When is it time to repair your truck differential?
A truck’s differential is an essential part of the vehicle. Not only is it crucial for proper cornering, but it also assists in controlling speed. It is one of the significant components of any heavy truck engine.
Face it, Quebec road conditions can test your truck’s differential, especially in winter. Preventive or proactive maintenance scheduling will help you keep your truck differential tuned and help you avoid dangerous driving due to faulty parts.
In this article, you’ll know when it’s time to repair your truck differential by identifying the following:
- The signs that your truck differential needs repair or maintenance
- How often a truck differential should be serviced
- The importance of changing your differential oil
- What are the symptoms of a faulty differential?
One of the parts you should look out for is the differential seal. The differential seal affects the lubrication of the differential and, among other things, assists with the following:
1. Ground stains
One of the symptoms to consider in a defective differential is the presence of fluid stains on the ground. A heavy-duty truck mechanic will often inspect the differential seal to see if fluid leaks and leaves oil stains on the cab floor. These leaks are usually quite visible during the inspection, as it is typical when the seal is faulty, with a fair amount of oil under the truck differential.
2. Gear humming
Another symptom that can mean your differential is problematic is the noise from the differential seal. In this regard, a lower fluid level may be inside the differential’s gear case. As a result, the gears make a whistling sound as they mesh together. The cause of this noise is insufficient lubrication. As a result, the differential wears itself out.
If you ignore the lack of oil, you could damage other parts. For example, you may need to have the transmission or truck trailer axles repaired. So get to visit your local truck center to service your differential!
3. Oil under the differential
The presence of oil under a truck differential indicates a problem with the differential seal. This last symptom occurs when the differential seal wears out completely. As a result, the oil flows past the seal and under the differential housing. Even if the leakage starts slowly, you should still fix it soon to avoid the progression of a more significant leak.
How often should a truck’s differential be serviced?
Depending on your truck model, most manufacturers suggest servicing your differential fluid every 50,000 to 70,000 km or every three years. Be aware, however, that the frequency of change is usually longer than for other liquids, such as engine fluid. A lot of the decision will stem from the amount of usage the vehicle gets over the course of three years. If driving on more damaged roads is something the vehicle regularly goes through, then you can consider that you’ll be due to service the vehicle more often than less.
Also, as oil wears, it loses its properties (viscosity and coolant). The loss of oil leads to friction between the various parts of the transmission specifically, the gears and clutch plates. In addition, the oil may be missing in the case of a leak in the gearbox seals.During a gearbox (or clutch) repair, the oil is changed.
To better differentiate between manual and automatic transmissions, we have compiled a checklist that can help you better understand any problem you may have noticed.
Manual gearbox common problems:
- Gears are difficult to change when cold
- You always have difficulty shifting gears
- If the gears “crack”
- One of the gears tends to “jump” by itself
Automatic transmission common problems:
- Start-up reaction time is longer when cold
- Need more power at start-up
- Slow shifting of gears (sometimes impossible)
Changing all related differential fluids regularly will absolutely increase the life of your truck’s differential. Call on our experienced mechanics for your heavy trucks’ oil changes, repairs and inspections. You’ll be glad you did!
Why maintain your differential oil?
We can’t say it often enough: lubricating your truck’s differential is essential for its proper functioning and lifespan. Conversely, if you regularly neglect this essential truck maintenance, you compromise the safety of your truck. That’s why we recommend you ask our technicians to check your differential oil whenever you stop in for maintenance.
As the old saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.”. Ask about the different fluids involved in the health of your truck and you’ll be blown away by the answer. We are sure it is more than you think.
Whether you’re driving a heavy truck, a light truck, or an SUV, your differential oil needs regular care.
Remember, neglected gears can cause a truck to break down. The costs of this can get steep very quickly. Be wise and plan regular maintenance ahead of time. In the event that something does break, rest assured we do have a full line of reconditioned and rebuilt parts that are all under our warranty. This, at least, will allow you to get OEM quality for less money, hopefully taking some of the pain out of having neglected your truck’s differential.
