DIY: Rear Differential Fluid Change

[ImStricken06]

REAR DIFFERENTIAL FLUID CHANGE:
My opinion this should be done every 30,000miles.
The clutch that engages AWD/RWD is located in the differential, so its a vital fluid change in my book.

Required Tools & Supplies:
1.) 3/8 Ratchet & 3inch extension
2.) 10mm Hex Bit/Allen socket [$4.99 auto parts store]
3.) Fluid Pump ($5.99-$14.99)-[any auto parts store]
4.) 80w-90 Gear Oil ($6.49-$8.99)-[any auto parts store]
5.) ramps or vehicle lifts/jacks so you can crawl under the car.
6.) oil/fluid catch pan
-----------------------------------------------------

Instructions:
lift the vehicle. its ideal to make the vehicle as flat as possible. you want an accurate level so to gauge when the rear differential is full. (if you cant, you cant. its not that big of a deal. you can just fill it, and then wiggle the hose to pull some fluid out)
i used my sloping driveway with ramps to try and off-set the incline as much as possible.


10mm





once the vehicle is up and its secure, find your rear differential. locate the two bolts (one on top of another) and realize which bolt is which. TOP BOLT is for the fill, and the BOTTOM BOLT is for the drain.
[TIP]-ALWAYS UNSCREW THE TOP BOLTS FIRST. YOU DONT WANT TO DRAIN THE FLUID OUT, AND THEN FIND OUT THE FILL BOLT IS STUCK AND YOUR UNABLE TO REMOVE IT, THUS UNABLE TO REFILL WHAT YOU JUST DRAINED[TIP]











your going to see tiny metal shavings on the magnetic drain plug. this is a good time to clean that gunk and flakes off.
keep in mind that the helical gears do wear as you drive, so keeping fresh oil and a clean magnet to catch new shavings
is a good idea. DOING THIS SIMPLE PROCEDURE EVERY 30,000miles WILL KEEP YOUR AWD SYSTEM GOING FOR YEARS.











After replacing the fill plug. Tighten fill and drain plugs to 26 ft/lbs. Be sure to clean off any drips or spills on exterior of differential case with degreaser so you can tell if you are leaking when you check at a later date.

[kerrton]

Again that was incredibly detailed, informative and the pics make understanding the process so much easier.

A big thank you from the entire Rogue forum community!

[ImStricken06]

my pleasure
(i might have a couple more coming lol)

[Pescakl1]

Quick question: Do you warm up the fluid a little (doing some errands in the neighborhood) before changing it or do change it cold?

Thanks for the DIY (even if that does not concern me ;-)) ).

[ImStricken06]

Quick question: Do you warm up the fluid a little (doing some errands in the neighborhood) before changing it or do change it cold?

Thanks for the DIY (even if that does not concern me ;-)) ).

ya the general rule is you always warm any oils before changing them = but i wouldn't go over-board.
you could burn yourself when the fluids come splashing out.
....will something happen if they are not warm? NO. just dont change them in 40degree or below temps, and you will be fine.
many fluids are warm enough to change just from being out in the ambient temps of 65 or above degrees

(and personally me = on my race-bike; after the winter, i change the oil without turning the bike on. i want every last drop out)

[darylzero]

First I'd just like to say Thanks ImStricken!! I could not of done this without your awsome write up!

So I changed my differental gear oil and transfer case oil yesterday. I just wanted to add my own experience and pictures (because everyone loves pictures!) to this.
I highly recommend lying down some cardboard and getting those blue paper towels from the auto store, they work great.

So my car just hit 30,000 about 2 weeks ago and I happened to take a pic.


Here is my rear differential case


This was a very easy job changing this oil. I had my car up on ramps (they were rated for 12,000 lbs, so I felt good about that) i got at autozone and on a driveway that sloped down.

THis picture is just so you have an idea where the differential case is located.



Here is the oil coming out. It really didn't look that bad.



