Filling a difficult to get to diff

[Skyedriver]

Looking to check/top up the diff but the filler plug is up behind the framework. Is there a cheap bit of kit available to assist? A google search brings up stuff near £100 which is a bit much for an occasional use tool.
Thanks

Edit: Would a £5 oil can work? Would it pump Hypoid OK

Edited by Skyedriver on Wednesday 29th September 17:00

[Robb F]

Here

[Skyedriver]

Brilliant, thanks Robb

Note that one is from China, Screwfix do a larger Hilka one.

[GreenV8S]

Whatever you use, warm the oil up to 'uncomfortably hot' before you try to feed it down a hose. That will make the difference between spending minutes and spending hours at this.

[Jakg]

Hooked end makes it easy to keep in the fill port.

[Belle427]

Jakg said:

Hooked end makes it easy to keep in the fill port.

I use one but they can be hard work on your own if you under the car trying to hold the pipe and pump it at the same time, especially if it's gear oil.

[bmwmike]

Aldi or lidl do a electric oil pump every now and then, not used mine yet but its worth looking out for one as it was only £15 or so iirc.

[paintman]

Don't forget to check that the filler plug can come out before draining the oil!

[Jakg]

Belle427 said:

I use one but they can be hard work on your own if you under the car trying to hold the pipe and pump it at the same time, especially if it's gear oil.

I had to put 7L of gearbox oil in my 335d in the middle of December - good arm workout!

But it's not £100, and it's much easier than the syringe tool.

[Krikkit]

Jakg said:

Belle427 said:

I use one but they can be hard work on your own if you under the car trying to hold the pipe and pump it at the same time, especially if it's gear oil.

I had to put 7L of gearbox oil in my 335d in the middle of December - good arm workout!

But it's not £100, and it's much easier than the syringe tool.

Grab a cheap welding magnet to hold the tube to the casing while you pump away, assuming it's a steel case of course! I can't imagine many are using ally cases.

[Skyedriver]

paintman said:

Don't forget to check that the filler plug can come out before draining the oil!

Ha ha, yes it does LOL

[Evoluzione]

A 5 litre one of these will do: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224025567179?epid=10304...

£15.
If you put the oil in the microwave in a glass jar it'll go in even quicker.

[Skyedriver]

Evoluzione said:

A 5 litre one of these will do: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224025567179?epid=10304...

£15.
If you put the oil in the microwave in a glass jar it'll go in even quicker.

Could probably do some damage with that.

[Evoluzione]

No you won't do any damage, I use one regularly, it's the cheapest, easiest way of doing the job.

[mudster]

Wouldn't be the first time I have used a length of clean hosepipe with one end stuck in the filler plug, out the wheel arch and a small funnel in the other end. Can stand alongside the car and pour in, albeit slowly.

Bonus points if you can persuade someone to lay under the car and shout up when oil drips out of the level plug onto their forehead.

[InitialDave]

mudster said:

Wouldn't be the first time I have used a length of clean hosepipe with one end stuck in the filler plug, out the wheel arch and a small funnel in the other end. Can stand alongside the car and pour in, albeit slowly.

Bonus points if you can persuade someone to lay under the car and shout up when oil drips out of the level plug onto their forehead.

Yep, a normal garden hosepipe of sufficient length to get out to somewhere with enough room for a funnel, that's my usual approach for gearboxes and diffs.

[hellorent]

Always used warm oil & a primer pump

[CoolHands]

Evoluzione said:

A 5 litre one of these will do: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224025567179?epid=10304...

£15.
If you put the oil in the microwave in a glass jar it'll go in even quicker.

Wilko sell one like that for 7 or 8 quid if you don’t want to wait

[Megaflow]

Belle427 said:

Jakg said:

Hooked end makes it easy to keep in the fill port.

I use one but they can be hard work on your own if you under the car trying to hold the pipe and pump it at the same time, especially if it's gear oil.

I use one of those. I have never found an issue using it on my own under a car, except for a full gearbox oil change it takes a lot of pumping to refill.

[Evoluzione]

CoolHands said:

Evoluzione said:

A 5 litre one of these will do: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224025567179?epid=10304...

£15.
If you put the oil in the microwave in a glass jar it'll go in even quicker.

Wilko sell one like that for 7 or 8 quid if you don’t want to wait

Yes, you can pick them up locally very cheaply, Stax, B&M etc.
The one I have has a metal pipe rather than the plastic one in the link, i've managed to persuade it into a hook shape so it hangs itself up. Because they have graduations on them you can put the right quantity in, pump it up and leave it filling while you do something else. Put a bucket under to catch any spillages.