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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Motorweek / Water in the differential
Message-ID: <5185@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 11-Oct-84 11:41:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.5185
Posted: Thu Oct 11 11:41:56 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Oct-84 06:06:01 EDT
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 34

There is a PBS program of automobile testing and automotive news called
"Motorweek", aired here (St. Louis, MO) at 7 PM Saturdays. I never see
any mention of it in this group, but I think it would be of interest
to any participant. For example, they had comparative tests of the same three
4-wheel-drive off-road vehicles that have been being discussed here.
So check your local listings, as they say...

One of their features is a mechanic describing some repair or maintenance
procedure. This last show, he discussed checking the differential in an
off-road vehicle for water contamination. This was illustrated by showing him
under the vehicle working on the housing. What amazed me about this was
the way this differential housing was made, in terms of maintenance. There
was a sort of "check-port", with a plug in it, about half-way up the
housing. (The instructions given were to remove the plug and check that the
oil was up to the level of that hole, and that it wasn't contaminated.)

However, to replace the oil, the only way to drain the old contents was to
unbolt about 20 bolts around the periphery of the housing, remove the
entire back panel and gasket, allow the oil to dump out, put on a new gasket
and replace the panel and bolts, and then refill with oil through the
"check-port". To me this is totally insane. Why on earth is there no 
simple drain plug at the bottom of the housing? Why make what should be
about a five-minute job (remove plugs, let oil drain, replace bottom plug,
refill, replace top plug) into an hour or so of wrestling with many bolts,
buying and refitting a new gasket, and suchlike misery and struggling?

Was this show just using the worst example for demonstration purposes?
That is, do other models have the simple drain-plug design described
above? (I don't know which brand he was working on.) Or are they all
made this way? If so, why?

Will Martin

seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or     wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA