2004 Gmc Sierra Differential Capacity

what you can do is mesure the gear oil out into indvidual mesuring cups, and use a funnel and hose, you can pour it into the diff, keep track of how meny you use, and that is how much you need.

lefty08 wrote:

Why do people try to make something easy, into something hard? Fill the darn things till the oil runs out the fill hole. Then check it again next day because it takes a while for that thick stuff to migrate down the axle tubes. When I check it I use a very sophisticated measuring device, my pinky. I stick it in the fill hole, bend the first joint, it needs to touch the tip of my finger, if it does its good.. Otherwise cut a 10" length coat hanger, put a bend in one end 5/8 to 1 5/8" from the end and insert it in the fill hole..No one gives a capacity because it depends on which diff is under the truck how much fluid it holds. How did you tighten up the nut holding the yoke to the pinion shaft when you replaced the seal?

Whitelightning

My crappy Chiltons manual has the amount,in the front section part 2 I think. Its for first gen S-10 though,sorry.

Seriously, fill it until it comes out the fill plug. That's SOP for any differential (now someone will bring up an exotic differential and prove me wrong). I would fill it all the way, not 5/8 to 1 5/8 inch from the bottom.

if its so OBVIOUS why pull a Monk? The diffs are pre-filled before they ever get to the assembly line, so are manual transmissions be it a Saginaw gear or a dyna or what have you. Buy a target engine from the dealer and it will be pre-filled, pe-oiled and have a new filter. so are the engines that get lowered into the vehicle. And I was asking to make sure the nut was properly tightened with a torque wrench, so that the bearing preloads would be correct, the crush sleeve not messed up causing the ring and pinion to be out of proper alignment, which results in a howl after about 5,000 miles or so that can only be corrected by new a ring and pinion gear, new pinion bearings and crush sleeve. Oh and there actually is proper tool to use to hold the yoke.

Whitelightning

It would be hard to prove. I mean if you actually saw they just used an impact gun to tighten it would be one thing. Finding someone that would be willing to stand up in a court of law so to speak and say "this damage was caused by the pinion depth being wrong, resulting in improper mesh of the ring and pinion. On this model that is most often caused by the improper torque of the nut that holds the yoke on the pinion shaft resulting in the crush sleeve being over compressed" yet another. and a lot depends on the dealer. I have seen shops say we messed up, and fix it. I've done. yeah the customer is mad at the moment, but in the long run it was good for the relationship. Most customers know mistakes happen, its how they are handled makes a difference. I will say this, the first thing you should do is give them first crack at it, do not change the oil in the diff. Human nature and too many experiences, you bring me an engine knocking and I see fresh clean oil in the crankcase, you ran it low, or didn't change it is what comes to my mind. And sometimes the howling is the result of a bearing that just failed. Noise caused by a pinion gear depth problem or pinion bearing problem will be somewhat speed sensitive, and load sensitive. By load I mean for a split second or so when you let off the gas it will decrease, until engine braking comes into play and loads the gears again.

Whitelightning

The noise from my differential is definately speed sensitive. It is acting just as you stated "Noise caused by a pinion gear depth problem or pinion bearing problem will