Someone dropped the ball on not reinstalling that plug correctly, will be
hard to prove who did the failer. I imagine you must have dirt inside the
diff also, maybe even some water..
----- Original Message -----
From: Jason Bleazard <jason.dml@bleazard.net>
To: <dml@dakota-truck.net>
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2003 10:38 AM
Subject: DML: Loss of diff fluid
>
> 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, black
>
> Didn't you read the disclaimer? http://www.they.com/disclaimer
>
>
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