Differential Oil Change Procedure

*MEDIUM*

Follow this procedure to change your differential oil:

1. Park the vehicle on level ground with the engine OFF, the parking brake engaged, and the transmission in REVERSE. Make sure the vehicle was recently driven and that the differential has reached operating temperature. The oil must be changed when hot in order to remove contaminants. 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 confirm existence of differential drain plug. Most differentials do not have a drain plug. If the car has a transaxle, it will most likely have a drain plug.
3. 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.
4. Wipe the area around the drain plug clean (if applicable) before removing it so as to prevent dirt from contaminating the internal components of the transaxle or differential.
5. Use the correct size socket wrench to loosen the drain plug, but avoid being burned by the hot oil. Capture the used oil in an appropriate container. Allow a few minutes for the differential oil to completely drain.
6. If the drained oil contains metal shavings or particles, excessive gear wear has occurred and your differential parts may be damaged. In this case, have the differential inspected by a professional automotive technician.
7. Clean the drain plug sealing washer and the plug itself. The differential drain plug may be magnetized to trap metal particles and shavings from gear wear; if so, remove these particles. Preferably, install a new plug washer or use sealant on the fill plug threads. Install the drain plug and tighten it to the vehicle manufacturer's specification.
8. If your differential does not have a drain plug, drain the oil through the fill plug opening by using a hand operated suction gun. Alternatively, you could remove the differential's rear housing cover. In the second case, a new gasket with sealant would be required before replacing the cover. Consult your owner's manual for the appropriate draining technique when no drain plug exists. If no drain or fill plug exists, an oil change may not be necessary.
9. Slowly add new differential oil until it begins draining from the 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.
10. Remove the vehicle from the stands or wheel ramps if used.
11. Store the used differential oil in sealed plastic jugs and take them to a recycling center or service station that accepts hazardous waste.

There is no filter to change with the differential oil.

SYSTEMS
DIFFERENTIAL OIL
DIFFERENTIAL OIL CHANGE INTERVAL
CORRECT OPERATION