Checking Your Differential Oil Level

*MEDIUM*

Check your differential oil level every 6 months or 6,000 miles. Follow this procedure:

  1. Park the vehicle on level ground with the engine OFF, the parking brake engaged, and the transmission in REVERSE. It will be necessary to crawl under the car. If your car's ground clearance will not permit easy access to the differential, it will need to be elevated on both ends using safety stands or wheel ramps. However, the vehicle must still remain level.
  2. Use your owner's manual to identify the location of your differential fill plug. Wear gloves and a long sleeve shirt so as not to burn yourself on any components. Also wear eye protection so foreign particles like undercar dirt do not enter your eye. Most differentials have the fill plug at the rear or on one side, about half way up. The differential is in the middle of the rear axle on rear-wheel drive cars.
  3. If the car is front-wheel drive and has a transaxle, it may have two fill plugs -- one for the differential section and the other for the transmission section. Do not confuse the two. Select the differential fill plug.
  4. Wipe the area around the fill plug clean before removing it so as to prevent dirt from contaminating the internal components of the differential.
  5. Loosen the fill plug with the correct sized socket wrench. In some cases, the fill plug may require a special socket for a correct fit. If oil begins to leak out, let it continue until it stops. Capture any excess oil in an appropriate container. Tighten the plug when the leaking stops.
  6. If oil does not leak out after removing the fill plug, check the oil level with a small, bent paper clip. Do not let the paper clip fall into the differential. The oil level should be at the bottom of fill plug opening. If not, add the appropriate amount of oil through the fill plug opening using a hand pump or large squeeze bulb. Consult your owner's manual for the correct lubricant.
  7. Slowly add oil until it begins draining from fill plug opening. If the new oil cannot be dispensed directly from its bottle into the fill plug opening, use a hand pump with rubber hose or a rubber squeeze bulb. Capture any excess oil in the container. Wait a few minutes for the oil to settle; recheck the oil level with a paper clip. Replace the fill plug.
  8. Remove the vehicle from the stands or wheel ramps if used.
  9. Store the used differential oil in sealed plastic jugs and take them to a recycling center or service station that accepts hazardous waste.

TOP SYSTEMS
BACK DIFFERENTIAL OIL
PREVIOUS PROPER CARE
NEXT CHANGING YOUR DIFFERENTIAL OIL