I'm sure it was real.. those bolts are pretty strong...

 

I still can't believe that someone was complaining about changing the fluid in the rear diff. I think thats about the easiest fastest thing you can do in the garage. If you have a drain pan there is no reason to get too dirty, and it takes as long to change the engine oil as it does to change the fluid in your diff. I have had good luck using an old mustard bottle to fill my diff and transfer case. Just a thought to those of you out there who are as cheap/poor as me. I stay clean, and the whole job is done in a jiffy.

 

I agree.... with every Toyota truck I have ever had. (great trucks, and have a new 07' as well)

With the ranger, there is no drain plug. I did not have the gasket maker required to create a new gasket for the rear diff cover.
If Ford had designed the rear diff with a drain, then it would have been a 5 minute job.

 

Thanks for that tip. I can't stand the pump I have right now. It is a pain to deal with for filling differentials or transmissions.

My only question to the original poster is, why did you change your gear oil after 700 miles?? Those gears don't wear THAT much.

 

You can buy gear lube in 1-gallon containers with a pump. I have one and it works great. I also have one for ATF. I bought them just a few years ago, I think at Advance Auto Parts. I cut a small hole in the top of the handle to stick the hose in after I am done (make sure it is clean) then cover the whole thing with a plastic bag.

BTW- Did you know the most common contaminant in lubricants I have tested is red rag fibers and sand?

Seriously, a little homework or eyeball work before you had the gears replaced could have saved you some aggravation.

 

I'm sorry for you not having the time to go out to the garage, and then clean up, and go be with kids and all that, but the simple truth is that there are much worse things you can complain about than having to remove a rear differential cover.

I'm also sorry that Ford's design doesn't conveniently fit your needs, but the simple truth is that you chose to service this yourself. You also chose to have gears installed requiring this service.

You could have just as easily chose to take the vehicle to a professional to have this done, and rented a car for the day so you wouldn't be out of service for more than a few minutes, but then you'd just complain about the cost of the rental.

Not to be overly rude here, but really... a little homework before hand would have saved you a lot of time a frustration... I.E. knowing that you'd need the sealant to reseal the diff cover.

The way I see it.. if you choose to do the work yourself, and if you choose to NOT do the proper preparations beforehand, then you lose the right to complain about it.

 

Thanks.. but all I did was rant about Fords design not incorperating a simple drain plug for easily draining the rear diff oil.
I had no idea that the rear had no drain plug. Had I, then I would have:

a: acquired the proper gasket replacement
b: prepared to take the truck somewhere for service during that time.

I thought I did prepare by buying gear oil, limited diff additive, having the truck backed
into my small garage ready for service for when my son fell asleep.

I guess it was my fault for not checking visually for a drain plug before I laid out my little plan. I didnt know that diffs came without drain plugs.

Im not a big complainer.. in fact, the Ranger is not my daily driver, so there was no need for a rental car. I did take the truck in yesterday and had the rear diff oil as well as the manual tranny oil replaced.

As for the 700 mile question, I recently had 4:56 gears installed and they require a 500 mile break in with an oil change. I let it run to about 700 miles before I was able to get it changed. The oil was black, too.

 

Why do you keep talking about a gasket? Everyone I know uses RTV goop-stuff to seal the cover back on...

 

