How to Change Rear Differential Gasket

This article will explain how to change a rear differential gasket.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gasket Scraper
• Brake cleaner
• Rag
• Sealant compound
• Gasket

How to Change Rear Differential Gasket

1. Clean the old gasket material/sealant off both the differential casing and the differential cover using the gasket scraper. Be careful not to scratch or damage the surface.

2. Spray some brake cleaner on the scraped areas and wipe it clean with a rag or paper towels. This will remove any remaining oily residue.

3. Apply your sealant compound all the way around the track in the differential cover. Be liberal when applying the compound and make sure to get it around each bolt hole.

4. Spread out the sealant compound and work it into the track around the edge of the differential cover using small circular motions with your finger.

5. Replace the differential cover onto the differential housing.

6. Screw bolts back into the differential cover.

7. Look up the specs for your vehicle. In general, start with the bottom bolt, torque it tightly, but don't go overboard. Next torque down the top bolt. Then the bolt to left of the bottom one, and then the bolt directly across from that (to the right of the top bolt). Continue that process all the way around the the differential cover until all bolts have been torqued.