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why stock diff covers SUCK

sweetk30

sweetk30

Back to play nice .
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got this 60 the other day delivered to me and tore in to it to check it out .

found lower lip of cover was pealed back just a hair . seen this before . . . .

found smoked bearings from no oil in diff anymore. :doah:

so do your self a favor if you wheel even light duty GO BUY A BEEFY diff cover . :thumb:

pic 1 shows rust in pulled back section of seal area .

pic 2 shows fine bearing material all in the diff. that's not peach fuzz boys .

0429151328a.jpg

0429151328b.jpg
 
I've seen many that rotted right through and let the lube escape too...and water & road salt get IN...

One front 10 bolt with 3.73's I had bought for my 71 K5 ,that had a mis-matched 3.08 front axle someone stuffed under it when I bought it,and a 3:73 rear axle, I just drove it in 2wd for a long time--I left it sitting next to my garage a few years,on a stand with the cover facing up--thought the sun would keep it dry and prevent the cover from rusting worse--it was full of 90W when I put it there...

When I went to install it ,the diff was half full of waterthe diff cover had a nice dime sized rot hole in it,despite it being quite thick ,and the ring gear was very rusty above the "water line" where it had dried up...

I was able to salvage it by wire brushing the hell out of the gear teeth,and flush out the housing good with diesel fuel,but I always wondered if and when the bearings or ring gear would fail in it...but it never gave any trouble--if it were a rear axle I bet it would have though!..the front only got used in winter and not that far in 4WD..
 
heh..im going the opposite on my rear 10bolt, I have a HD T/A thick alum cover that I just cant get to seal, so i got a new seal and a brand new OEM one, gonna go back to stock. Rarely off road anyways.
 
badmix said:
heh..im going the opposite on my rear 10bolt, I have a HD T/A thick alum cover that I just cant get to seal, so i got a new seal and a brand new OEM one, gonna go back to stock. Rarely off road anyways.
Click to expand...

what are you using to seal it?
 
skunked said:
what are you using to seal it?
Click to expand...

Everything...Ive used every recommendation listed on this website. Im over it, just gonna go back to steel OEM one. Im not opening it up to try and re-seal it for a millionth time.

Ive clean and scraped both surfaces til you could eat off of them, ive let sealant "set up", ive used cork, ive used rubber, ive used it all.
 
badmix said:
Everything...Ive used every recommendation listed on this website. Im over it, just gonna go back to steel OEM one. Im not opening it up to try and re-seal it for a millionth time.

Ive clean and scraped both surfaces til you could eat off of them, ive let sealant "set up", ive used cork, ive used rubber, ive used it all.
Click to expand...

I've had some pretty crappy covers seal with Rightstuff. I don't use gaskets on diff covers.
 
Stupid question, but are the bolts staying tight?

I had a leaking cover, bolts kept coming loose and it would start leaking, then somehow I figured out the bolts the diff came with were not the stock length. Proper length bolts, never came loose again, never leaked.
 
badmix said:
Everything...Ive used every recommendation listed on this website. Im over it, just gonna go back to steel OEM one. Im not opening it up to try and re-seal it for a millionth time.

Ive clean and scraped both surfaces til you could eat off of them, ive let sealant "set up", ive used cork, ive used rubber, ive used it all.
Click to expand...


Ive switched to a lube locker gasket, as i had dealing with sealant in such a confined space under the truck.

Used it once or twice, no leaks so far. They don't specifically condone re-use, but it clearly was designed to be reused.

http://www.lubelocker.com/
 
I think anybody doing reasonable maintenance on a truck would have noticed an oil leak starting on the differential. A heavy-duty diff cover can also leak if the bolts can loosen. I mean, millions of stamped steel diff covers on the road - how many axles die from this failure mode? The way that axle is pitted up inside I would wonder if it rusted from the inside out. It probably is important to make sure the diff cover doesn't overhang the axle housing.
 
I have the lubelocker gasket that is going on next with OEM cover.

Ive double / triple checked the bolts each time. I even install cover and on the proper sequence of torquing.
 
sweetk30 said:
got this 60 the other day delivered to me and tore in to it to check it out .

found lower lip of cover was pealed back just a hair . seen this before . . . .

found smoked bearings from no oil in diff anymore. :doah:

so do your self a favor if you wheel even light duty GO BUY A BEEFY diff cover . :thumb:

pic 1 shows rust in pulled back section of seal area .

pic 2 shows fine bearing material all in the diff. that's not peach fuzz boys .
Click to expand...

Thats a good bit of advice. It has never happebned to me yet, but I could understand how a "tin pan" cover could easily curl up and die like that.
 
Blue85 said:
I think anybody doing reasonable maintenance on a truck would have noticed an oil leak starting on the differential. A heavy-duty diff cover can also leak if the bolts can loosen. I mean, millions of stamped steel diff covers on the road - how many axles die from this failure mode? The way that axle is pitted up inside I would wonder if it rusted from the inside out. It probably is important to make sure the diff cover doesn't overhang the axle housing.
Click to expand...

rust you see is from sitting in scrap truck for a bit before it was drug off to the crusher . then guy got it before it was recycled and wanted me to check it out for him . good thing he didn't pay to much for it without pulling the cover . :whistle:
 
badmix said:
heh..im going the opposite on my rear 10bolt, I have a HD T/A thick alum cover that I just cant get to seal, so i got a new seal and a brand new OEM one, gonna go back to stock. Rarely off road anyways.
Click to expand...


i've been seriously considering a Ruffstuff cover. their covers are machined flat after welding so they should seal up well. i don't use gaskets either, just ultra black.
 
muddysub said:
i've been seriously considering a Ruffstuff cover. their covers are machined flat after welding so they should seal up well. i don't use gaskets either, just ultra black.
Click to expand...

I run them front and rear with rightstuff, no leaks.
 
I've gone back to Ultra Black because Rightstuff is too hard to get off. I end up bending the lip of the cover all to crap. It almost seems like it would be harder with a lip that doesn't bend.
 
I use to use silicone, but it is such a pain in the ass to clean up. I went back to paper gaskets, and have not had any problems.

Martin
 
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