When to change differential fluid
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 187
Likes: 6
From: Lutz FL
When to change differential fluid
Help,
I cannot find any recommendation in any GM documentation as to when to change the differential fluid.
Anybody know if there is one?
Thanks
Gordon
I cannot find any recommendation in any GM documentation as to when to change the differential fluid.
Anybody know if there is one?
Thanks
Gordon
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,844
Likes: 375
From: San Jose, CA
I don't know either.
I would change it:
1) When you buy the car, because who knows how long it's been unchanged, good chance it's factory original
2) Every track day, or two track days, or whatnot, depending on how hard you drive and how hot the ambient temps are
3) Every few years or few tens of thousands of miles ... like, maybe every 4 years / 30k miles?
4) Every time the trans/diff is down (eg, clutch job)
I changed mine with my clutch job, and am probably gonna set my maintenance schedule to change it again every couple track days.
I would change it:
1) When you buy the car, because who knows how long it's been unchanged, good chance it's factory original
2) Every track day, or two track days, or whatnot, depending on how hard you drive and how hot the ambient temps are
3) Every few years or few tens of thousands of miles ... like, maybe every 4 years / 30k miles?
4) Every time the trans/diff is down (eg, clutch job)
I changed mine with my clutch job, and am probably gonna set my maintenance schedule to change it again every couple track days.
Last edited by gimp; Mar 15, 2019 at 07:16 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 788
Likes: 105
From: Olathe Kansas
More often than you would think.. It's easy and cheap.
Good Maint to help stave off leaks, etc
I do mine every other year (now that its not a DD)
the first few years (when it got 90k miles) I did it every 25k or once a year
Good Maint to help stave off leaks, etc
I do mine every other year (now that its not a DD)
the first few years (when it got 90k miles) I did it every 25k or once a year
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 226
Likes: 39
From: Fall Branch, TN
I plan to do mine every couple years (10-15k miles) along with the trans. Right or wrong, I don’t know, but it sounds good to me. I don’t race my car and this is more than likely overkill. But ~$50 in fluid every couple years isn’t a big deal imo.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
GM didn't have any guidance on the C5 and C6 models except in 2009 or 2010 they started recommending the diff fluid be changed after each 24 hours of track usage. Probably a lesson learned in there someplace. C7 recommends 45K miles for street cars while keeping the track recommendation.
bill
bill
