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service history question

brisbane_vt

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hey guys. I have a VT 2 Commodore with 185 thousand k's

I purchased it about 3 years ago and it had 145 thousand, with full service history. I cant find anything about servicing the diff anywhere. Because theres only the signed service receipts left in the book i cant see what has actually been done. I checked out what services they do for VT Commodores online and again I cant see anything about diff oil change.

Is it possible that my diff oil hasnt copped a change in all the services up to 145?

after 145 my and my father in law who is a mechanic have simply been doing my oil and fluid changes @ home. I have mild diff whine but only at low speeds taking off. at high revs and normal speed i dont hear a thing and power seems good. I hope someone can have some ideas.
 

brisbane_vt

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I'd imagine it's quite possible, dealerships aren't that great...

damn. Im getting it serviced next Saturday. you can buy LSD commodore diff oil off the shelf at repco or whatever right?

edit- do i need to buy a gasket kit or anything? im not doing the service, i just wanna make sure I buy everything I need. we have a hoist and the tools though.
 

graham7773

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You will only need a gasket for the hat if you take it off. It is not necessary to take it off as the diff drain plug is the bottom bolt at the back of the diff. And of course the filler plug is the one half way up on the driver side of the diff. 1.7l to refill. Holden says that periodic draining of the diff ie oil change, is not necessary. Apparently the oil will last as long as the diff or until something breaks at which time repairs and oil change become a must. In even more words, oil change is up to you. Whatever floats your boat. By the way, this info is straight out of the Holden VT service manual
 

VYMAD

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Mate, just do the diff oil change. I did my VY a while ago and apart from being easy as to do, I noticed the old fluid was a little darker than the new fluid. Cost around $70-$80 to buy the new diff oil, which is nothing if it prolongs diff life. I also bought some of that blue Permatex silicone for the last few threads closest to the bolt head to ensure no leaks. I followed a How- to on this forum if I remember correctly. But yeah two 1 litre bottles is what you'll need and check to see if it's LSD or not.
 

brisbane_vt

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thanks graham and VYMAD. I checked my manual for info on the diff but I must of missed that part.

I'll buy some permatex when I buy the diff oil. Repco should stock both right? it is a LSD diff.
 

VYMAD

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Repco may have the permatex, or supercheap, etc. Make sure you get the LSD oil.
 

pablo

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I have never touched my diff oil in well over 200K! No leaks, so what oil was originally put in is still there. Quiet as a mouse, whatever speed.
 

graham7773

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Pablo, I had to add this. In my previous reply I said that GMH, in its service manual (as opposed to workshop manual) they say that the only reason to put oil in the diff is if there is a loss of oil. I was just trawling my GMH service manual and found this about the manual gearbox.
"Periodic transmission lubricant changes are not necessary. The lubricant
should only be changed when overhauling the transmission or when operating the
vehicle under severe driving conditions (refer to the Owner’s Handbook)."

There are no sources of pollutants in gearbox or diff like those in the motor (therefore oil changes are needed for the motor) and you cannot destroy mineral oil, so it will last as long as the diff or gearbox. And as I said before, "whatever floats your boat" for those who cannot live without their transmission oil changes. Just by the way, Castrol and others use re-cycled oil in their oil products to no ill effect on said product
 

wortus

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I have never touched my diff oil in well over 200K! No leaks, so what oil was originally put in is still there. Quiet as a mouse, whatever speed.

I checked my diff oil a month or so ago and it needed topping up with about 150ml of oil. There were no visable leaks.
The service booklet mentions checking the diff oil when the car is serviced, not sure if it is every service but it's worth checking the level once in a while at least. I've never changed the oil in my diff.
 
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