My drain plug also had a lot of metal shavings,



Nice and clean after



Here is what the metal gasket/washer looks like just in case someone wants to replace theirs when they do this. All of mine were in good shape so I didn't need new ones. I measured it at just under 1in in diameter.


This took like 20 minutes. I had to get another qt of gear oil (used the exact same as ImStricken) because after this i did the transfer case and that turned out to be very messy having to turn the bottle upside down and oil dripping out, etc. The pump didn't work so great so even though there was still some oil left in the bottle it couldn't pump it out, so I got a fresh bottle that made it much easier.

This was great to learn and love doing s*** like this on my own. I don't know much about cars (never even changed my own oil!!, howerever I will be from now on ) and these guides were great!
I can't thank you enough for posting your guides ImStricken and everyone else for that matter!!

I just wish one of you bastards lived near Chicago so we could meet up and you could show me more

[ImStricken06]

First I'd just like to say Thanks ImStricken!! I could not of done this without your awsome write up!

my pleasure. i love saving people money

So I changed my differental gear oil and transfer case oil yesterday. I just wanted to add my own experience and pictures (because everyone loves pictures!) to this.

thats great. the more images the better. its tough to get every angle, so the more pictures people take = the angles & idea's we cover.
thank you for taking the time. i know how tough it is to balance a camera with greasy fingers + the parts in question lol

I highly recommend lying down some cardboard and getting those blue paper towels from the auto store, they work great.

thats a great idea. i normally use this gigantic cookie sheet. its 2 feet wide, by 4feet long to capture any fluids, but a cardboard works just as well & FREE!

Here is my rear differential case

glad to see you removed the FILL bolt first. i cant express how important that is. because if someone drains their oils out, and finds out the fill bolt is stuck/stripped/seized/ etc? biiig trouble. (just this weekend my buddies racebike had a seized axle bolt done by his shop- it DOES happen)

This was a very easy job changing this oil. I had my car up on ramps (they were rated for 12,000 lbs, so I felt good about that) i got at autozone and on a driveway that sloped down.

me too! bought those same ramps at autozone. $49.99, right? i actually ended up getting 2 sets. i have 4 ramps now to lift just about any car.

Here is the oil coming out. It really didn't look that bad.

your's is pretty clean i would say. mine was a tad darker & murkier.

My drain plug also had a lot of metal shavings,

yep, thats really important to clean. great pic to add to this thread. hopefully it will convince more people to keep an eye on their differential & transfercase fluids. thanks man.

Here is what the metal gasket/washer looks like just in case someone wants to replace theirs when they do this. All of mine were in good shape so I didn't need new ones. I measured it at just under 1in in diameter.

i never replace mine if they look fine. most shops dont. dealers do because its an extra dollar or two to tack on.

This was great to learn and love doing s*** like this on my own. I don't know much about cars (never even changed my own oil!!, howerever I will be from now on ) I just wish one of you bastards lived near Chicago so we could meet up and you could show me more

glad i could help. you can find more of my DIY's here

diy-brake-pads-rotors-t558899.html

diy-center-console-shifter-bezel-squeak ... 54008.html

diy-stuck-shifter-wont-come-out-of-park ... 54005.html

diy-stock-oem-bose-radio-ipod-aux-in-cable-t554070.html

diy-garmin-gps-navigation-hardwired-t554066.html

and there's many more from other users too:
the-official-rogue-faq-information-answ ... 07234.html

[JMed]

I know the owner's manual recommends that we use 80w-90 Gear Oil, but can we use 75w-90 Gear Oil instead? Since I'm already using synthetic for my engine why not use synthetic for my differential. Thanks for this awesome DIY tutorial, keep them coming

[Towncivilian]

Yes, 75W-90 is usable in your differential.

[ImStricken06]

Yes, 75W-90 is usable in your differential.

75w-90 is in no way going to harm your diff. its a tad thinner but nothing that will be felt.

you can use GL4/GL5 in our differential and transfer-case. (the only time you HAVE to use gl4 is in applications like gear boxes that have copper parts. GL5 eats up copper syncro's)

[JMed]

After a day that wasn't so good, at least I was able to get something done. It took a lot of time since after my epic fail with the transfer case it started raining, so I had to do the job inside the garage, but before that I had to buy a work light that did not work, and last but no least I did not raised my car.







