I changed the diff. fluid this weekend and wire brushed the red threadlock off of the bolts prior to reinstalling. When I went to reinstall the cover I realized I was out of threadlock and installed the cover anyway. My question is: Is the threadlock a must have for the cover bolts on the diff cover? If it is could I just add the threadlock one bolt at a time going around the horn. Thanks in advance for any information.


Mike

 

That method would work fine, even silicone would probably work. I don't recall any hole being through holes.

 

Well DARN, I was hoping someone would say that it wasn't needed. I guess I've got plans for next weekend....

 

I wouldn't say it is required...the worst that would happen is that the bolts could loosen slightly and cause some seeping/sweating around the cover. If it does this then you would need to retighten...otherwise I would say to just monitor it and deal with it for next service. Also I wouldn't use red loctite as it requires heat or impact to remove. Blue threadlocker is a better choice.

 

I don't use threadlock on any of my diff bolts. Never have had any problems with them backing off.

If you only have a little bit of threadlocker, and you want to use it, then I would put it on the lower bolts first.

 

Thanks for the info. There was quite a bit of the red locktite on the bolts from the factory, which didn't make the job any easier. I'll leave it as is and check the bolts in a week or so and then check the driveway until the next change. One other question: How many miles would you recommend between fluid changes? I used the Mobil 1 synthetic.

 

That depends on how you use the truck. If you go through water at all, change it everytime you get up to the center caps on the wheels. Otherwise, you can go for a really long time without changing fluids. I don't know what the scheduled interval is, but it's not uncommon to run 30,000 miles or more without changing the diff fluid.

 

The factory recommended interval as per the owners manual is 15,000 miles...yes with synthetic. The factory oil is synthetic as well.

As far as the bolts backing off....it is unlikely, but it is possible if the rubber gasket shrinks at all over time and can allow the bolts to loosen easier. I still wouldn't worry about it though. Chances are you won't see anything on your driveway...if it was to start leaking you will likely first see the staining/seeping all over the pumpkin before any drips to the ground...unless the bolts become very loose.

 

I didn't use any loc-tite and haven't had any problems yet (approx 3000 miles ago).

 

i just put the screws back into the housing as is [didn't clean anything off] and did them up tight by hand with a 3/8" stubby ratchet.. no leakage yet [about 1 year now]

 

That is probably not what people refer to as red loctite ( because of the red bottle )
The (red) loctite is actually a blue green color when it goes on. If there were a lot of red loctite on the bolts it would not be easy to get off with a ratchet or wrench.

Just wanted to add this in case someone is planning on putting red loctite on anything

 

Just to double clarify...BLUE loctite only! Red is fairly permanent but can be removed with heat or high impact (these small bolts would definitly break with impact and red loctite!) Green is bad too as it is for bushings and sleeves and is even more permanent than red loctite. RED and GREEN are bad, only use BLUE if you do use any loctite...and yes as the above poster said this is not necessarily the bottle colour but rather the colour of the actual liquid.