How to Torque Rear Differential Cover

Video Transcript

"In this clip we're going to talk about the proper way to change your oil in your rear differential. In this step we're going to talk about the proper torquing procedure for re-installing your differential cover. I'll roll right underneath my vehicle here. I have a three eighths ratchet with a long extension and a swivel joint on there. That's my preference, it's a little like cheating but it makes the job much easier. We're going to take and start on the bottom bolt and what you're going to do in for this torque procedure is go to the bolt directly across from the initial one. We're going to go straight up all the way to the very top one and run that one down. The reason why you have to follow this procedure is to ensure that the differential cover torques down flat and true. So we went from here to here, from there we're going to jump down to here and begin in a cross ways or diagonal pattern. From there we're going to jump up to here directly across from it. This will help torque it down flat and true. It will also ensure that you don't warp the cover installing it. If you were to take and work say all the way around in it, you're going to take all the slack in the cover and roll it to one side which may warp it. If it warps it won't seal, it may seal but it may begin to leak prematurely. And for the last bolt, you can see if you look really close, you'll see all that gasket material has squeezed out from the sandwiching action of me torquing that down. That's going to ensure we've got a really good seal there. Alright, that is the proper service procedure for torquing your rear differential cover bolts. "