Fill the transfer case until it overflows the fill hole?Not yet. Just shy of 8k on the clock and going to do it at 10k with the diffs. Should be pretty simple in terms of process. Going to use Valvoline 75-90 Synthetic all the way around.
Fill the transfer case until it overflows the fill hole?Not yet. Just shy of 8k on the clock and going to do it at 10k with the diffs. Should be pretty simple in terms of process. Going to use Valvoline 75-90 Synthetic all the way around.
Under 1k on the odoHow many miles do you have? I am right at 8k so likely going to do it this weekend. Not shocking there were metal shavings. I have never seen a filter in a transfer case or axle. No pump to push it through the filter.
I have never seen a filter in a transfer case or axle. No pump to push it through the filter.
Something is creating a positive flow to circulate the hot oil from the transfer case sump to the cooler in the LH wing and back to the top of the transfer case. I'll take a stab there's a small paddle pump in there somewhere.There are small filter screens and dedicated fluid pumps on many chain-drive transfer cases (NVG, etc) but they use lightweight ATF instead of gear oil. I've not seen a pump or filter in a gear drive 'case. If we knew the internal layout of the Tremec used in the Grenadier it might be possible to affix a powerful magnet to the exterior that would trap shavings against the inside wall.
Forgot about that and very good point. It would not shock me to see an electric pump on the T case. Next time I am crawling around I’ll see if I can trace the lines. Should be simple to tell if it’s external or internal.Something is creating a positive flow to circulate the hot oil from the transfer case sump to the cooler in the LH wing and back to the top of the transfer case. I'll take a stab there's a small paddle pump in there somewhere.
Forgot about that and very good point. It would not shock me to see an electric pump on the T case. Next time I am crawling around I’ll see if I can trace the lines. Should be simple to tell if it’s external or internal.
Now - there might be a temp valve in the system to also keep the temps at a constant level - lots of transmissions have that now but ATF fluid.
Curious - how much oil did the T-case take? I hadn’t thought about the cooler and trying to think through the total capacity of the T-case and cooler. The cooler is certainly higher than the T-case so unless there is a back-flow valve - filling the T-case to the fill line won’t re-fill the cooler and the T-case will be low.The t case fill and drain plugs are not magnetic.
Thank you for this. I thought the differential service at 12,000 miles might have been excessive but apparently not. I will do mine with my second oil change at 5,000 miles.Ok - just did the diffs at just over 8k Miles and the oil was filthy. I should have taken pictures, but was trying to just get it done late this evening. Generally speaking - it looked equivalent to what I would expect to see out of vehicle with 40+k Miles. Lots of small metallic metal shavings floating around. The drain and fill plugs both have small magnets - much smaller than what you see on a Toyota and the magnets were covered - both the fill and drain. I did run it pretty hard before doing the job to try and warm up the diffs and they were warm to the touch when I did the oil change. I could even see reflections in the light when I filled them up coming out of the fill hole (metal in the new oil flowing out). If you are considering it - its a VERY easy job, but I was a little shocked at how bad the oil was and I now completely understand the service internal of 12k Miles.
I am planning on doing in the T-case next weekend and will report back.
I will note that I have the lockers and I have cycled them well over 100+ times to try and get them “broken-in”. At 1st - they were hard to actuate, but now they work almost instantly. I have also driven well over 100 miles “locked” so that puts more stress on the diffs and is likely correlated to what I saw in the oil.
Most diffs do not call for an oil change until 30+k miles, but these are tractor axles. Look at any tractor manual and they all call for diff changes after break-in around 200 hours. The axles, diffs and lockers are more like a tractor than a typical car these days so it makes sense. Per the manual the next diff change is around 35k or so, but I am likely going to do it after the next 10k and at least see what it looks like.Thank you for this. I thought the differential service at 12,000 miles might have been excessive but apparently not. I will do mine with my second oil change at 5,000 miles.
These axles made by a company that outside of Europe are known for making axles for tractors and machinery. They also make axles for light vehicles and trucks. If these were tractor axles there would be plenty of complaints about high speed noise by now. The likely cause of high metal in the oil is the manufacturing process for the forged gears in the differential not the crown wheel and pinion.Most diffs do not call for an oil change until 30+k miles, but these are tractor axles. Look at any tractor manual and they all call for diff changes after break-in around 200 hours. The axles, diffs and lockers are more like a tractor than a typical car these days so it makes sense. Per the manual the next diff change is around 35k or so, but I am likely going to do it after the next 10k and at least see what it looks like.