Why you should not listen to the manufacturer's 'Filled for life' claim

[naks]

 

[Betarocker]

A Minion comes to life.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

Well, they wouldn't have to go through any of that process if the BMW had a turbo encabulator.

 

[naks]

A load of crap. The bright side. Groovy blue overalls!

Care to elaborate on that claim?

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

 

[FordGuy1]

Maintenance intervals are a joke. They are put in place for advertising. Every Manufacture plays this game to show cost of ownership, that's it. Manufactures only sell cars, and parts.

 

[Buliwyf]

I didn't see anything wrong with what the ZF guys are saying.

Clutch grit, moisture, heat, and pressure are all going to wear fluid. I'll change mine out at 50k (accelerated interval because truck is a low mile weekend warrior)

 

[vintageracer]

I can't read and I don't understand German so what did I miss????

 

[javajoe79]

If manufacturer were serious, they would design oil & filter change without removing the sump.

Like Allison. I am glad I have one.

 

[J!m]

Guys, guys...

Lifetime oil- when it fails, its lifetime is over.

Very simple.

Same as lifetime warranties- when it breaks, it's lifetime is over and warranty is void.

?

 

[DaveInDenver]

If manufacturer were serious, they would design oil & filter change without removing the sump.

I thought dropping the pan was normally how it was done? Seem to remember doing that on dad's Chevy.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Right, with few exceptions (Allison for example) Its a suckass messy way to change oil & filter.
How would people like engine oilchanges the same ?

A spin on filter would make a lot more sense. I've resisted with stick shifts for so long I've never really thought about why that is with automatics. But then I seem to also remember on domestics you drain the gear lube from the axle by removing the inspection plate. Did it never occur to anyone in Detroit to put in drain plugs?

 

[Zeep]

I have drain plugs on my Rubicon D44's.

 

[Buliwyf]

Well, your supposed to do a visual inspection for corrosion and dirt(from clutch wear). It's only a few extra minutes to do correctly.

The diff covers I'm adding will have fill plugs on them. But I have no interest in a drain hole. It would just add a weak spot. Don't forget how many rocks and logs your diffs plow into. I suppose a drain on the cover is fine, but not on my cast iron (soft) axle housing.

Beware diff covers that have the fill hole way too high. They're usually the same covers with drains like this pos:

I'd rather have this, and waste some spill pads:

 

[DaveInDenver]

Now I'm not a hardcore crawler so I can't honestly say having plugs introduces any weakness I've noticed. But keep in mind I'm driving a Toyota with third members so the drain and fill plugs are part of the axle housing. I guess inspecting LSD clutch (which I don't have anyway) pack wear is an argument for an inspection plate. I probably still prefer the ability to drain and fill gear lube easily, though.



The plug has a bung welded around it on my truck and while it worn down from rocks it was still fine after 26 years and 300k on my 1991, so it's not something I worry about. But I did change from external hex plugs (like on left) to round one with smooth edge and a socket hex (like on right) to eliminate the slight risk of catching a corner and loosening the plug.

 

[Buliwyf]

Just a point of view difference. Toyota vs Superduty.

My truck has inches less clearance under the diff, an 2-3 times the weight on it. Oddly, I worry about my shock mounts as well, but they're scratch free, ironically.