Rear Differential Cover Dent - Is It Bad?

mljenkins · February 13, 2009

Well, almost made it up the hill at the farm today and managed to hit a stump and lost my momentum. Ended up sliding back down the hill until my rear diff caught on a different stump. Was a heck of a jolt, I figure I was sliding about 3-5 mph backwards. It put a dent in the lower 1/8 of the rear diff cover. Is that something I should be concerned with? I didn't notice it leaking fluid. Wife did this once with her S10 years ago and it started to leak diff fluid right off the bat.

On a side note had a fun time getting it back up the hill to straighten up so I could get off the hill up to our meadows. This defreeze of everything here apparently made for some thick mud that turned my tires into slicks. If I keep getting stuck on that dang hill I'm going to have to invest in a winch!

Was trying to get up there to check the property for downed trees. We had 70 mph winds come through which knocked over a few trees in our lower pasture and left us without power. Had to come into town to bum free Internet tonight.

Thanks all.

Zembonez · February 13, 2009

If it doesn't leak or rub internal parts, I can't see how it could hurt anything. A little cosmetic damage is all. You should try to post a picture of it.

txab · February 13, 2009

agreed

Sinkhole · February 13, 2009

It could be a problem depending on how deep the dent is. It might be rubbing on the ring gear. We all know how bad that could be. If you have to invest in a new cover get good solid off-road cover, something bullet proof

crepitus · February 13, 2009

It could be a problem depending on how deep the dent is. It might be rubbing on the ring gear. We all know how bad that could be. If you have to invest in a new cover get good solid off-road cover, something bullet proof

i dont know if its possible but if its big enough wouldnt it raise the fluid level? Might have to drain some out.

Ryan00TJ · February 13, 2009

We had the storm up here also. Luckily I had no damage. Father lost his fence due to a neighbor's tree. Get some pics for us to see. If it were mine I would pull the cover and pound out the dent, clean the diff, reinstall cover, refill. Done...

tobias · February 13, 2009

If it doesn't leak or rub internal parts, I can't see how it could hurt anything. A little cosmetic damage is all. You should try to post a picture of it.

+1

superjim · February 13, 2009

If it were mine I would pull the cover and pound out the dent, clean the diff, reinstall cover, refill. Done...

^^^^^^ What he said.

Spurshot · February 13, 2009

Jim,

D80 or D90? I have a D50 and I'm looking into the D300. Any advice?

Black.is · February 13, 2009

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! ___________________. you fill in the rest.

suzuki-guy · February 13, 2009

better safe then sorry get a new cover i just bought a chrome one off ebay new for 20 bucks better spend that then pay lots for a new ring and pinion possibly carrier!

Zembonez · February 13, 2009

Jim,

D80 or D90? I have a D50 and I'm looking into the D300. Any advice?

I have the D80 and I love it. D300 is obviously very nice. D90 is basically the D80 replacement. The only difference in it that I can see is the D90 actually has video capability and the D80 does not. Right now you could probably find a great deal on the D80 since it is being replaced in their line. If you are thinking about getting more lenses later on I'd stay away from the D40/D60 models. They are smaller (I like the full size chassis myself) and don't offer as many upgrade options.

Let us know what you get!

zxcv · February 13, 2009

If it doesn't leak or rub internal parts, I can't see how it could hurt anything. A little cosmetic damage is all. You should try to post a picture of it.

+1

Pictures please!

Spurshot · February 13, 2009

Jim,

D80 or D90? I have a D50 and I'm looking into the D300. Any advice?

I have the D80 and I love it. D300 is obviously very nice. D90 is basically the D80 replacement. The only difference in it that I can see is the D90 actually has video capability and the D80 does not. Right now you could probably find a great deal on the D80 since it is being replaced in their line. If you are thinking about getting more lenses later on I'd stay away from the D40/D60 models. They are smaller (I like the full size chassis myself) and don't offer as many upgrade options.

Let us know what you get!

I've used a D300 for a week and it has much better color saturation and ability to show detail in shadows while still being correctly exposed in the light areas, when compared to my D50. I read Ken Rockwell's site occasionally. He likes the 90 and 300 sensor and shows the examples of their performance compared to the earlier models. I have a fair pile of Nikon lenses now and it's growing. Some wouldn't work on the 40 & 60. My neighbor has had 70s, 80s, 90s, 200s, 300s, and a 700. He showed me the difference side by side between the pictures from the 200 and 300. Big visual difference. I'm pretty sure I'm going with a 300 since the price is closing between the 90 and 300.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/

dorman68 · February 20, 2009

If it doesn't leak or rub internal parts, I can't see how it could hurt anything. A little cosmetic damage is all. You should try to post a picture of it.

I agree