I am planning on doing the axles tomorrow morning, as well as re-clearcoating my fenders. I got a putty knife from work, and I know I have a 1/2" wrench at home, so I should be good to go. Then next weekend, I'll be tackling the t-case and power steering fluid. After that, I just need to do the brakes and I'll be up to date on all of my maintenance.

 

I would just use a big crescent on both of those bolts. If you have one that doesn't have a lot of slop when you tighten it down and just pay attention to it while you work it then you won't have to worry about rounding off the bolts. The only time I've ever rounded bolts off with a crescent is when they're 9/16" or smaller.
A 3lb. dead blow hammer will work wonders on that cover too. You have a much lower chance of denting the cover with a dead blow vs. a metal hammer.

 

A couple of things that I don't think have been mentioned: you could use a utility knife to slice through some of the sealant between the diff. and the cover to make it easier to pry off, and pipe wrenches (the kind plumbers use) are great on square plugs. They grip like a bear where an adjustable might slip, and their handles are nice and fat so you can put more force on them without digging into your hand.

 

If you can get your hands on a 1/2" drive 1/2" size 8 point socket, that is about your best tool for that plug (cheap under $15). Crescent/adjustable wrench also works good to.

Edit: To get the diff cover off use a beat up wood chisel (make sure it has no burs on the cutting end) don't use it to clean off the surfaces. Flat side of the chisel to the diff side, it will pop it right off. Be nice don't gouge the mating surface.

 

I did both axles and the power steering fluid today. Used a putty knife, and the old gasket broke off easily. Put the Permatex gasket maker on, re-assembled, and waited about 30 minutes before filling with gear oil.

The power steering, I just unhooked the line going into the p/s cooler while my friend started the truck for a second, and it pushed out about a quart of fluid. Refilled through the pump, cranked the wheels a few times, and topped off.

I drove the truck around for a little bit, the steering felt pretty much the same, although it was fine before this too. No noise from the axles, and they don't appear to be leaking. I'm going to check tomorrow to see if any is leaking out, but it seems ok.

Now all I have left is the T-case and the brakes, and it'll be up to date on maintenance for a while. I just need to pick up a 1.5" socket for the t-case, and a #47 Torx bit for the brakes, and the brake pads.

 

I could be wrong, but a 1 1/2" socket sounds kind of large to me, for the TC plug.

 

It sounds big to me too, but that's what I measured it at. I used a ruler, and then a tape measure, and it was 1-1/2". That converts to roughly 38mm, I don't think I've ever seen a socket that big. I've read many posts saying a 10mm is the correct size, but there is no way that is fitting on there.

 

10mm is the size allen wrench for the other style plug. How did you measure the nut? point to point, or flat to flat? If I were you, I'd get a nice Crescent wrench.

 

+1 on the cresent wrench, a large one will be your best friend when it comes to working on your truck

 

Stupid question: what is a crescent wrench? I would rather get one of those, something that I may use often, rather than a huge socket that I'll probably use once or twice.