It is an easy job but after this I will have to consider buying another set of ramps to be able to raise the car leveled.

[darylzero]

your oil looked just like mine, not too bad. Looks like you didn't have near as much metal shavings. I have never towed anything so I wonder if my driving is using the awd more...

[JMed]

your oil looked just like mine, not too bad. Looks like you didn't have near as much metal shavings. I have never towed anything so I wonder if my driving is using the awd more...

I did not have much metal shavings, but the plug had some serious oil build up. I haven't towed anything either, I don't even have a hitch installed in mine.

[ImStricken06]

towing or not, your rear differential is still attached to your rear wheels = which means the gears inside are still spinning. so that means tooth-on-tooth contact = shavings.

plus everytime you stop, or drop below 6mph = the car engages AWD automatically. (try this for an experiment = from 0mph let go of the brake, and gently and i literally mean gently push the gas pedal. and watch the odometer. as soon as you reach 6mph you will feel a sudden surge of power. thats the AWD disengaging and all the power is now going to the front wheels.)

[Rogue Noob]

After lurking as a non-member for DIY help over the years I was compelled to sign up and give props to the OP.

This is my gf's car but I've started doing most of the work on it. Her '08 is still under warranty and gets inspections every few months at the dealer. I was shocked to find out that this fluid should be changed every 30k when her last inspection at 85k checked off the Transfer and Differential as A-OK. Anyone know if they actually check those? I will say the local Nissan dealer I went to for fluids told me the rear differential holds 3 quarts.... and that there was no new washer.... I went to Napa because Nissan Fluids are a rape job. (As an aside, do most people stick with Nissan fluids or do they use aftermarket? I have a Honda and for most stuff people stick with OEM, but prices also seem more competitive.. anyway, back to topic)

I decided it was time to do it and got all my tools ready. I should have known it was going to be a disaster when I first went under the car and the setting sun was shining directly in my eye no matter what angle I tried. In fact, it was peaking between a neighbors house and a tree. Just my Luck.

After getting under, I saw there was a spot of some orangish stuff on the refill bolt on the differential. I think they used some jb weld or something. It was damn tough to break. When it finally did the tools went flying. The allen socket actually vanished for an hour, my right arm punched the hell out of something and the rest landed on the ground. I now have a pretty sweet purple nail, very manly.

I got an oil pump device that was recommended here but I think it had a hole in the apartus. It would only squirt drops and mostly air after the first 10oz. Solution? Sqeeze all of the air out of the bottle and in frustration smash the bottle repeatedly against under carriage to get the pump action going. Success!

Where did the socket disappear to? It fell into the hollow member that I stuck the extension through. I was able to get my magnetic tool to snag it. It was like playing Operation because if I got too close to the edge it would grab the wall of the area I was searching in! Finally got it but it was tricky.

I probably should have trusted my instinct and used my slightly sloped driveway to my advantage and lifted the rear of the vehicle to even it out. But I didn't. I chose to do this is the street. Shocking how much dirtier an asphalt road is compared to a concrete Driveway. Won't make that mistake again... or will I?

Thanks again for the DIY!

Next up... Transfer case!

[ImStricken06]

After lurking as a non-member for DIY help over the years I was compelled to sign up and give props to the OP.

This is my gf's car but I've started doing most of the work on it. Her '08 is still under warranty and gets inspections every few months at the dealer. I was shocked to find out that this fluid should be changed every 30k when her last inspection at 85k checked off the Transfer and Differential as A-OK. Anyone know if they actually check those? I will say the local Nissan dealer I went to for fluids told me the rear differential holds 3 quarts.... and that there was no new washer.... I went to Napa because Nissan Fluids are a rape job. (As an aside, do most people stick with Nissan fluids or do they use aftermarket? I have a Honda and for most stuff people stick with OEM, but prices also seem more competitive.. anyway, back to topic)

I decided it was time to do it and got all my tools ready. I should have known it was going to be a disaster when I first went under the car and the setting sun was shining directly in my eye no matter what angle I tried. In fact, it was peaking between a neighbors house and a tree. Just my Luck.

