So I just had my plugs changed by a local shop who did a great job on them. Couldn't be happier. After doing the plugs they were checking everything out and say that the front diff. has alot of water in it, the transfer case fluid is almost black and the rear diff. fluid is in need of a change. I bought this truck in August with 44,xxx on it and have since put about 5,000 miles on it. No knowledge of previous use or maintenance history. The shop says that since the front diff. fluid is so bad they want to slightly drop it so they can better get to it and clean the inside out. I don't have any problems with whining or anything from the diffs. The truck is an '07 FX4 4x4. They can do all three for a little over $300. Am I'm being screwed, or should I let them take care of this before I f-up my gears??

 

That's probably a good deal for all three services, but I would investigate the water in the front diff. Maybe make sure the vent tube is still there and up as high as possible to avoid submerging it.

 

They mentioned they would make sure the vent tube is not kinked or anything like that. But said that the amount of water in the front diff is much more than what they would expect form condensation, said the fluid is milky white. I'm thinking the previous owner submerged it at some point.

 

$300.00 is NOT a good deal. Why not read up on the "how to's" and do it yourself? That would also get you familiar with your vehicle..Its not a hard task to perform.

 

If they are going to drop the front diff it seems okay. If we're simply talking about draining/replacing fluid it's a bit expensive. Most shops are going to charge you a good bit for fluid changes in differentials. 2-diffs + xfer case probably takes a couple of hours of shop labor in addition to the fluid + friction modifier. It's not a rediciulous price, imo, but you can always do things yourself to save cash.

 

Yes, I agree this is something I could have done myself. And I planed to this spring. At least I could have changed the fluid myself. But after hearing how bad it was and the 20 degree weather here I didn't want to f with it myself. I was told there was enough water in the front diff that it could have froze. They dropped the front diff so they could get to it better and actually clean and dry it out. This is something I couldn't have done myself. They said there was no damage to my gears so at least I now have piece of mind and maintenance history on the diffs and transfer case. I'll post some pics too see what you all think.

 

On the right was my old front diff fluid. The left is new diff fluid.


On the right was my old transfer case fluid.


I'm sure a shop could bull**** you with something like this but I do trust these guys. They have worked on all my previous vehicles and did a TREMENDOUS job on my plugs. How bad do those fluids look too you guys?

 

You did the right thing. The problem with garbage fluid is with the gears like you said but more so with the bearings.

Does it operate any better for you now?

 

It does have a little more pep, but that's from the plugs. Hopefullly a little better mpgs to!! They only broke one plug but I was amazed at the amount of carbon on them! Never noticed any issues with the front or rearend, but after looking at the fluid i'm sure that problems were on the horizon.

 

those fluids look terrible. good decision. youve now made me add t case and diff fluid to my to do list. my truck thanks you.

 

$300 is in fact a good deal to have it done, the going price just to do the rear diff is in the $125 to $150 range. Of course you can do it yourself cheaper. You can't complain about any shop that charges MSRP for parts and flat rate for labor as long as they do the job properly. They are in business to make money. Those of you who are tradesmen yourselves should be able to relate to this very well. Sure, I can put a new kit in my toilet for 20 bucks, but I would expect to pay a plumber $100 to come over and do it.

 

Yeah, I thought it was a decent price to. They charged $85 for the rear diff and $85 for the transfer case. $200 for the front since they had too drop it and clean it out as well. Just happy they got it done at this point!!

 

I changed my front diff oil at 80,000 klm and it was milky white also. Seemed to have a lot of water in it. I just did mine again today 132,000 klm and it was a little milky again but not nearly as bad as the first time i did it.
Where the hell is the water getting in? I don't drive into water to get boats out.
There are no oil leaks, but some how im getting water into the front diff.
Could it be getting in the breather?
Any ideas guys. Has anyone else had this and fixed it that could help me look for the cause.

 

I think I have read that a clogged breather is the culprit for that. Hopefully someone can chime in that knows for sure though.

 

Its a start. I'll have a look at that in the morning.
Thanks.