rear end gear oil leak???

[green streak]

my 95' bronco has been sitting in the yard for about a week, and there's a small pool of gear oil underneath the rear of it. it's not leaking from the differential, but from a hose clamped above it. i think it might be some kind of a vent hose or overflow, coming from the axle, but i'm not sure. i haven't checked the oil in the rear end, but what might cause this, other than overfilling the rear end which i've not done. thanks in advance. jeremy

 

[Bully Bob]

"----- i think it might be some kind of a vent hose or overflow----"

Yep.... that's it.

May have just got a bubble of gear oil up in it. Make sure the oil that's in it, has no water in it. (water will turn it milky tan/brown)

 

[green streak]

i'll check it. thanks alot.

 

[snowman74]

While we're on the subject...I have an 8.8 rear end. What is the proper way to change the rear diff. oil, and what type should I use to replace it? Also, my vent hose is old and cracked and needs to be replaced. How many feet of it will I need to replace it and where does it go from the differential?

Snowman74 >-

 

[89Bronco58]

the way i change my rear oiul is first get the oil and gasket of course, remove all the 1/2 inch bolts and let her drain well, i like to buy an extra quart of gear oil and i spray it in the rear and let it run out, just so it is extra clean, make sure you clean off the rear plate cover well, mine has a megnatic strip on it that catches all the wearing metal from everything, i run stnyhetic gear oil in mine because its better fot it and swells seals, so they are less likely to leak, and i would say go with about 3 feet of vent line , mines lifted and i needed extra, you can always cut it shorter if needed...

 

[wtfdissux]

when I do mine I also pull the axles and replace the seals this way I can dump some mineral spirits down the sides and rinse the whole thing out but if you do that you must make sure that the mineral spirits are completely flushed out before re-assembly

(note definitely do NOT do this if you have any kind of clutch packs in you carrier as they will soak it up and will be shot almost immediately)

its also a good idea to replace the cover when doing this the first time so you can have a drain plug makes the whole process quicker and cleaner no matter how you do it (remember the first time I did it my wife sidetracked me and still complains about the smell from the garage floor)

 

[snowman74]

Thanks guys. About how often should you change your diff. oil?

Snowman74 >-

 

[wtfdissux]

depends on driving style but would recommend once a year. If you do more offroading or really beat the truck (pulling heavy load such as a trailer on a regular basis or 0-60 and stop well you get the idea)maybe once every three months but use your own judgement I think the owners manual calls for 12 months 12 thousand miles but this was for people who do 50/50 highway and city no rock sand or mud was in the equation

basicaly I do mine when I do the trans and transfer case which is every third oil change along with the fuel filter