Aftermarket diff covers...do they work?
Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 112
Likes: 4
So for anyone who has a silver diff cover, can you easily see leaking gear oil on its exterior? I'm worried about not being able to quickly notice a pinion seal leak (which is easy to quickly see/notice with black stock covers) . . . ?
Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 201
Likes: 7
From: Stanley, IDAHO
Anxiously await Gale Banks next installment on this great research. An Aluminum Finned Cover with the Manufacture Rear Cover Original Shape seems like the best way to go. Gale makes several great points throughout this series of Videos.
GARY
GARY
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,595
Likes: 0
From: Utah County, UT
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Tuned
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 302
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FTE Legend
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 31,882
Likes: 9,176
From: Western NY
I can't say I saw it coming, but I can't say I'm surprised either. I'm thinking that once they started to test the aftermarket flat covers and saw what the (assumed) deficiencies were, Gale was probably like, "We could do this better." We shall see. He is putting more thought and testing into these than all the aftermarket diff manufacturers put together. Hopefully not only will it have bling, but it will function like the others only claim and don't.
6.7 Weight Loss
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,141
Likes: 5
From: Woodbury CT
I just went with the Ford finned cover. Haven't installed it yet. Too much Fall yard and house work. Maybe today, maybe Monday. I did find the torque specification - 35ft pounds. Like Carbonation I also went with the 12 point ARP bolts and Lubelocker gasket.
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FTE Legend
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 31,882
Likes: 9,176
From: Western NY
I was going to point out how the manual says 3.5 quarts and you said almost 4 quarts. But when I drained the transfer case, I thought I was set because the manual said 2 quarts of XL12. Of course it didn't fill it. It needed about a quarter of quart. I needed to go buy another quart at the dealer. So it may be 4 quarts for the smooth factory cover.
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FTE Legend
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 31,882
Likes: 9,176
From: Western NY
Online purchase? I like the ARP bolts for bling. You go with the stainless or just plain black?
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 274
Likes: 20
At this point I would take any data in the flat covers with a grain of salt. What started out looking like a (somewhat) independent third-party look at aftermarket covers has obviously turned into a marketing exercise. Any data presented now will be skewed by that, in my mind.