ahhh. I see what your saying now. I was just going off of what I read. Last time I set backlash was just from the feel of it, but a dial indicator would certainly be more accurate. Had I known of anything other then plastiguage, I probably would have mentioned it. However, my experience is still growing and there are many things I have yet to learn.

Thanks for the lesson Teach.

 

You set your own backlash by the feel of it? Holy ****... you must have done alot of differential work in your life to get that right.

 

+1 on that

congrats on comming up with one simple plan. best of luck to you replacing your diff.. take it slow and pay attention to the details and it'll turn out fine

 

Firsty and foremost, thanks to everyone here who helped put me in the right direction. Without you guys, I wouldn't have known what parts to get, or probably what axle I even had. I most likely would have let those guys lie to me and have paid $2,000 for a new axle and lsd unit. I'm very happy I got the truck towed out of the shop and found all the parts I'd need to get the job done right in my own garage.

Anyways, need a little bit of help. Since the parts won't be here til Tuesday, I figured now would be a good time to change the front differential fluid. So I took the cap off, and drained the fluid. Then I cleaned the inside of the cover and the housing, and got it all nice and shiny. Then, I applied a 1/4" bead of rtv around the circumferance of the diff. cover, and then handtightened the cover back on to allow the gasketmaker to set. So here is my question. I unbolted that drain plug that sits in the middle of the diff. cover. In about an hour from now when I go to tighten the bolts, is there where I put the funnel to put the new oil in? Also, I've been told that I should fill the oil up to about the bottom of the drain plug. Just wasn't sure if this was the right drain plug. I always imagined it would be at the top of the diff cover, but it's in the middle. Also, I took back the gear oil I bought yesterday, and bought Mobil 1 Synthetic 75w-90, is this ok to put into the differential housing? Let me know guys before I go back out there. Some of the orange oozed out around the diff. cover, but I have to apply a new coat of rubberized undercoating anyways, so I figure I'll just spray over any of the overooze when I do that. Thanks!

 

First off, you should only let the RTV initially set for about 5 minutes before you place the cover on the diff. Then tighten to about 1/2 the recommended torque spec. Then you can either tighten to full torque, or wait about 5-10 more minutes (i've read either way). You should not wait an hour though. The hour wait is how long you should wait before you fill it with gear oil. Most RTV's say right on the label that if you wait more then 20 minutes before tightening to full torque, you need pull it apart and start over. If you wait an hour till you tighten to full torque, the RTV will have already set and will not be properly squished between the two surfaces under full torque load. What RTV are you using?

Second, 1/4" thick bead is pretty heavy. It should only be about 1/8" thick.

Lastly, yes, you fill it up till it is just at the bottom edge of the plug that is about 1/2 way up the front of the diff cover. Then drive it for a bit, and recheck the fluid level. Add if necessary. Make sure you're on a flat surface.

Really should have started a new thread for this question too, this one is about maxed out.

 

This is a good example of how thick you want the RTV to be. I also go around the outside of the bolt holes, but that is just my personal preference. This way is completly acceptable too.

[IMG]local://upfiles/9095/B883D39CE65D4C78997B2538138DCDA4.jpg[/IMG]

 

Glad I posted, only had the rtv set for about 15 minutes, so I just went back outside and tightened all the bolts. I wasn't sure to make a new thread or not, sometimes guys get mad if you make a new thread on something that pertains to another thread. But I just wanted to know if a synthetic 75w-90 was ok to use for the front and rear? I've heard 75w-140 should be used for the rear, or does it matter? I only have three bottles right now of the Mobil 1 Synthetic, so I'll have to go back out next week to get more for the rear, so it won't be a big deal, just want to know what weight I should get. Thanks.

 

Ok that's just about how much of a thickness I used as well. I went around the outer circumferance and around the bolt holes. It's pretty cool stuff actually[8D]

 

I wouldn't pull it apart unless you notice it start to leak. This isn't rocket science so even if it's not perfect, don't worry unless it starts to leak. However, if it does leak, then do what Silver said.

Drain plug is in the center because the diff doesn't need to be filled to the top, just to the bottom of the drain plug. It's difficult to overfill it. If you do, the fluid will just run out the drain plug hole and stop dripping when the fluid level is correct.

 

Chrysler actually recommends 75w-90 for the front, and 80w-90 for the rear (if you call a parts department, that is usually what they will quote you for a 1/2 ton Ram with D44 front, 9.25 rear). I try to use 75-w90 in the front when I can. I've only ever heard the 75w-140 or 80w-140 recommendation for the 3rd gen Rams, not 2nd gen.