Recommended differential service

[i3scottw]

Hello,

I have an '07 Yukon Denali (6.0L, AWD) that I use for towing a travel trailer. The owner's manual suggests replacing the transfer case fluid at 50k miles, but does not mention anything about replacing the differential fluid. Can anyone recommend at what interval (if at all) this needs to be replaced for a vehicle used for towing?

Thanks in advance!
Scott

 

[TheFuzz]

My personal preference is every 30k. I say that coming from the Toyota 4wd camp - the diffs on my land cruiser definitely needed that interval due to the full-time 4wd system. I would venture to say that you could probably extend that interval on a truck like a Tahoe or Yukon, but really it boils down to how hard you use the vehicle. Personally, I think that the differential and tcase are very often overlooked. A few quarts of gear oil and autotrac fluid every 30k sure beats replacing hard parts. Its cheap insurance for the longevity of the system.

By the way, welcome to TYF!

 

[livingez_123]

I run Amsoil in my diffs and usually change it every year. I know I can let it go longer but its peace of mind know that I have clean fresh oil at the beginning of every towing season. In my 3500 Dodges that I worked daily my intervals were between 75-100k, again once a year but I never had a diff failure due to bad oil.