Ok.. there has to be some ideas on how best to change those hard to get to fluids - front diff, t-case, etc.

Draining the front diff was very easy. Filling was another story. The gear oil bottle could not be stood up in a way to get it into the fill hole, so I tried plan B. The cheapy fluid pump I had was not working, so plan C. The 24" hose shoved onto the gear oil bottle was too long.. too much resistance trying to get it from the bottle into the fill hole, so onto plan D. The 14" hose worked.. but it took some time and patience to get 1.5 quarts into the diff. A shorter hose would be better, but not enough room.

Tonight it's onto the t-case, where I plan to use plan D again. ATF should flow easier than 75w90, so I hope this one is < 1 hour job. But I need to rinse my gear oil bottle to get the nozzle / hose setup.

What do you use to fill fluids?

 

I did my rear diff today. Took me about an hour (pull the cover, clean the mating surfaces, clean out the inside, inspect gears/clutches, Loctite gasket maker, bolt it back on, and fill with 3 quards and the friction modifier), and a couple beers. I used a short (8") piece of hose to fill the rear diff through the plug near the pinion.

I must say, the old gear oil that came out looked quite fresh. I would say that it was probably changed within the last 40K miles (I've owned it for 23K), and it did have RTV for a gasket...so someone else was already in there before. The gears look perfect, and the clutches have A LOT of life left

I looked at the front diff and T-case and decided to wait 'til another day when I had more time...tomorrow probably. I have to move a skidplate for the T-case too. Thanks for the tips

 

i have done a dozen of them and always did the 12 inch hose trick. get a hose that is just small enough to go into the pipe plug hole, the bigger ID the better for the thick oil. I still dont like it. I bought a hand transfer pump at the local Farm Store last month. not a chance to use it yet.

 

I use gallon oil container and a filler with a hose attachment from the parts store. $2.99 put a very small hole in the bottle handle opposite the the sport and pressurize with 15-20 psi using an air nozzle. Works great. Still takes some time as it is thick oil, but faster and easier than squeezing any bottle. Used the pumps before as well with success. The hose attachment also fits quart jugs. So for the transfer case I put on the quart container and squeeze it right in the case.

 

T-case is done; much easier, but that's ATF fluid and a lot more liquid than gear oil.

Had to remove a skid cover and then pull the drain plug (3/8"), drained fluid, then put plug back in (I did not add any thread sealant.. am I asking for trouble?)

Next I pulled the fill plug, needed 4" extension. I then attached a 1/2" black dripline piple (lawn and garden irrigation) to a small funnel. Only needed about 12" of the dripline. The 1/2" dripline fits right into the fill hole. Lying on my back I was able to pour the ATF fluid into the funnel over my head. Worked like a charm. 2 quarts filled it up and when I pulled out my funnel/dripline rig a few ounces spilled back out. Again I just put the plug back in and tightened firmly, but no thread sealant. (Got the idea to try that from the shop where I took my Exc for a pre-buy inspection. They pulled all the plugs and just put them back in. I've read about using thread sealant - in fact put some 'blue' on the front diff last night, but I did not on the t-case tonight)

Most of the time is prep and clean-up.. tonight I laid down a big sheet of plastic which helped with drips and runs.. but there's still wipe-up to do, and I'm a clutz with anything liquid.