Today I changed the fluid in both my front and rear diffs and my t-case.

The front diff fluid looked like it was changed yesterday and the t-case about the same but the rear diff was something else. Chocolate milk with sludge cake.

Now Im new to Land Rovers in fact anything 4x4 related any previous mechanic work experience was on my VW 1.8t GTI and that seems like child's play to me now that I've browsed the entire rave manual. Is this something I should be concerned about?







To me it looks like the rear diff oil has never been changed. The amount of metal shaving on the magnet is really what has me concerned.



This is after cleaning it best I could with some brake cleaner and wire brush.

I over bought on the gear oil so I made sure to flush out every crevice I could in the rear differential and let it all drain out until every drop looked like new oil.

 

I would like to note the final photo of the plug is not how I put it back in it was much cleaner than that.

 

Great. Mine was darker than that when i changed it.

 

Looks like it was full of water. If you filled it up and it's not clunking or groaning then drive it and don't worry about it.

 

Concern is often a relative term.

Photos to me appear to indicate some moisture has mixed with the lube. May have same miles/time as the other fluids with a bit of water added. There are vent lines on the diffs to prevent moisture from entering when in deep water. Check to ensure your vent line is still attached particularly if planing to drive through deep water down the road/creek.

I would service normally, do another drain fill again when you'd like to check oil condition and plug fuzz.
......

 

And if you're planning on doing any water crossings, check to make sure the breather tube is intact and sealed.

 

Like others said moisture in the oil. Also add checking that the vent isn't clogged.

If its not making bad noises I wouldn't be to worried

 

I wouldn't even be worried if it were clunking. Diffs are literally $70 shipped on ebay, easy to change.

 

I've had a king pin slide out and lock up a diff on the highway before. would prefer to never do that again.

but true, used 2 pins are cheap. if its not making any horrific sounds just drive it till it does.

 

Mine looked like that when I first got her. Changed it out with a good diff oil and then changed it again at the next oil change. Haven't had an issue since.