Hello all. New (used) Ram owner. '98 Ram, 5.9, 4WD auto. I'm leaking a little from the back differential cover. The place where it is leaking looks like a plug because it extends out from the cover, but it is perfectly round. It is about halfway up the cover. If it is a plug, how do you grip it? If not, am I just leaking from the cover? What is the best way to fix this? Can I seal it without removing the cover? Finally, this is the only thing I see resembling a plug. If that is the case, is there no drain plug? Do I fill from this plug?

Thanks for any help. Sorry for the stupid questions.

 

Yea, thats the fill plug. It is kind of wierd that it would do that because there is a vent tube should take care of any pressure difference. Did you recently do anything to your rear end? Run through deep water? etc. If it were me I would I would pull the plug, dip my finger in and see what the fluid is like. (I grab the lip of the plug, and I use a very small flat head screw driver to help aid in the pulling out. Push in right beside the rubber plug etc... im sure you can figure it out) Check the fluid and if its brown, foamy or anything like that, I would change it.

 

No, haven't been offroad at all yet. I've only put about 500 miles on the truck since I bought it. So it just pops out? I would have guessed it would be a threaded plug. Does it need any kind of liquid gasket or anything when I put it back in?

Is there no drain plug on these? Do you just have to pull the cover to drain it? I really appreciate the help.

 

its a good idea to change it anyway cause you are new to this truck and dont know what kind of abuse it has been through before you got it. There is no drain plug. you just take the bolts off, crack it loose and let it drain. that plug is just a slide in and out plug, no gasket needed, thats what the vent tube is for. you can also look at our gears and make sure theres no damage to those when the cover is off and check your vent tube if im not mistaken and make sure that doesnt have anything plugging it. I just recently did this flush with my truck because it was low on fluid so i just pulled it all apart to find out what gears i really had because my covers had no tag. And as far aas i know, this is a common problem with dodge rear ends, because my dads 05 does it too.

just make sure if you do the flush, nothing goes inside the pumpkin( dirty fingers, rags, nothing.) and when you put the cover back on, make sure its got a good seal and and your addative

 

As far as I know its not a common problem. Odds are someone beat the truck before they traded it in. I would take the time to change it for sure. Here is a set of instructions to follow http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech/diff.php Wish ya luck! Oh, you only need an adative if you have a limited slip. If you use royal purple, it already includes the addative.

 

well my dads truck wasnt beat at all, motor only had 14K on it in 07 when he got it. but about that adative, i has the dana 44 like they all do i prosume, mine is an open differential and it said in my haynes manual to put it in and so did the dealer.

 

The Dana 44 has a threaded nut that goes into the differential cover and shouldn't leak (front axle). The rear axle is a Chrysler 9.25 . Open differential doesn't need the addative but if you want to put it in, it isnt going to help / or hurt. The addative is ment for the stock limited slip differential just so you know.

 

oh,,, ok well i have the factory tag under the hood that says i got the dana 44 front and rear. even the jeep guys i hang out ith say its the dana 44's. but anyway back to the other guy who needed the help. follow that lick he gave you back there. flush it ouot. clean everything really good bofore putting it bakc on and it should stop it

 

Thanks for all the info. How do I know if it has limited slip or not? Is there a tag somewhere that says?

 

You got four wheel steering?:-)