Well I decided to change my front diff fluid last weekend and pulled the ultimate bonehead move - I overtightened the drain plug and split the front differential cover casting below the drain plug causing a nice leak. 130 bucks later at my local dealer and I have a new front cover ready to install.

I have two questions on how to do this:

1. The front cover is attached to the frame and looks as though it helps support the axle. Do I simply need to support the differential and unbolt it or should I also put the front end of the truck on jack stands - just don't want the thing to come down on top of me or damage anything!

2. What is the torque specification for the bolts on the cover? The front cover and the diff housing appear to be made of cast aluminum so I woudln't think that I can torque them down very much.

I'm planning on using Ultra black RTV to seal everything back up. Can anyone answer the above or offer any other useful advice before I attempt this? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

You shouldn't need to support anything if you can work under the truck. There are still two bolts holding the diff in place if you remove the one on the cover. You might want to put a jack under the unit to help in lining up the bolt hole with the new cover in place. I don't know what the exact torque settings are but since it is aluminum, I would just snug them down with a wrench. BTW, the black silicone is a good choice. Let us know how it goes.