im bored and wanting to change the oil in my rear end...

what fluid to i use?
how much fluid id needed?
what do i use to clean out the inner housing when i drain the oil out?
what do i use to seal the cover when i install it back on?


is there a good write up on how?





im bored and have about 200 bucks to spend...so im wanting to do a trans fluid change....all i know about my truck is that it has two filters? and thats it

is there a good write up on how to do soo?

what fluid do i use?
how much?
what to look for when i do change it?

 

for the trans i recommend the B&M trick-shift.

 

changing the differential fluid is easier then changing spark plugs. pop the cover, leave the top bolt in half way undone, drain the fluid into the pan. remove the cover completely, scrap away the old gasket material on the rear and the cover, use brake clean to aid you in this. wipe out the rest of the old oil. inspect the rear for any damage ( missing teeth, discoloration, etc) everything checks out. put a new bead of rtv on the cover, about 1/8" thick. pop the the cover back on, generally id wait about an hour to let the rtv cure before i put the fluid in, or you can put the fluid in then u still gotta wait about an hour for it to cure. use 75w-90 gear weight. about 4.7 pints for the 8 1/4 rear, 4.9 pints for the 9 1/4 rear. look in the owners manual. fill up to the fill hole though. book says about 1/4" below the hole. i dont know if you have a LSD back there, i doubt it but if you do, add .5 pints of friction modifier. all came from the '01 manual.

as for the transmission, drop your pan, change your filters (according to the manual you have a primary and a cooler filter). look at the magnet in the pan, is its sludge covered in metal thats fine. if it looks like a porcupine you have problems in that transmission. clean out the old pan, clean off the old gasket material off the transmission and pan unless its a one piece pan gasket from the dealer, which i recommend. pop the pan back up there, dont over torque those bolts. should be around a gallon to fill the transmission back up. fill the transmission through the dipstick tube. fill up to the full make after you shift the transmission through all the gears stopping in neutral ( engine running of course). add fluid if necessary. id say have a shop do this so they can do a system flush but if you have never changed the fluid before or if theres no record of the system being flushed in the past, youre just going to cause problems. thats what ive been told, so i follow that practice anyway.... btw IMO stick with the mopar atf-4 fluid... its synthetic and theres never been a problem with it.