Differential oil..

[DSGreenhalgh]

I currently have the petrol tank out of my 1.6k series Supersport due to a dead fuel pump.

My question is, i thought i may as well change the oil in the diff as i am able to easily access it with the tank out.

But is it worth changing it if the oils not been warmed up before hand, as i'm not able to take it for a quick spin?


Cheers.

[HustleRussell]

De-Dion/Sierra? Best way to drain it is to remove the rear cover plate. Won't make too much difference whether it's hot or cold, it'll just take longer to trickle out. Changing the oil is certainly a good idea!

[DSGreenhalgh]

Ford Sierra, is there a gasket between the plate and the diff, or do you reseal it with some loctite 574 or something on those lines.

Thanks for your help.

[130g]

I changed mine while cold, not a big problem. I sucked the old oil up with a vacuum pump, and it worked ok.
Undoubtedly you will get more oil out if you remove the back plate, but I believe that you can suck it almost dry with a vacuum pump

[HustleRussell]

Yep, Use of the sucky sucky method is possible and much less messy than removing the backplate. Some old oil (probably less than 250ml) will remain in the casing but this isn't really a problem. You'll need to spend £40 or so on a 'Pela' thingy which is why I suggested back-plate removal. Having said that, the 'Pela' sucky bottle will be useful for gearbox oil and also increasingly useful for changing engine oil in the growing number of cars sold these days which don't have sump drain plugs.

[HustleRussell]

Oh and re: gasket, the Sierra diff would've had one originally but whether you replace it is up to you. I use clear silicon gasket sealant for my axle (not sierra, but doing the same job).

[framerateuk]

Coming from a hot hatch background where I've relied on the garage to service my car every year (aside from interim oil changes), how much hassle is it to change the oil in the diff?

I've got a vacuum pump which I've used to chance the engine oil of my Megane several times, I assume changing the diff oil is the same process (albeit with much less oil!). Is the plug easily accessible by just jacking up the car?

[130g]

I would not say that it is easily accessible, but it is reachable if you jack up the car and remove the right side rear wheel.
Info is available here http://www.alcester-racing-sevens.com/diff_oil_top... by the almighty Alcester Racing Sevens!

Only trouble I had was spilling quite a bit, which smelled really, and I mean really, bad. So remember to put a pan or something under the diff.

[grenpayne]

^ Same guide as I used, really helpful! Although I did need to use a breaker bar and a lot of effing and blinding to get the filler plug removed.

[mickrick]

Ooh, I love the smell of gear oil !

[Farlig]

mickrick said:

Ooh, I love the smell of gear oil !

wha??? I think it's ghastly stuff...!