the PCM is compensating pretty hard at idle to pull fuel out. But it's not enough to trip a CEL. Something about slowing to a stop: brake vaccum booster, EGR, or the EVAP purge is delayed, or there's pooled fuel in the intake again that's draining into a cylinder is enough to set the CEL. Of course, in two days of driving, it hasn't set. I was hoping to actually look at the freeze-frame data when it sets. IAT is high because it's idling on an 83 degree day here.  
    • Another JR
      Gasser Subforum Has Been Quiet - - So, Regenerative Braking and Using L10

      By Another JR · Posted

      Have considered installing a DC to DC charger in your camper to replace your isolator?  
    • newdude
      Gas fill door

      By newdude · Posted

      Common failure.  You need to replace the fuel door housing.   The painted cover transfers over to the new housing.  To remove the old one there is 4 spots where you poke the plastic to release it.  
    • newdude
      Gasser Subforum Has Been Quiet - - So, Regenerative Braking and Using L10

      By newdude · Posted

      No such thing as regenerative braking on a pure ICE vehicle.     Regenerative braking is the re-capture of energy from electric motors and stores it in the battery pack.  So hybrids, PHEV and EVs have regenerative braking.     What you are seeing is the charging system changing modes is all.  Its likely entering charge mode for some sort of reason is all.  All of the charging modes will be listed below.   As for L10 vs D.  L10 turns off automatic grade braking.  L10 puts you in control of grade downshifts where in D it will automatically do it based on brake pedal position and other factors.  Otherwise L10 and D drive exactly the same aside from that one aspect.    Battery Sulfation Mode The BCM will enter this mode when the interpreted Generator output voltage is less than 13.2 V for 45 minutes. When this condition exists the BCM will enter Charge Mode for 2–3 minutes. The BCM will then determine which mode to enter depending on voltage requirements.   Charge Mode The BCM will enter Charge Mode when ever one of the following conditions are met:   Windshield wipers are ON for more than 3 s. Climate Control Voltage Boost Mode Request is true, as sensed by the HVAC control module via serial data. High speed cooling fan, rear defogger, and HVAC high speed blower operation can cause the BCM to enter the Charge Mode. The estimated battery temperature is less than 0°C (32°F). Battery State of Charge is less than 80%. Vehicle speed is greater than 145 km/h (90 mph) A current sensor malfunction exists. System voltage is determined to be below 12.56 V When any one of these conditions is met, the system will set targeted generator output voltage to a charging voltage between 13.9–15.5 V, depending on the battery state of charge and estimated battery temperature.   Fuel Economy Mode The BCM will enter Fuel Economy Mode when the estimated battery temperature is at least 0°C (32°F) but less than or equal to 80°C (176°F), the calculated battery current is less than 15 A and greater than −8 A, and the battery state-of-charge is greater than or equal to 80%. Its targeted generator output voltage is the open circuit voltage of the battery and can be between 12.5–13.1 V. When fuel economy mode is active, the generator is not charging, only maintaining open circuit battery voltage. The BCM will exit this mode and enter Charge Mode when any of the conditions described above are present.   Headlamp Mode The BCM will enter Headlamp Mode when ever the head lamps are ON (high or low beams). Voltage will be regulated between 13.9–14.5 V.   Start Up Mode When the engine is started the BCM sets a targeted generator output voltage of 14.5 V for 30 s.   Tow/Haul Mode (if applicable) Pressing the Tow/Haul Mode button located on the center stack, the vehicle system voltage is raised and the remote (non-vehicle) battery will be charged. Having the headlamps on will raise the system voltage and if the Tow/Haul button is applied it will not serve any purpose. The voltage is regulated between 13.9-14.5 V.      

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...