So, I took my '95 over to the local Speedy Muffler the other day for an
oil change. They informed me that the plug from my front differential was
not in place. In fact, they found it sitting on the skid plate. Of
course the fluid was low. They said it took about 3L of fluid, which is
pretty much the capacity of the diff.
Apparently I put about 2000 miles on the truck in the dead of winter with
no plug in the front diff, and all of my fluid draining out (or splashing
out, whatever). I haven't heard any obvious noises which would indicate
gear self-destruction, and the front wheels do pull when the 4x4 is
engaged. I'm planning on pulling the cover off some time later this
spring to see what things look like, and I'm just wondering if there's
anything specific that I should look for for other than obvious
destruction.
Am I correct in thinking that there is virtually no way that this plug
could pop out on its own, assuming that the last person to work on it had
replaced it properly? I've removed and replaced these, and they've always
seemed to be pretty secure.
Looking back over my maintenance records, the last service was done in
November at our "five-star" dealer. They did an oil change, ball joints,
and replaced some steering components. Even if they didn't have to drain
the diff for this, they bloody well should have noticed if the plug was
missing. So I'm thinking that they're either incompetent idiots for not
seeing it, or incompetent idiots for not replacing the plug after they
removed it. I certainly haven't been messing around with it since
November (there's been a foot of snow in the driveway up until just a few
days ago... hence why I pay other people to change the oil).
Unfortunately, I don't have any concrete proof that it's the dealer's
fault, which means their lawyers will make sure that they aren't held
liable for any damage that results. :-P
Thanks.
-- Jason Bleazard http://www.bleazard.net Toronto, Ontario his: '95 Dakota Sport 4x4, 3.9 V6, 5spd, Reg. Cab, white hers: '01 Dakota Sport 4x4, 4.7 V8, Auto, Quad Cab, blackDidn't you read the disclaimer? http://www.they.com/disclaimer
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