I have a couple friends who tow with Diesel pickup's monitoring differential temps and they were higher with Synthetic fluids. I know Currie for one that recommends standard oil in their differentials. I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking of at present. I know that synthetic can take higher temps but it may not be so good for bearings and seals. I've read that in the owners manual too. I use synthetic engine oil and I like synthetic products but it may not be the best for every situation. I used to do a lot of service work on our heavy equipment as graders, loaders and dump trucks. We used standard 75x 140 oil and it worked great for all the years I was around it. Like any oil related discussion it's a lot opinion and experiences we have had. I'm certainly not an engineer and just giving an opinion based on my experience.

 

Hopefully there are maintenance records (during the 1st owner) to show the lubricant was changed at 18,000 miles and 36,000 miles, as per the maintenance schedule.

 

None that showed up on the carfax or dealer maintenance printout. They did replace the axle seals and outer bearings at 36,000 miles, which I know required the cover to be pulled. Although when I drained the diff the fluid was very black so Im not sure if they just threw the old fluid back in there or not. Im very leery about dealerships anymore.

Ill just slap some of my Mobil 1 synthetic in after a few hundred miles. Thanks for the advice fellas.

 

if it makes you feel any better they definitely didn't reuse the gear oil. It would take 3x's the effort to actually save the fluid than to just cut the cover loose and let it drain into the bucket. You'd be surprised how many customers ask for their fluids to be reused with no regard to contamination and such.

 

Huh, interesting. We don't tow nearly as much as the diesel guys, wonder if it makes a difference with everyday driving?

 

Got a picture from the tech rebuilding the rear. He said the spiders were chewed up and the clutches in the trac-lok were shot. Any idea how this could happening to a relatively low-mileage Dana 44?

When I bought it I saw no signs of abuse or any trail damage. Looked garage kept.

Thoughts?

 

Spinning up one wheel on ice alot? or wheeling in sand?