Re: Loss of diff fluid

From: Mr. Plow (adam_is_mr_plow@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Mar 25 2003 - 00:06:45 EST


Well, obviously you're not going to get anything out of the dealer, even if
it was totally their fault, you know as well as i do what sort of fight that
would entail.... ;-)

Anyway, is the plug threaded, or does it just "pop" in?
If it's threaded, then i could see some vibration shaking loose over a long
period of time, but if service was done in Nov. why was the plug still found
on your vehicle? Albeit on the skid plate, but you'd think it would even
have fallen off of hat given the amount of mileage you put on it in a week
ya know?

But, thinking that the plug mostlikely hasn't been out of it's normal spot
for too long, i guess that is a good thing, and your gears shouldn't be
damaged much, if at all.

As for inspecting for damage, if you see metal shavings in the bottom of the
diff., that's an obvious sign of damage. Checking the teeth for any missing
chunks, and if they still mesh well with the other gears.
You know this stuff Jason, so i think when you take a look at it you will
likely be able to determine fairly easily if you've gotten any damage or
not...

Hopefully not. ;-)

The Adam Blaster
Two words, figure it out.....

>
>
>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

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