Metal chunks in differential oil
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 196
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa, OK
Had a very similar experience when draining my 
Tahoe diff. Come to find out, I had pulled the plug and went to get the oil to refill and one of my coworkers added the cuttings to the drain pan when I wasn't looking. Had me going for a little while.
Tahoe diff. Come to find out, I had pulled the plug and went to get the oil to refill and one of my coworkers added the cuttings to the drain pan when I wasn't looking. Had me going for a little while.
Thread Starter
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 126
Likes: 1
From: Lost
When I was racing motorcycles, I was helping a buddy rebuild his FZR 400. While all of his parts were on the bench, I swapped out his left side engine cover with the one off of my YZF 600. They look almost identical, but have a different bolt pattern. I watched him try to figure it out for about 10 minutes before I handed his back to him. He repaid me later and the pranks escalated from there
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,463
Likes: 165
From: Austin <--> Colorado Springs
I would still consider going in to the dealership and showing them the pics/debris. See if you can get it documented 'just in case' there might be an issue in the future, and maybe even have them open it up and double check. (you did say that these are the stock gears, and not an aftermarket set, correct?)
JK Super Freak
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,457
Likes: 2
From: B.F.E, MI
Sure glad those shavings did not get into your gears OP!
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,907
Likes: 185
From: Maine
Dana should be doing that on the line as they come off the machine, or before parts go into the housing.
The magnetic plug saved the day, though.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 196
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa, OK
I've always used Loctite 518 Gasket Eliminator. Been using it for 20 years. It works great. It doesn't start to set up until you eliminate the oxygen from it. You just have to make sure both surfaces are clean. Never had a leak yet (that I could blame on the sealant). I've used it in everything from differentials to final drives on 50,000 lb dozers.
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,907
Likes: 185
From: Maine
The magnetic drain plug's purpose is to attract steel, so they wouldn't put anything on it to prevent that.
Last edited by ronjenx; Jul 17, 2011 at 05:19 PM.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 482
Likes: 0
From: heart of dixie
Thanks guys. They're just the standard diffs as they came from the factory for an X model.
They do look like shavings from machining rather than the result of mechanical mayhem. Maybe my case didn't get cleaned after machining at the factory? I pulled the cover, and the gears look alright to my very untrained eye. No grind marks of any kind inside the case or on the inside of the cover.
A little video of the gears spinning:
http://s577.photobucket.com/albums/s...t=IMG_0485.mp4
On another note, do the JK diff covers normally have a gasket? Mine just had RTV sealant.
They do look like shavings from machining rather than the result of mechanical mayhem. Maybe my case didn't get cleaned after machining at the factory? I pulled the cover, and the gears look alright to my very untrained eye. No grind marks of any kind inside the case or on the inside of the cover.
A little video of the gears spinning:
http://s577.photobucket.com/albums/s...t=IMG_0485.mp4
On another note, do the JK diff covers normally have a gasket? Mine just had RTV sealant.
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,800
Likes: 374
From: Midwest City, OK
Are you sure that wasn't just the typical metal "mud" (a mixture of gear oil and fine, metal shavings) from the gears? That's pretty typical. No, you don't use any special grease on the drain plug.