Differential bolts torque specs

[jyi786]

I'm going to be doing the fluid service on my front and rear diffs. I've done tons of research, but can't find anything definitive on the torque rating for the following bolts:

1. Front fill and drain plugs
2. Rear diff cover bolts
3. Rear diff fill plug

If anyone can tell me what the torque rating for these bolts would be, that'd be very helpful.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[sk1dm4rk]

Junayd,

How's it going?

My method is to calibrate the torque settings in my arm to put them back with as much force as it took to remove them. Err on the side of less (as you don't want to break or strip anything) and then periodically inspect for leakage and tighten as needed to stop any seeping. Remember to replace the lost fluid.

A quick google search yields:

30ftlbs for the cover
45ftlbs for the plug

Use whichever method you are most comfortable with. You know what they say about information on the internet...

 

[ScottyBoy]

Be careful, I torqued mine to 30ft-lbs on the cover, and 5,000 miles later the bolts worked their way loose and the cover started leaking. I redid it a few days ago, but this time I made sure to completely clean out every bolt hole with brake cleaner to make sure that no oil was left in there, and I cleaned and scrubbed each of the bolts with a wire brush. I also took the extra precaution of using a paint marker and drawing a line across each bolt where it meets the cover. Now I can just do a visual inspection of the diff cover and I can easily see if any of the bolts are working loose, without having to get under the truck with a ratchet to actually see if they are still torqued.