If that Yukon cover is solid steel then it would be an upgrade over stock. It will strengthen the housing and offer better protection from rocks, and stumps. An aluminum is pretty much a waste of money because they don't protect the diff any more than the stock cover does.

 

Would have been nice if they put some ridges or other sealant retention feature on the back side. There does look to be a texture, which will help. And in my experience, the surface on the housing is machined baby butt smooth, so texturing only helps one half of the equation.

 

Thanks for the 2nd shot of the Inside, which shows the mounting flange more clearly. Don't think sealing will likely be a problem with RTV, If it's the Specified product for this application, that can tolerate contact with differential lube & its additives.

The acidic acid / vinegar smelling RTV usually bonds best. If its the oxime cure, that smells sorta like fish, won't likely bond as tight to the metal as it doesn't etch, so to bond well would need a surface primer for the RTV to bond to. The acetic acid will etch the surface a little to create more surface area & a better bite if all is well cleaned.

Interesting Tricks of Light & Shadow in the First photo, that for some reason Really mess with my minds eye, in Not being able to see the center portion of the photo as Raised. To my eye It looked like it was the photo of the Inside, not the Outside, even though I knew the logo label was on the outside & that surface Had to be raised, I just couldn't see it that way. Your 2nd photo looks right, the inside / center looks depressed as it should & if I stare at it for say 10 - 15 seconds, then Quickly toggle up to the 1st photo, it'll look right for an instant, then revert to the center looking depressed. I'm left handed, so maybe I'm not wired right to look at certain light shadow patterns!!!! lol
Anyway, ignore my comments about the bolt holes, they look ok in the 2nd photo of the sealing surface. Just use the Specified RTV & clean Both surfaces really well & Don't wait for the RTV to skin over, as it wont wet & bond to the surfaces well.
Apply the RTV & without delay install the cover. Doing it in a low humidity time, will lengthen the work time you'll have before the RTV will skin over. Low humidity will also Lengthen the Cure time too. To shorten the cure time, have a fan blow air across the cover, as it takes Moisture to cure the RTV, so the fan air movement brings more air into contact with the RTV & will help it cure faster, so you can fill the differential & be finished. Don't fill the differential if the RTV hasn't Fully cured. Leave the fill & drain plugs out while the RTV is curing, so the fan can cause some air & Moisture to circulate Inside the cover & help the thicker bead of RTV that's mashed out, to fully cure, before you fill the differential. If its Fully cured, you won't be able to smell any acetic acid, or oxime.
The one part RTV's need at least 30% humidity to cure, so lower humidity means longer work time before skin over BUT longer cure time, without a fan to speed things up.
Take your time, clean the mating surfaces well, use the Specified RTV at a low humidity level, so you have plenty of work time before skin over & use a fan to hasten the cure.
A bunch more thoughts for pondering, let us know how it goes.

 

that is a nice looking cover.

Im sure you guys have dealt with the 140 lube before but it was a big change for me. I was used to using whatever 80 or 90 I had in jugs layin around and that 140 was difficult to deal with when it came time to fill. very thick and not cooperative

 

For what I paid for the cover I bought I didn't expect a Banks-quality product. Its a solid chunk of steel and while I don't think the differential housing needs a lot of external strengthening the Yukon will certainly add that needed or not.

PawPaw thanks for the heads up on sealant---I hadn't yet considered an RTV's compatibility with the gear lube. If there's a recommended for whatever I use that'll be part of the installation for certain.

JSchira I'll definitely consider roughening up the cover surface along with a thorough cleaning of the axle housing before installation too----good points.

I think just for grins and giggles I'll contact Yukon for their recommendations, perhaps the seller as they appear to be well versed in most 4x4 drive train components, they're here: https://www.rockridge4wd.com/

Thanks again guys!

 

GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc, all will have their own recipe of RTV Specified for the differential cover sealant. But it'll likely be Way more expensive than the product from whoever makes & packages it for them, like GE, Dow-Corning, Permatex / Loctite. Usually we can unravel who makes it for them by looking up the Patent # that's usually printed on the box, or RTV container, then go to that vendors web site & look up the product with the same Patent #. If you don't want to do that, just go to your Yukon Dealer parts dept & ask for a tube or two of their differential cover sealant & pony up your Gold for it & be safe with your choice.

 

I use lube locker gaskets on all of my differentials, they are reusable and I haven't had one leak yet. If you decide to use RTV the Permatex Ultra Black is what I always use.

 

I did send an email to Yukon asking what they recommend for sealing their covers----also asked about roughening the surface(s) too.

Looking for the Lube Locker gaskets---those are a huge option too--might just go that route in place of anything else.

Thanks again guys!

 

So if anyone's following my bits about the Yukon Hardcore cover this comes directly from them: Clean dry and oil free should be all that’s required if using rtv, or just clean and dry if using a gasket. Seems simple enough huh?

I do think I'll use one of those Lube Locker gaskets---can't hurt I'm sure.

 

x2 on the Lube Locker. Used one on my Sterling 10.5 when I changed my diff oil. No leaks, all good.

https://www.lubelocker.com/pages/ide...n-installation