I was looking in my maintanence manual and it reccomends replacing the differencial fluid at 15,000 miles for "harsh" conditions.

I'm at 18,000 miles. Anyone have this done yet and how much did it cost?

Thanks,

 

I did mine myself (when I saw how bad the lub in the transmission was I decided to do the diff too). It only takes one quart of lubricant and thirty minutes so it can't cost too much.

 

I've been meaning to do this too. Do you have any specific recommendations on the lube brand and type? TIA!

 

Seems like the spec was for GL5 or GL6. I used Mobil-1 gear lube.

 

Yes, use GL5 or GL6. I've used mobil 1 in the past. Do not try to overfill it. Jack up BOTH front and rear of the car to keep the casing level. Fill until it starts to drip out of the fill hole. Let the overfill spill out completely before sealing it.

 

how much do people usually charge to replace the trans and diff fluid? also, mobile1 gear oil for the diff, what about the tranny?

 

Thanks! Much appreciated.

 

I'm a big fan of Redline synthetics for gear cases and diff's... A little pricey for the crankcase.

www.redlineoil.com

 

Use Honda MTL for your transmission. It has just the right amount of friction for what the transmission was designed for. Redline will give your transmission a different feel. Some like it, but it's probably not the best thing for transmission longevity. For the best feel, use regular 10W40 or 10W30 motor oil, but that's definitely not the best for longevity and performance.

 

Just a little curious about the importance of changing the differential oil. I tend to keep my cars a long time and have never replaced the differential oil and have never had a differential problem. The cars that I've put the most mileage on have been BMWs, one of which I use for commuting. It has over 300,000 miles and the original differential oil. BTW unlike front wheel drive cars, the velocity joints and boots in this rear wheel driver have never been changed in 26 years.

Is there something new in the wind here that I'm not aware of that is going to force me to change my carefree attitute that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? I replace engine oil like clockwork because it deals with the combustion process. But differential oil isn't undergoing the same stresses and processes that engine oil has to endure.