Rear diff oil change

As slowly going through the car I thought it best to replace the rear diff oil. It's a 9" axle, so no drain plug - was it supposed to be sealed for life? Anyway fill plug out and then had to vacuum suck out the old oil using a brake bleed kit. Messy and slow and not helped as the oil was very black and syrupy. Read on this forum, and others, about the type of oil to use and, as it's a traction-loc 3.5 diff, the need for a separate proper friction modifier to be added. Decided on mineral 85w/140 gear oil and could only get the ford xl-3 additive (4oz/100ml bottle). Despite being sealed and double wrapped the aroma was obvious which, again, I'd read about!

Poured the additive in first using a small funnel with a short extension tube, and then pumped in the new gear oil. Originally I sucked out maybe 1800ml of old oil and refilled with about 2100ml including the additive, to the top of the fill plug. So I guess there was a few hundred ml's left inside and/or some had leaked out as the diff gaskets weep a little (but not enough to want to take the diff apart to replace). Need, of course, to run figure 8's for it all to circulate but that's going to have to wait until the cars back on the road.

However EVERYTHING still reeks from that additive! The barn and house are slowly ventilating but the old clothes I was wearing will probably have to be thrown away, I can't see how the smell will ever leave them and I'm not risking them in my washing machine lol. I've no idea what the cause of the stench is (tried to find out) other than it's like sulphur? Hopefully the smell is directly proportional to it's effectiveness and, at least, hopefully I'll never have to do this again 

 

Wait until you burn one up and see how that smells, lol.

I use to break lots of transmissions, axles, driveshafts and rear gears in my old hot rod 1950 Ford. My mom hated to wash my clothes and I had to wash my hands outside before coming in. Now I can't smell or taste much of anything, two sinus surgeries I guess took out all my smell.

Wait until you burn one up and see how that smells, lol.

I use to break lots of transmissions, axles, driveshafts and rear gears in my old hot rod 1950 Ford. My mom hated to wash my clothes and I had to wash my hands outside before coming in. Now I can't smell or taste much of anything, two sinus surgeries I guess took out all my smell.

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Well I've no intention of burning the diff out lol. A reduced sense of smell may be no bad thing with this stuff! I live opposite a farm. in deepest rural France, and there are times I've gone out the door and nearly puked, and then hidden inside all day, when they are making silage but this smell is something else. Not as nauseous for sure but completely unforgettable and not tolerable haha. Once is more than enough for me 

Are you sure it wasn't your farting you smelled?  lollerz

Are you sure it wasn't your farting you smelled?  lollerz

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Ah, you must be the resident arsehole. Sadly every forum has one.

I think you are mistaking good natured ribbing for an actual insult.

I think you are mistaking good natured ribbing for an actual insult.

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Oh I like a good ribbing as well as the next man, and I'm no blushing snowflake, but an actual contribution from the poster would have been appreciated. It's not necessarily such a good thing anyway that the first communication a stranger has with you is to try to have a laugh at your expense, it's hardly a positive one is it? As I don't know him I wouldn't have responded to him in that way had he asked the forum a question so I don't think it unreasonable to expect the same courtesy back? However its all good  ::thumb::

I am not the wire police. If you wish to take offense, that is your business. Fart jokes are hardly worth the trouble in my mind though

Sounds like he's a little over sensitive. Maybe he has a gas problem. I used to work with a guy that could clear everyone out of a room in 10 seconds after he had his gall bladder removed, never smelled anything that bad, he could put a skunk to shame, but he enjoyed doing it