After getting under, I saw there was a spot of some orangish stuff on the refill bolt on the differential. I think they used some jb weld or something. It was damn tough to break. When it finally did the tools went flying. The allen socket actually vanished for an hour, my right arm punched the hell out of something and the rest landed on the ground. I now have a pretty sweet purple nail, very manly.

I got an oil pump device that was recommended here but I think it had a hole in the apartus. It would only squirt drops and mostly air after the first 10oz. Solution? Sqeeze all of the air out of the bottle and in frustration smash the bottle repeatedly against under carriage to get the pump action going. Success!

Where did the socket disappear to? It fell into the hollow member that I stuck the extension through. I was able to get my magnetic tool to snag it. It was like playing Operation because if I got too close to the edge it would grab the wall of the area I was searching in! Finally got it but it was tricky.

I probably should have trusted my instinct and used my slightly sloped driveway to my advantage and lifted the rear of the vehicle to even it out. But I didn't. I chose to do this is the street. Shocking how much dirtier an asphalt road is compared to a concrete Driveway. Won't make that mistake again... or will I?

Thanks again for the DIY!

Next up... Transfer case!

that storry was hysterical. it sounded like a script from a comedy movie lol....
your welcome for the write-up. i hate people getting hurt by the dealer, so i try my best to do write-ups so everyone can follow along and save some cash.

anyway, back to your questions: you can use aftermarket fluids, and not only save money- but end up getting a better fluid.

and regarding the dealers = they dont change this fluid. they remove the top fill bolt, stick their finger inside, and if its full = they leave it alone. when you come back with a blown/seized differential they tell you: "have you changed your fluid? if not you should have". they are scammers and basically "help" people destroy their cars so expensive repairs are now inevitable.

the fluid must be changed every 30, to maximum 50thousand. if you tow, have heavy loads inside the car, travel far, live in hot climates, travel through deep water, drive through sand(a driveway counts too), drive off road, drive through snow(where awd is constantly being used) 30k is your max. if you drive alone, gently through normal temps, you can stretch it to 50k.

people dont realize that the rear differential gets tons of use: every time we are at 0mph, our car is in awd- and stays that way until we reach 6mph. it also engages the rear differential when cornering. not only that - but since the rear wheels are spinning while driving = so are the gears inside the differential. (that means the fluid is getting hot, and slowing breaking down & aerating per say.)

[Rogue Noob]

Thanks for the tips Stricken. In AZ we are known for extreme heat. There is actually a big issue here with the Nissan Leaf battery not holding a charge after time. Locals all know what the heat does to batteries here, if they last 2 years you are lucky. Apparently that same issue plagues electric vehicles, makes sense.

My experience was a comedy of errors... glad you got a laugh at my expense. (my gf had a good chuckle too) Since I am so behind on these fluids I'm thinking of changing them now, and then do another change in 10k just to get all of the older fluid out. Have you had any experience changing CVT fluid and if so what fluid have you used? Going to see if there is a discussion about that now. Also, on the Honda forum there is a dealer that has some sweet deals on OEM parts/fluids that sponsors the site. Anything like that around here?

What part of Jersey? I grew up in River Vale (near Paramus).

[ImStricken06]

Thanks for the tips Stricken. In AZ we are known for extreme heat. There is actually a big issue here with the Nissan Leaf battery not holding a charge after time. Locals all know what the heat does to batteries here, if they last 2 years you are lucky. Apparently that same issue plagues electric vehicles, makes sense.

My experience was a comedy of errors... glad you got a laugh at my expense. (my gf had a good chuckle too) Since I am so behind on these fluids I'm thinking of changing them now, and then do another change in 10k just to get all of the older fluid out. Have you had any experience changing CVT fluid and if so what fluid have you used? Going to see if there is a discussion about that now. Also, on the Honda forum there is a dealer that has some sweet deals on OEM parts/fluids that sponsors the site. Anything like that around here?

