Lookin after my diff

[growler2058]

My axles are gunna be out my front diff till august incl the swivel hubs. Now i am worried about surface rust starting on the diff gears over this time with the cooler weather and moisture in the air it is undercover and i have covered each end of the diff with rags but should i be doin any extra??

[Silver]

stick it in 4wd every now and then, assuming on stands?

[YNOT]

My axles are gunna be out my front diff till august incl the swivel hubs. Now i am worried about surface rust starting on the diff gears over this time with the cooler weather and moisture in the air it is undercover and i have covered each end of the diff with rags but should i be doin any extra??

Spray the gears and any other metal components with WD40 or similar.

Tony

[growler2058]

stick it in 4wd every now and then, assuming on stands?

Will do cheers, and to cure my ignorant quriosity whats that do?

[YNOT]

Will do cheers, and to cure my ignorant quriosity whats that do?

I think what he means is if the diff is still in the car putting it in 4WD and running it will turn the diff in the oil coating the gears with the oil.
I assumed you had the diff out. One of us has the right answer (you didn't specify if the diff was still in or not)!

Tony

[growler2058]

I think what he means is if the diff is still in the car putting it in 4WD and running it will turn the diff in the oil coating the gears with the oil.
I assumed you had the diff out. One of us has the right answer (you didn't specify if the diff was still in or not)!

Tony

Yeah guys the diff is complete in the housing still on the troll just axles out and hubs off i was worried about moisture drawing through the rags ive put on each open end and making its way to the gears, i cant put oil back in cause the axles are out. So should i put plastic over the ends rather than rags? the axels and cv,s are coated in grease thin and wrapped in news paper and the hubs ive wiped grease on inside to protect until i can put bak together

[timbar]

i found the best thing is glad wrap all the diff ends and the axles the gladwrap will keep the moisture out and also any oil in just keep it wraped up and u will be fine mate

[growler2058]

Cheers mate......only recently had the thought with the onset of the cooler weather and thought mmmm cant see the gears I wonder............

[YNOT]

Yeah guys the diff is complete in the housing still on the troll just axles out and hubs off i was worried about moisture drawing through the rags ive put on each open end and making its way to the gears, i cant put oil back in cause the axles are out. So should i put plastic over the ends rather than rags? the axels and cv,s are coated in grease thin and wrapped in news paper and the hubs ive wiped grease on inside to protect until i can put bak together

In that case you should still be able to put about a litre of oil in the diff without it leaking out the axle tubes. Slide underneath the car every few weeks and rotate the front driveshaft a few turns to coat the gears in oil.

Tim's idea to wrap the diff ends in glad wrap is a good idea.

Tony

[growler2058]

In that case you should still be able to put about a litre of oil in the diff without it leaking out the axle tubes. Slide underneath the car every few weeks and rotate the front driveshaft a few turns to coat the gears in oil.

Tim's idea to wrap the diff ends in glad wrap is a good idea.

Tony

Excellant cheers mate to morrows littl job

[Silver]

yeah, thought the diff was still in, and still had oil. 4wd would turn the internals of the diff through the oil.

Ynot's solution does the same thing more safely probably, ie turn the front shaft by hand and not with the transfer case and engine.

When you think about it, plenty of front diffs go for longer than that without work, probably, and some rear ones (not messing with your mind, but the one in your troll for eg)!! Diff oil is pretty clingy stuff.

I go for Inox over WD40 for corrosion protection. Can't say how to get it onto the internals of the diff though :-)

Glad wrap is interesting. I'd go for air movement over trapping it, but you need to keep the dust and other crap out, so rags at a minimum. Probably only theoretical? however I know from fuel tanks that if they are sealed up apart from the breather, they cool down, cold moist air is sucked in in the pre dawn hours, and then the moisture condenses out, trapped inside, and the cycle continues.

If you had it all together and it sat there for that time, would you be worried about rust? Maybe not? Best to look after it as well as possible I guess