Safety Tip:
Always wear safety glasses when working on your vehicle. Wear other personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary, for example latex gloves or closed toe shoes.

1

Secure your vehicle on a level surface, making sure your car will not roll or lean when jacked up.

2

Using a floor jack, lift up the rear of your vehicle.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

3

Secure the vehicle with jack stands on both sides for safety before starting any work. The pinch welds or the frame rails are the two best locations. Do not rely on the jack to hold the vehicle up while working.

4

Inspect the rear differential housing for leaks.

5

Remove the gear oil fill plug.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

6

Clean the bottom of the differential cover to remove debris if not already done.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

7

Place a drain pan under the rear differential. Loosen and remove all of the differential cover bolts, except for the top 2 or 3, and carefully pry the cover away from the housing to drain the oil.

8

Remove the top bolts and pull the cover off.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

9

Thoroughly clean the mounting surfaces of the differential cover and housing

10

Apply sealant to the differential cover mounting surface. Place the new gasket on the cover.

11

Apply sealant to the differential housing mounting surface. Install the cover assembly and torque the bolts evenly to 25-35 ft. lbs.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

12

Fill the housing with the manufacturer's recommended gear oil until the oil has reached the bottom of the fill plug hole.

13

Tighten the fill plug to 20-30 ft. lbs.

14

Lower the vehicle to the ground and road test. Check the rear differential for leaks.

Remove the gear oil fill plug.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

How to Check Differential Oil Leaks and Replace Oil

Always wear safety glasses when working on your vehicle. Wear other personal protective equipment (PPE) when necessary, for example latex gloves or closed toe shoes.

1

Secure your vehicle on a level surface, making sure your car will not roll or lean when jacked up.

2

Using a floor jack, lift up the rear of your vehicle.
Photo may not be specific to your vehicle

3

Secure the vehicle with jack stands on both sides for safety before starting any work. The pinch welds or the frame rails are the two best locations. Do not rely on the jack to hold the vehicle up while working.

4

Inspect the rear differential housing for leaks.

Top Stories

• Button: Indian GP showed Pirelli's merits 2 hours 42 minutes ago

  Jenson Button thinks the lack of excitement in the Indian Grand Prix proves that Formula 1 has benefited from Pirelli's efforts to spice up the sport. More »
• Hamilton: Mercedes form no concern 3 hours ago

  Lewis Hamilton says he is not disheartened at the growing task he appears to be facing at Mercedes - with the outfit having not scored a point since he signed for it. More »
• Red Bull sure Webber will do right thing 3 hours ago

  Red Bull expects Mark Webber to do what is best for the team if circumstances dictate that he needs to help Sebastian Vettel. More »
• Thursday's press conference - Abu Dhabi 3 hours ago

  Thursday's press conference - Abu Dhabi More »
• Alonso will 'push Red Bull to the limit' 4 hours ago

  Fernando Alonso believes pushing Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull 'to breaking point' in the remaining grands prix of 2012 will be key to turning the Formula 1 title race around.

Formula 1 - Gray Matter: Which one of these men is the new Sebastian Vettel?

Have Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo shown the potential to become Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull successor?