What part of Jersey? I grew up in River Vale (near Paramus).

i wouldnt ever touch my transmission. i would only let nissan do it. they mandate their fluid be used, and void warranty claims over every little thing. i wouldnt even go near this topic on here. lol its a very known thing that anything to do with the CVT is a dealer only thing. some folks wanna risk and use nissan fluid with a private dealer = but im not one of those types. some things are just not worth toying with.

i bought my rogue used at 28k. i took it home, drove it to 30,000 and did engine oil & filter, air filter, wipers, a/c filter, differential fluid, transfercase fluid, and a few minor checks = and called it a day. the way your cvt fluid gets checked by the dealer is with the CONSULT computer software. its a calculation that takes place in the transmission computer. basically you have to reach some absurd number before the fluid would be changed by the dealer.

[darylzero]

I will say the local Nissan dealer I went to for fluids told me the rear differential holds 3 quarts.... and that there was no new washer

From the Rogue Factory Service Manual under the Maintenance section (MA):

Differential gear oil 1-1/8 pt 1 pt 0.55 | Genuine NISSAN Differential Oil Hypoid Super | GL-5 80W-90 or API GL-5, Viscosity SAE
80W-90

Transfer oil 3/4 pt 5/8 pt 0.38 | Genuine NISSAN Differential Oil Hypoid Super GL-5 80W-90 or API GL-5, Viscosity SAE
80W-90

*1: For further details, see “Engine Oil Recommendation”.
*2: Using transmission fluid other than Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-2 will damage the CVT, which is not covered by the NISSAN
new vehicle limited warranty.
*3: For hot climates, viscosity SAE 90 is suitable for ambient temperatures above 0°C (32°F).
*4: Available in mainland U.S.A. through a NISSAN dealer.

[Nissan92]

Differential gear oil 1-1/8 pt 1 pt 0.55 | Genuine NISSAN Differential Oil Hypoid Super | GL-5 80W-90 or API GL-5, Viscosity SAE
80W-90

Ok, I was able to do this fairly easy. Did not take much effort at all and was surprised by that. Easier than an oil change. I do have one question. The hardest thing was putting the gear fluid back in. I think I may be about 1 oz short or .029 liters. Is this something I need to worry about? I thought I had enough in there but when I put the remaining fluid in the hose back in the bottle along with the little I spilled, I think I was alittle short. Is it necessary for me to get back in there and put that little amount in there???????

[ImStricken06]

Differential gear oil 1-1/8 pt 1 pt 0.55 | Genuine NISSAN Differential Oil Hypoid Super | GL-5 80W-90 or API GL-5, Viscosity SAE
80W-90

Ok, I was able to do this fairly easy. Did not take much effort at all and was surprised by that. Easier than an oil change. I do have one question. The hardest thing was putting the gear fluid back in. I think I may be about 1 oz short or .029 liters. Is this something I need to worry about? I thought I had enough in there but when I put the remaining fluid in the hose back in the bottle along with the little I spilled, I think I was alittle short. Is it necessary for me to get back in there and put that little amount in there???????

its not a big deal, if its an 1oz . many people dont have the car 100% level when re-filling, so it will cause the fluid level to be off by an OZ or so.
if this were me, id go back in and simply take the fill plug out and stick your finger tip in and see if your finger touches fluid. - if not, just add some more. but im anal as all hell on certain things

[MrRogue]

I bought my Rogue new in late 2011. We have put 35k miles on since then. I had the luxury of being good friends with an owner of a Valvoline oil change shop and took full advantage.

I personally did my rear and front diffs at 15k miles and 30k miles (Pretty sure it was in the owners manual under severe/premium optional maintenance).

The rear diff fluid looked good both times, but there were metal shavings. Nothing alarming, but definitely present. The front diff fluid was significantly "nastier" looking, and much harder to get to, at least in my opinion.

