Hey guys, I changed out my diff fluid a couple of days ago and on both drain plugs there was about a half inch of muddy/gritty stuff in addition to a quite a bit of metal shavings. I replaced the fluid with Royal Purple 85/140 for more protection but I am worried that I have a ticking timebomb on my hands. Should I be worried about this, and also what is the muddy stuff anyway. Thanks alot

 

Sounds like your diff fluid was never changed before. I would drive it for a week and then change it again.
Did you change your t-case too?
That muddy stuff was just years of sludge.
You might want to use cheap fluid in a week, drive for a 1,000 miles and then change back to full synthetic.

 

check your vents, plastic tubes on the top side of the axles, if they get cloged, the oil will airate too much and cause it to foam up and burn easily

 

Thanks for the quick replys. Well I always had Land Rover do the Servicing up until about a year ago when I started to do it myself. The diff fluid should have been changed at the 90,000 mile service (roughly 30,000 miles ago on the truck) that I paid a grand for, but hey I have been ripped off before [:@]. How do I go about checking if the diff vents are clogged? Thanks alot for the help.

 

I just replaced my axle vents, the front seal on my rear diff was leaking, replaced the vent and no more leaks. So that's how I knew my was clogged. You might just want to replace them and be done with it.
I believe that you can buy both from Atlantic British for under $50. Very easy to replace.
I do not know how to tell if they are clogged.

 

OK, thanks alot spike

 

The build up on the magnetic drain plug is normal. It wasn't mud unless you had water in your oil, did you?
Dive them till they drop, change the oil again in 10,000 miles and know thgat Rover diff's are weak, specifically the spider gears.

 

personally i use shop air to check them, and unclog them too, dont know if you have access to that though, and if you have about 120k on the truck, it was time for it to be changed anyway, should be done every 30k per manufactures spec