Chrome diff cover

[Black97]

Looks like I have an oil leak at my diff cover so I need to change the gasket.

Was wondering if this chrome cover here would be a good buy?

http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/1020039/10002/-1

[Performin Norman]

Be careful of the stamped steel covers, they are sometimes difficult to seal. If you have the money, you might get a nice billet aluminum cover like a TA cover or equivalent.

[Joe 1320]

Be careful of the stamped steel covers, they are sometimes difficult to seal. If you have the money, you might get a nice billet aluminum cover like a TA cover or equivalent.

What he said.

And.... chrome retains heat. Not what you really want.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

As an added benefit, these type of covers utilize pre-load studs to reinforce the bearing caps which "may" help to strengthen the weak 10-bolt.

Most also have a drain plug on them, which makes draining and refilling much easier.

[ConElite]

TA or Summit cover. Trickflow makes nice ones with the pre-load studs.

Chrome caps? What for, You never see it and/or its never seen. Maybe on a lifted truck.

[Black97]

Chrome caps? What for, You never see it and/or its never seen. Maybe on a lifted truck.

I guess you haven't seen my lifted Camaro yet



I guess you are right.

[ConElite]

I guess you haven't seen my lifted Camaro yet



I guess you are right.

[sneitzel]

Part numbers / links for the TA and / or Summit covers?

Please???

[Black97]

I found this installation Guide

Found this one here on Ebay with free shipping

And I believe this one is the Summit one

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

Here's one from Summit. Just make sure you realize the stock bolts won't work as the cover is much thicker. I used stainless bolts and polished them up. While You can't really see it yourself, the car behind you can easily see the differential cover, so if you want, polish the center section. It really looks nice from behind...you can even see the muffler, another reason I polished it up.

[Black97]

I bought some Rhino ramps and got under the car. Looks pretty messy so I'm working it with some degreaser.

Noticed there are two gasket installed. Also not sure if the leak is at the front where the shaft seal is. Is that difficult to replace?

So after the cleanup I drive it again to see where it leaks.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

The pinion shaft seal leaks on nearly every 10-bolt. I replaced mine, and it started leaking again a year later. While it makes a mess underneath the car, it doesn't leak out enough to worry me. I simply top it off once a year.

Replacing it is a bit of work. You need to remove the innards from the pumpkin...not something you want to do unless you are familiar with setting up a rear end. I would ignore it and look at it this way...it's a nice way to keep fresh lube in there as the old stuff leaks out in time.

[Black97]

The pinion shaft seal leaks on nearly every 10-bolt. I replaced mine, and it started leaking again a year later. While it makes a mess underneath the car, it doesn't leak out enough to worry me. I simply top it off once a year.

Replacing it is a bit of work. You need to remove the innards from the pumpkin...not something you want to do unless you are familiar with setting up a rear end. I would ignore it and look at it this way...it's a nice way to keep fresh lube in there as the old stuff leaks out in time.

Mine seems pretty messy but then I don't know how long it's been leaking. Don't see any leaks on the garage floor but at work I always use the same spot and that's where I noticed. But then it's on a hill and I always back in. Maybe I need to park forward to eliminate the oil leaking.

I found in the Haynes manual that you can disconnect the drive shaft and then remove the companion flange and that way you wouldn't have to mess with the internals. Does that work ok if you have the right tools?

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

Not really. The pinion nut crushes the crush sleeve. When you put it back on, you'll inevitably cause it to crush further, causing increased end-play to develop. This will cause premature failure on the differential.

People have done it, with mixed results, but it's not worth it in my opinion. My seal has been leaking for 12 years...never enough to see a drip, but obvious with the oil spray pattern. I rarely have to add more than a half a bottle a year.

[Wild Willy]

What he said- if you remove the pinion nut, you are going to change the pre-load on the pinion bearings- which will affect the mesh of the pinion and ring- a big problem to solve a little problem-

If the leak is that slow, just top the diff up from time to time- think of it as a reason to periodically check and add new fluids- and as rust-proofing for the back end of the car-