As far as I know they don't even sell a gasket. Rtv is the only way to seal a differential cover. I'm thinking it's about time to close this thread. The guy who started this has no idea what it takes to work on your own vehicles, and we are just rubbing his nose in it. I am sory for all the comments I have made about this subject. I guess it just seems so obvious to those of us that have done this type of work before that rtv is required and that drain plugs are not the norm. We just need to think back to when we first started working on stuff for ourselves. On the other hand I think lllateralus should have done a little more homework before attempting this service. Maybe you should buy a service manual. It would have explained everything you needed to know to perform the work you wanted to do. If you come to a group of knowledgeble people with such an easily avoidable problem you have to accept that you will be razzed a little for it. Please don't avoid using the internet to help you solve legitamate problems, but you should think twice before you start whining about problems you caused yourself. In the end, you solved the problem and have learned a lot about diff covers. You did better than many who would have never have even tried to work on their own truck. You learned something, and at the end of the day that's what is important. We are not all born with knowledge of everything. It takes dealing with setbacks like this to become knowledgable about cars and trucks. If this stuff was all simple, there would be no jobs for mechanics. Even the most knowlegable people on this forum started off not knowing whether there was a drain plug on their diff or not. You might have felt a little scuff on your ego, but the knowlege you have gained was worth it i'm sure. Next time you know what to expect. I just hope that if you run into someone in the future who is experiencing any of the same difficulties, that you pass on your newfound knowlege to them. I consider myself to be a hotrodder, but I would have probably given up this hobby years ago if I had not people who were willing to share thier knowlege with me. We are all here for the same reason; we care a lot about the vehicles we drive. We are also on this forum to help each other out along the way. We sometimes forget that and sometimes as the new guy you just have to take your lumps. I know I am about to do a service on my front differential, and I will make sure I have a new tube of rtv before I start because of your thread. I'll just hop off my soabox now and get on with enjoying my ranger.

 

I just have one more reply, then this thread can be closed.

Dart7383, I (as the starter of this thread) have worked on and owned more cars, trucks, quads, dirtbikes, streetbikes than most people 2 or 3 times my age.
(im 26)

Including rebuilding countless bike engines, installing roll cages in a few miatas, a little turbo and port work on my old 300ZX Twin Turbo, installation of a few complete IFS lifts on 90-95 Toyota pickups, lift on my current FJ, countless clutches, brakejobs, electrical installations and troubleshooting, not to mention that I worked as a light duty mechanic for a job for a little while. (should also mention the rear end that I changed out on a 1979 280ZX)

I (and my wife) currently have 2 2007 vehicles, and my playtruck, the 97' Ranger I just recently bought, as well as a 2001 Honda RC51 streetbike, 1997 Yamaha Banshee, and 1993 Kawasaki KX500.

I maintain them all, and If I were to list all the vehicles Ive owned and maintained/rebuilt, this would get even more boring.

Its safe to say that I know my way around the garage. Quite simply, I have never changed the rear diff oil on a vehicle that didnt have a drain plug.
Its as simple as that.

I am sure that I do have some Permatex Ultra Grey out there, but did not know that is what is used as a rear end cover gasket.

I am VERY mechanically enclined, but none of us have done it ALL, myself included. (although I did have a 97' F150 4X4 4.6 that I did a few things too... I must have had the front/rear ends serviced on that one)

To say:

"The guy who started this has no idea what it takes to work on your own vehicles, and we are just rubbing his nose in it"

about me is just funny stuff.

I can provide online pictures of everything mentioned above if anyone cares.

 

I don't doubt you for a second. I was just on here a few weeks ago with a dumb question about my rear drums. I may have been a little harsh on you, but a rear differential with a drain is an oddity. You may have lucked out in the past, but that just goes back to the fact that we all have something to learn. I have a lot of friends that have damaged their rear ends, and nobody has had a drain plug. I have replaced rearends in 1/2, 3/4 and one ton Chevys, 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton Dodges as well as Dodge cars. As for Fords, I have worked on 1/2 tons and ranger diffs. I have also changed fluid in an AMC Hornet and a Jeep Comanche. None of these vehicles had a drain plug. I don't dissagree that a drain plug is a good idea, I'm just saying it's not something to expect. Even if you could have gotten a suction pump to work I would have taken the cover off to inspect the new gear mesh pattern anyway. I might be a little **** on this, but I had a boss beat it into my head years ago. I am honestly younger than you, but I have been rebuilding antique motorcycles and cars since I was a little kid. I currently have 9 bikes 2 cars and 2 trucks in garage. I didn't realy mean to give you such a hard time but you have experienced only the exeption, not the rule. Like I said, we all have something to learn. Please just pass on what yo found out here to anyone willing to listen.

 

Ok I agree this thread needs closed, just turning nasty and not serving any useful purpose anymore