The war on rust (differential cover)

[19963.4lsr5]

Welding a new cover poses too high a risk of ruining your diff from debris contamination. I do not recommend this unless you remove the third member. Also, these aftermarket covers have a shape which may not allow the oil to spread through the diff as the original design does. That square cover posted may just be downright moronic if those sharp angles do not allow proper oil dispersion at highway speeds. Hello pinion whine.

My advice: you need to get a new differential with a good cover and lube it up with a pornographic amount of oil to prevent rust. If your cover looks like shit but does not leak, DO NOT duck with it (wire brush, dremel, grinder) unless you intend to waste your weekend laying on your back and dicking with JB Weld and gear oil when you poke a pinhole through. You will get what you deserved.

My "bush mechanic" aka "a guy that has spent enough time repairing old FJ40s on the side of a mountain in Asia without an ego and the coolest new Snap-On wrench", said to put roofing tar on a shitty looking diff cover(that isn't currently leaking). It's thick and oily AF, will stop the rust in its tracks, and will be a ***** and a half to remove until the day you cough up for a new rear axle. It's not a guarantee that a leak will not form, but this is the safest bet, and damn does it work well.

I use fiber reinforced roof patch for certain rust prone areas. It works.

I sand blasted the rusty rear of the old 96 and then ZeroRust and chassis black paint.


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[Chuckuc]

Sorry for the late question on this, assuming you do. It have to remove the entire rear axle to cut off and reword the cover? If not, how do you prevent metal shavings and such in the housing?

Or if you don’t prevent them, how do you remove them once it is off?

 

[D'arce]

Sorry for the late question on this, assuming you do. It have to remove the entire rear axle to cut off and reword the cover? If not, how do you prevent metal shavings and such in the housing?

Or if you don’t prevent them, how do you remove them once it is off?

When I did mine I removed the whole axle housing from the truck. Much easier working on saw horses than on your back like a ho. You will absolutely fill the diff with metal if you don't remove the third member. Wash as much metal out as you can with brake cleaner. After it was all back together I changed my diff oil after 50 miles or so. I should probably do it again just to be sure. One mistake I made was welding on the e-brake guide too high on the cover. I had to make a small adapter to lower it and get the cable straight from side to side.

 

[Chuckuc]

When I did mine I removed the whole axle housing from the truck. Much easier working on saw horses than on your back like a ho. You will absolutely fill the diff with metal if you don't remove the third member. Wash as much metal out as you can with brake cleaner. After it was all back together I changed my diff oil after 50 miles or so. I should probably do it again just to be sure. One mistake I made was welding on the e-brake guide too high on the cover. I had to make a small adapter to lower it and get the cable straight from side to side.

While I’m removing the whole axle, what other work should I be doing while it’s all apart? I’m picking up a 2000 T4R (my first) and this is the main reason it’s being sold. Planned on installing new rear suspension with 2” lift and was considering a brake conversion (only because I have not worked on drums before).

 

[Bad Luck]

While I’m removing the whole axle, what other work should I be doing while it’s all apart? I’m picking up a 2000 T4R (my first) and this is the main reason it’s being sold. Planned on installing new rear suspension with 2” lift and was considering a brake conversion (only because I have not worked on drums before).

Check your inner axle seals while you have it out.

 

[brillo_76]

Check your inner axle seals while you have it out.

Along with the seals verify and replace if needed the diff breather...

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[D'arce]

While I’m removing the whole axle, what other work should I be doing while it’s all apart? I’m picking up a 2000 T4R (my first) and this is the main reason it’s being sold. Planned on installing new rear suspension with 2” lift and was considering a brake conversion (only because I have not worked on drums before).

Drums are a piece of cake to work on once you've done them. This is just me, but if I was to do a brake upgrade it would be the front first.

I ground down the axle and painted it while it was out. New seals, bearings and rebuilt the e-locker. I never wanted to touch the rear axle again when I was done lol. Seriously though, if the rear cover is leaking because its got rust holes in it, I would poke around on the rest of the frame back there and look for any soft spots. My coil brackets on the frame were so bad I had to replace them. Dirt and sand had collected around the upper shock mount and thats where they rusted through. Nows your chance to clean all that out with the axle removed. Lube everything generously with your choice of rust prevention when your all back together.