[Roki303]

I changed oil in both diffs at around 40K since last change. The front looked ok but rear is a bit concerning. The oil was dark and quite a lot of "silver thing" floating there. Plus on the bottom of the pan I found out some flakes. I'm a bit concerned that my diff is about to give up. The Jeep has 115K miles on it and this is about 3rd oil (30K, 75K and 115K) change I did.

Last time I had some flakes but this time seems a bit more. Didn't take a picture that time.

 

[Wanted33]

That's one of those things that fits into the catagory of "you never know". At 115K miles, and if it were mine, I'd drive it till it won't drive anymore then get 'er fixed. You've done all you can do at this point, and that's good. I wouldn't worry about it. Good luck, I hope it lasts you another 115K.

 

[xJoshxx]

Put big neo Magnets on the drain plug and change often... My WJ's dana 30 been worse than that for years.

 

[jimntempe]

Is it possible to pull an inspection plate off so you can see what's going on in there? If it was mine and if I had no warranty, I'd be worried that it would grenade at the worst possible time, so I'd want to look into it if it's at all possible without having to pull it out of the vehicle.

 

[xJoshxx]

Is it possible to pull an inspection plate off so you can see what's going on in there? If it was mine and if I had no warranty, I'd be worried that it would grenade at the worst possible time, so I'd want to look into it if it's at all possible without having to pull it out of the vehicle.

No inspection Plate on a ZF Differentials. Just a Drain and Fill. If you wanna inspect it your taking it apart.

 

[Roki303]

I purchased some neo magnets which are similar in size to the plug and I just slapped them on the diff. I plan on changing the diff oil at the next engine oil change interval and see what it looks like at that point.

 

[moparado]

Very tiny powder metal particles could be from diff. break in.
Chunks of metal is another story.
The best thing to do is pull the cover, inspect the ring and pinion gear for abnormal wear or chipped teeth.
If all looks ok, get some brake cleaner and a bunch of rags then thoroughly clean any and all remaining particles out.

I would also suggest getting an aftermarket diff. cover like the ARB (if available) i'm running on my XJ.
It has strong magnets not only on the drain plug but also the dip stick.

At any rate if you pull the cover i would highly highly suggest using a Lube Locker gasket instead of messy silicon sealant again if available for your diff.
The hardest part of installing a Lube Locker is picking out all of that dam silicon in the female pumpkin threads.