Should I open my diff cover to change oil, or I just unplug the drain hole to do it? Thanks for any input

 

If it isn't leaking just use the drain/ fill plugs

 

Pull diff cover, drain the fluid then clean everything inside withe brake cleaner.

 

X2 unless you have an excessive amount of metal in oil.

 

The title, "Broken Gear Oil Change" kind of sounds like you broke a gear. True?

Or, are you saying the gears are now broken in? In which case, if the oil drained doesn't look too bad, no need to remove the cover.

 

Sorry my bad. Yea gear broken in. So I have to check the oil when I drain them. thanks

 

Thanks, mine look good no leak. Thanks

 

I changed mine a couple months ago using just the drain plug and it's so much nicer than pulling the cover (which I did Monday night to fix a leaky gasket seal). If the gear oil doesn't look too bad when you drain it, put the plug back in and fill. If it looks or smells bad, pull the cover and do a more thorough job. Seeing how easy it is to change fluids without pulling the cover now, I will be doing so more frequently.

 

I changed my gear oil in both diffs twice so far and both times I've pulled the covers. You can get away with just pulling out the plug on the front but definitely a good idea to remove the rear cover because the rear gets dark and a bit of sludge that won't drain fully threw the drain hole alone. Besides, I like to see what's going on behind those covers

 

What stuff do I need to pull the cover? I already have the oil. Thanks