Yes the front takes less fluid than the rear. While they are both 44s the rear 44 is a larger housing. It takes more fluid.

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And with the rear, some of the additional fluid goes down the axle tubes to the outer bearings.

 

Yes, I can attest to only fill to a level just above the bottom of the axle tube, and not to the aftermarket fill hole. If you fill to the fill hole on a "higher capacity" cover then you're asking for a HUUGGE mess on the bottom side from the excess being blown out the breather tube. I won't make that mistake again.

I'm assuming the fill hole is higher on the aftermarkets to actually compensate for a greater pinion angle to correct the driveshaft angle on lifted jeeps...so the oil won't spill out with the 'lower' OEM fill hole.

 

That is correct. And the hotter it is, the more likely that mess. Mine didn't occur until I drove through 113° temps in Tucson. Learn to fill diffs to proper level.

 

I put a G2 diff cover on my front Dana 44 on my 2009 JK Rubicon. The tech must have filled it up until it came out of the fill hole which is way above the axle level. I've been losing oil out of the vent hose for 2 months now. I'm going to drain it this weekend and refill with 1.3 quarts and see if that fixes the problem.

BG

 

The gear oil level should be just above the bottom of the axle tube. What I do is use a long-ish zip tie (white works best) bent at the inspection hole to use as a sort of dip stick. Dip it into the diff and measure how full it is. Works for front and rear diffs. Fool proof!

“Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool".