jmooner3 Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Hey guys as I began to rip out the rusted brake lines on my 50 1Ton. I found the differential covered in old lube and mud, scraped a lot off and tried to figure out where the leak was. Well on the passenger side there is a ~1" hole with no plug in it (duh could be the source!) there was also a lot of slop on the other side and there looks to be a nut welded to the dif about the same height and location as the other side with a sloted plug or screw in it? I figured I should learn a bit about the rearend... There appears to be no drain plug so I suspect you pop the back cover off to drop what's left of the lube. Suggestions to clean out the gears or just leave as is. Any idea what size and thread the missing plug is? I found 90weight gearlube recommended other thoughts cautions? Should I just use the "goop" copper RTV stuff as gasket after inspecting inside? Also I've seen some dialog on what ratio rears people have, where do I find that (if I can get through the grime) I'd like to be looking in the right general area. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Yep, ya got a missing fill plug. Mine fell apart when I put a wrench on it; luckily, the gear oil that leaked out kept the threads from freezing up, so it was easy to clean up. The original was a pipe plug that accepted a 1/2" ratchet drive. I replaced it with a square head pipe plug from the hardware store...I think it was the same size as the drain plug on the transmission. The nut + slotted screw is the drive gear thrust screw + lock nut. I completely tore the rear end apart, cleaned it thoroughly, installed new bearings as the old ones were spalling, set the backlash & ring gear thrust, and installed a new (leather!) pinion seal. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the axle housing, as well as the gear ratio on the differential housing. I had to do a lot of scraping to find them. I believe the ring gear also has the ratio stamped on its edge, but it's been awhile so that may be a fuzzy memory. I went ahead and got a sheet of gasket cork and made a couple of gaskets to keep a clearance on the differential housing and cover. I also added a thin layer of RTV to help, especially around the bolt holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmooner3 Posted March 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 Thanks I rummaged around in my plubming parts and found a plug. I did not do anything to the diff at this point, just put in 90W lube and I figured I run it a bit and see if there are any problems...While I'm a big fan of preventitive maintenance, the diff seems to turn fine with no binding and I'm finding plenty of tangents to go off on as it is...brakes, then wires, then find front clip is the path I gotta stay...the ol don't fix it till it's broke. Thanks for the insight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bach4660 Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 the drain is on the cover, it is the 6'oclock bolt, you will see that it is spaced differently, undoing it will allow the diff to drain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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