NRM

so i've got some weird noise coming from my front drivetrain when i have my hubs locked, this happened after some off-roading this weekend and i also have a torn cv boot. i'm tryin to check the level of oil in the front diff. and i'm not exactly sure which bolt it is. it seems to be right on the front in plain view after you take the skid plate off but i just wanted to reaffirm that this is the right bolt to check the fluid. before i start taking stuff off. thanks in advance

Glenn

Is it on the side?

NRM

the one i'm talkin about is on the front, not the side. its the only bolt that seems reasonable to be the oil level check. my crappy haynes manual doesn't really say anything about the front diff.

eric-the-red

Sounds like the right one, should be a 22 or 23 mm.

Glenn

The side/front means it's not on the bottom or the top. It sounds like you ahve the right one. Go ahead and try it if you have a 24mm socket.

runethechamp

I thought the front diff oil fill and check plugs used hex keys?

NRM

alright, gotchya. yeah its a 24mm. so thats gotta be the right one. thanks

Glenn

It's 24mm...I just checked my tools.

all_terrain17

Did you have trouble getting it out? That stock plug is paper thin for some reason...never got mine out to check the level.

NRM

well it seems to be a standard bolt. its def. on there pretty good so i'm gonna get the breaker bar out for it in just a little bit

runethechamp

It's not supposed to be on super tight. Just make sure you're not tightening the bolt like I did when I got my directions confused laying under the truck to change my rear diff oil. Just see here:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116/rear-differential-drain-bolt-82029/

MMA_Alex

lol yeah i used to always get confused while laying under my truck, crushed a perfectly good oil filter on my old explorer that way. You can try some pb-blaster, or wd-40 on that bolt too.