Racking a Vehicle for Differential Leak Repair

Series Summary

The differential in automobiles is a device which allows wheels to rotate at different rates while channeling the proper amount of force to each one. During a turn, the inner wheel spins faster than the outer one. A functional differential accounts for this difference and allows you to maintain control during a turn. But one which is not working properly results in unpredictable handling and possibly failure of the entire drive train. And you definitely don't want that to happen!

In this free series of car repair videos, our automotive expert tells you how to diagnose and repair a differential leak. Doug Jenkins talks you through the entire process, beginning with how to rack your car and how to remove wheels, brake drums and axle in the course of removing the differential. He then demonstrates how to clean and caulk the differential housing and put everything back together again. As a bonus, you will learn how to add fluid to your differential and tips to keep it in good working order.

Video Transcript

"Hi. I'm Doug. I work with twenty great guys in St. Louis at Doug Jenkins Custom Hot Rods and we're going to do some work for you today on Expert Village. Now we're going to fix a differential leak. This '57 Chevy pickup came to us in a million pieces. It had been started by three other shops and kind of bungled along so a customer across the country hired us to come get the truck and we finished it up and took it for a drive. Some of the work that had been done before we got it was a little shaky so we're going to remove the differential and fix a leak it has. First thing Dan's going to do is make sure it is safely on the lift and he's going to pick the truck up in order to get good access to the underside of the truck. You can do this laying on your back but this is what we do for a living so we have these expensive lifts to keep us standing up comfortable and we can work a lot faster this way. This '57 Chevy has a Ford nine inch rear end in it. It's got a modern fuel injected engine, disc brakes, power steering, air conditioning, cruise control, the whole thing, but we're going to start with the diff."