Rear End lube capacity

[Cornell]

Today I had my rear and my transfer case serviced at the dealer(due to the fact I do not have the time myself) When I look at the bill the tech only charged out 3 quarts of rear fluid.(Grape juice) When I questioned him about it, he informed me there is TSB about the fliud level in the rears, over filling caused pinion seal failure. The proper new fill level was ABOUT 1/2 inch below the fill hole, which in turn would be 3 quarts instead of 4. I have been using the same dealer and the same tech for many years and I have no problem with his work or his Knowledge. Has anybody come across any similar infomation. There is no reason for him to make it up. I am just curious.( I have a 2004 LLY Crew cab 4 WD with the locking differential). :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Flyboy]

Stick your little finger in the hole to the first joint and if you touch oil, it is right. That's what a trusted Mr Goodwrench told me about two years ago.

[ZL-1]

For my information, when you change the lube in the rear case,is there a gasket on the rear housing? If there is a gasket, is it a GM part and what is the no.? When changing the front oil, would you take off the cover, and is there a gasket? Same gasket? Thanx. 3 or 4 quarts in the back, and 2 in the front? Right? A lot of questions. Thanx again... One final question, is it best to take off the covers when changing the oil?

[DmaxMaverick]

I don't believe it is necessary to remove the cover on the rear. I did on one and didn't see any advantage to it. Use the drain plug. It drains completely, and the magnetic plug gets all the metal that I saw.

The front has no cover. To open it, you have to split the case. Use the drain plug.

As of about a year ago, the gaskets were a GM only item. There may be a Napa or other replacement available, but I haven't looked. If you remove the cover, use the GM grey sealant to seal it and leave it in place until overhaul. The synthetic lube we use in the rear end (and maybe the front) will break down Permatex over time. I made a mistake of using permatex on an axle flange and it turned to goo.