Nice write up though. Especially the note about getting the fill plug out before the drain plug.

[ImStricken06]

I bought my Rogue new in late 2011. We have put 35k miles on since then. I had the luxury of being good friends with an owner of a Valvoline oil change shop and took full advantage.

I personally did my rear and front diffs at 15k miles and 30k miles (Pretty sure it was in the owners manual under severe/premium optional maintenance).

The rear diff fluid looked good both times, but there were metal shavings. Nothing alarming, but definitely present. The front diff fluid was significantly "nastier" looking, and much harder to get to, at least in my opinion.

Nice write up though. Especially the note about getting the fill plug out before the drain plug.

thank you sir!

[Scooter71]

Just read this write up, I know I'm a bit late on posting to it, but GREAT WRITE UP! Perfectly explained. Makes me want to go and do this right now...if it wans't for the damn snow and more to come this weekend I would have had my project for Sunday. Thanks for all that.

[ImStricken06]

Just read this write up, I know I'm a bit late on posting to it, but GREAT WRITE UP! Perfectly explained. Makes me want to go and do this right now...if it wans't for the damn snow and more to come this weekend I would have had my project for Sunday. Thanks for all that.

your welcome. couple other guys chimed in some good pictures & facts. just wait it out for the winter to end. im going this again in the spring(and the transfer-case as well diy-nissan-rogue-transfer-case-fluid-ch ... r#p6296786 ) since i tow in the summer

[Scooter71]

Makes me nervous to wait, I purchased pre-owned from a Nissan Dealer, and I have no idea what was really done to her. She's at 37,000 now, and I seriously doubt this was ever done. Soon as I got her, I changed to full synthetic oil, in cabin air filter, new plugs, PCV valve, and new air filter and cleaned the mass air flow sensor. Yanked the stock radio out, tinted the front two windows, put slightly bigger and better tires on it, got the aluminum kick plates (non illuminating), and had a rear back up camera installed.
I'm a bit anal with my things, I keep my bike the same way. I believe you get out what you put in. Plus I love projects....LOL Thanks again, I'll take pics when I do and post up any additional info (if any) after.
I was going to replace all the drain and fill plug gaskets both front and rear, couldn't hurt right?

[ImStricken06]

Makes me nervous to wait, I purchased pre-owned from a Nissan Dealer, and I have no idea what was really done to her. She's at 37,000 now, and I seriously doubt this was ever done. Soon as I got her, I changed to full synthetic oil, in cabin air filter, new plugs, PCV valve, and new air filter and cleaned the mass air flow sensor. Yanked the stock radio out, tinted the front two windows, put slightly bigger and better tires on it, got the aluminum kick plates (non illuminating), and had a rear back up camera installed.
I'm a bit anal with my things, I keep my bike the same way. I believe you get out what you put in. Plus I love projects....LOL Thanks again, I'll take pics when I do and post up any additional info (if any) after.
I was going to replace all the drain and fill plug gaskets both front and rear, couldn't hurt right?

blaa blaa blaa, words, words, DID I JUST READ "BIKE"!!!???? lololol/jkjkjk

just kidding. thats a great start with your fluid drains, filters, etc. i wouldnt replace the gaskets on the fill/drain plugs - kinda worthless. because that would require draining the fluid again(if you take the drain bolt out.)

[Scooter71]

Yessir.....you did read bike. Can't wait for the season to open up. I have not changed the fluid in the transfer case's yet, that's why I was thinking of changing the washer in the fill/drain bolts. Already changed the oil filter plug to a magnetic and changed the crsuh washer.

[ImStricken06]

Yessir.....you did read bike. Can't wait for the season to open up. I have not changed the fluid in the transfer case's yet, that's why I was thinking of changing the washer in the fill/drain bolts. Already changed the oil filter plug to a magnetic and changed the crsuh washer.

what kinda bike?

[Scooter71]

what kinda bike?

That's so messed up I know I attached a picture to the last post....damn!
2011 Honda CBR600RR