Just have some random maintenance questions. How often should you change manual transmission fluid? How often on the differential? And whats the deal with a timing chain? I hear a lot of talk. Is that something you change every certain amount of miles, or do you wait for it to act up?

 

Transmission & differential fluid probably no more than every 20,000 miles, but if you buy a Haynes or Chilton manual for your truck, you'll find guidelines for changing all the fluids. Timing chain...I probably wouldn't worry about it until it started making noise, but once it does, you definitely want to keep an eye on it. It's one of those things that is very expensive to have replaced, and a pretty big job to do yourself, so you don't really want to do it until it needs it, but, if you let it go too long, the effects of it breaking or wearing through your timing cover can be pretty catastrauphic...bye bye engine. If you're getting up to 160,000 or so, I would definitely have somebody check it out to make sure the guides are still there. I had one go out at 120,000, but it had been making noise for a while.

 

sweet. Thanks for the info. And yeah, that timing chain seems like quite a job.

 

I would not wait to her noise in the chain. It might be too late. Noise means somethings wrong and that defeats the purpose of preventative maintenance. 100k on the button. If you start to here noise before that, change right away. $400-$500 bucks is cheap to have it done compared to cost if you put it off.

30k on tranny and and t-case. Manual says 50k on tranny, 30k on t-case per trail gear, but I do them at the same time.

By the way, if you just bought a used rig, I would go through and change all fluids now anyway, including diffs and radiator. If its over 100k and no record or knowledge of timing chain done, you might consider it. A lot of times people will sell their cars because that don't wan to do that job or pay to have it done.

 

Depends on how you drive it.

For most on road and light offroading, diffs and tranny should be changed out every 60k. I do mine once a year, or about every 5-15k. I drive it hard, and I like fresh stuff.

Timing chain should be done, IMO, at 150. Just safe. It could last forever, or til 250, but once it goes, its a pain. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

I like fresh earl too. Manual does say "depending on driving" condition. Some sites recommend changing as low as 15k if you drive extremely hard.

IDK about the t-chain though. Maybe I just have a phobia and figure its worth the work for peace of mind every 100K.

Well said. Thats it right there.