Very Urgent, Differential Cover

[crazymjb]

Hey, when I first got my truck I noticed that the diff cover was VERY corroded. Anyway, towards the top gear fluid is starting to seep out from what I guess is a crack due to all the rust. Is this surprising considering the rest of the truck has very minimal rust?

 

Anyway, I need to order a replacment ASAP, but the crap from napa looks like a rock will rip it right open, and I'd like to avoid the chrome look if possible.. I will also need a new gasket and bolts(as I will likely need to use a vice grip to remove these ones due to rust).

 

I am looking to spend in the neighborhood of 150 MOST for all the parts. I have a 10 bolt rear on my 1996 Z71. I see no use in getting anything fancy(like that magnet one) as the thing is 10 years old, so if its gonna go no stopping it now.

 

Anyway, any help ASAP would be greatly, greatly, appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[rjirvine]

get one from a dealer, minimal cost.

[Ape0r]

get one from a dealer, minimal cost.

 

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Better yet, get the part number from a dealer and buy it at gmpartsdirect.com.. unfortunately, its not listed in their catalog, but if you e-mail them, they'll look it up for you and get you a price. (ALWAYS lower than GM list, which is what dealers always charge in my experience).

[crazymjb]

Is a dealer the only place I can get a part number? How much could I expect to pay for a cover? Finally, are those from bluetorch fabworks any good?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[Ape0r]

Is a dealer the only place I can get a part number? How much could I expect to pay for a cover? Finally, are those from bluetorch fabworks any good?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

 

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1. Unless you have a repair manual or can get the number from google/someone on this site, the dealer or the people that answer e-mails at GMPD are your best bet.

2. Only way to find out is to ask.

3. No idea

 

Did find this:

 

http://paceperformance.com/index.asp?PageA...rential%20cover

 

Steel ones are around $20, more for finned aluminum, but definitely get the correct part number before you try to order, all it takes is a phone call to avoid finding out that you bought the wrong one once you have the thing cracked open =).

[rjirvine]

I got one from the dealer, and i think it was $20

[pm26]

Get one from a dealer, then buy a can of automotive engine paint and paint the cover the color of your choice (I think black would do nicely). This will keep the cover from rusting. You should also prime it first.

[crazymjb]

That will be a DEFINATE first step. I was thinking of just painting on some POR 15 and then a coat of black rustoleum. However, are the dealer ones "strong" enough to take a few bumps? I don't plan on getting into off-roading quite anytime very soon, or at least nothing hard core, but some of these covers look as if I backed into a rock it would crack the thing in half(mine is so rusted Im sure a hammer would go right through it)Also, mine has no filler plug, so where would I go about adding the lube(IIRC my teachers S10 had the filler plug on the side).

 

Finally, would you guys recomend using a gasket, or just a nice bead of silicon? And should lok-tite be used on the bolts? Should they be torqued down to a specific number(my friend has a torque wrench, albeit it cheap, but its not the engine), or just "really tight"?

 

Mike

[pm26]

First, the OEM covers are made of stamped sheet metal, so they will not crack or break, but dent. Cast aluminum covers, on the other hand, will crack when hit by a large rock.

 

You should use a gasket and some gasket sealant on it.

[crazymjb]

Well after making sure it was returnable I grabbed the diff cover today, as well as the gasket, some GM sealant and thread lock, and 10 bolts... Well, 67 bucks. I felt kinda bad looking at the sales slip(remember, I'm 16 so every penny counts), so we called and said we were going to return it because it was available online for much cheaper from GMpartsdirect. Surprisingly they said bring it back and they would see if they can match it (IIRC dealers have a 1000% or more mark up on parts). If not, I'll just return this and hold on and not drive very far(as well as check my gear fluid, the leak is pretty high up though) a few more days and order it from GMpartsdirect.

 

The one thing they charged for at the parts counter that cost the same as from GM parts direct was the bolts, GM PART # 563592 . A dollar a piece. Will any hardware store carry these? I have the dimensions written down downstairs, but I'm sure some of you guys know them. Are they a special grade? What torque should they be tightened down to?

 

Finally. What gear lube do you recomend. When I did the front axle seals all they had was Valvoline synth blend in the correct weight so I used that for the front, no more than 1K miles on the fluid. I intend to switch over to Mobil 1 before the winter in the front, but I figure may as well put it in initially in the rear. What do you guys recomend?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[crazymjb]

Well, the stealer ended up matching GMpartsdirect. I accidenty purchased 75W-90 instead of 80W-90 from the VIP auto center. Should I put this in or go and exchange it?

 

Mike

[MS3DALE]

You'll be fine with the 75W-90

And by the way...Its "DEALER" not "STEALER"

[crazymjb]

Great. Out of curiosity though, why would they call for 80 weight when 75 is such a nicer number?

 

Now another question. The filler plug WILL NOT come out, and it seems we have slightly stripped the square hole. We have sprayed WD 40 on it but it seems to be doing nothing. Any suggestions?

 

We have 2 more bolts to go on the bed(tommorow) and we will get at it from there if need be. We will be putting five coats of POR15 the rear portion of the truck after stripping as much of the rust as possible, as well as possibly running breaklines. Thought I'd share so you know we aren't only taking the bed off for the filler plug. (hopefully it will all be done by monday).

 

Mike