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Thanks for all of the help everyone, I'm gonna wait and see how much is seeping out before I try to do it over. In that case I just wont tighten the bolts with a torque wrench.
I was using the High Temp RTV which is Red. I did the front differential this morning, and did let it sit for a bit longer before connecting it to the housing. After an hour I tightened it down with a socket wrench till it felt tight but not too tight. Front seems good, but I only let it set for an hour before I put the fluid back into the differential, and then drove about an hour later. Any problems with this scenario? I'm trying to not drive it until tomorrow.
Here's a picture of the RTV gasket I did on the front today. Was a pretty similar job on the rear. Its been raining a lot here but once it dries up I'll post a pic of the rear diff to show the seepage. I was also thinking about putting some RTV under the bolts because it's not leaking from the edges, only around the bolts.
Here's a picture of the RTV gasket I did on the front today. Was a pretty similar job on the rear. Its been raining a lot here but once it dries up I'll post a pic of the rear diff to show the seepage. I was also thinking about putting some RTV under the bolts because it's not leaking from the edges, only around the bolts.
I think personally and this is not to insult you at all man. The bead is the problem. If the back looks like the front, that is not a bead. I think you may have more RTV in some places than you do in other places, while it should squeeze tight and flatten out, it's entirely possible that it didn't. You want the bead to look like it does in the picture and I also I agree it may have needed to set up a little while longer, I waited 10-15 minutes when I did mine with ultra black. Then tightened hand tight in sequence, then waited about an hour and tightened them up with elbow torque.
No offense taken. This forum is all about helping each other and putting feelings aside. But thank you for the consideration.
With that being said, I have read about both styles of prepping RTV and I believe that having it smoothed out is a good idea. I also think having it around the bolt holes is a good idea. I think my problems were: 1. tightening the bolts too tight 2. filling the differential to max capacity and 3. not letting it cure long enough before tightening it down
I went to check it out this evening and no fluid could be felt on the housing, and none was on the ground. I opened the fill plug and the fluid immediately began running out so I knew it was still full. I had filled it up to the top and it might have been so full that the pressure was pushing it out. Considering its still completely full and none is dripping, I'm just going keep an eye on it. I'll let you guys know if I figure anything out that is helpful.
The bottom of the cover is looks wet, but no fluid can be felt or drips off.
The stain at the top was already there before the most recent change.
Put dry newspaper under it for days . That will show up any leaks .
Not to scare you but fleet made me take my company car into a gas station for regular service and one thing on the list was change the diff fluid .
Well I was a troubleshooter night and day , high mileage . They must have screwed it up and I was out in a storm one night , I felt it slip funny in a turn then about 20 miles down the road she locked up tight and when I looked under the car she had molten metal pouring out of the diff .
Your torque spec is around 33 pounds ,I always use a torque wrench . Your sequence from the center out is important . I start by finger tightening in sequence then in an hour tighten same with torque wrench .
Ambient has a lot to do with curing of rtv . Obviously Florida in summer at 90 degrees vs Wisconsin at 30 degrees is going to make a big difference . A heat lamp maybe required .
Your bead looks ok but a little thin in spots. I never understood the logic of hand tightening at first and then going back later and tightening to spec which I think is not 35. I would think it sets up a little and then you're reshaping the partially set up rtv. It just doesn't make sense to me. Some ford techs tighten it to spec from the get go and that's it. I know that no one is going to recommend this but if the leak isn't that bad then let it dry/clean it and apply some silicone to that outside area. Its a pain to have to do it again. Use your finger and smear it all over that area. I know this is not the best method but it wouldn't hurt
This still has me perplexed. The setup time should be irrelevant, especially in the climate he is in. The bead he made is fine to lock in moisture. I'm still convinced it could be the wrong type of RTV. I've never had an issue using ultra black. I didn't give it any setup time on both my rear diff and rear high mount brake light. Both are sealed solid with less RTV that what was used in this case.
This also makes me wonder if the cover is warped or scratched to hell
I've used red when mating diff covers and t cases before with no issues. The only difference between the two is red is for high temp applications. I too prefer black, but red shouldn't cause him any issues here.
IMO he had a couple spots with bad coverage and that's where it seeped through.
08-16-2016, 05:46 PM
