How to change differential oil?

[bikerbillone]

Oh yes, you are so right. My 2012 RS cheat sheet says two different fills, if memory serves, you check the filler plug, if it's one type, you fill only until you you can touch the oil with the finger reaching into the hole, if another, then fill to the lip. Go figure. Now, getting the finger into the hole, that's the trick. I dunno which one I have, I took it to a trike dealer and had it done, I guess it's right. My plan next time my plan is, run the rear wheels up on car ramps and raise the front end to make it level and see what if I can do this job myself, that dealer burned a hole in my wallet.

 

[lgjhn]

Last week, the wife and I took a trip to Arkansas and put over 1000 miles on the trike pulling a trailer for the most of it.

I watched the concrete where we would park for the night for leaks, and then when we got home, I put her on the lift to check for leaks...NOTHING.

Everything stayed nice & dry.

Using only 24 oz of gear oil in the diff did the trick.....Dan was right. :clapping:

 

[bikerbillone]

Dan has been doing RS builds for a very long time, I have no reason to doubt his expertise. I have no idea why RS would change diff molds during 2011/2012, but that seems to be the case.

 

[mhgoldwing]

Dan has been doing RS builds for a very long time, I have no reason to doubt his expertise. I have no idea why RS would change diff molds during 2011/2012, but that seems to be the case.

Evidently they changed which differential they were using/modifying and each requires specific fill level.

 

[bikerbillone]

For sure Mike, there's always a 'back story' and a 'why' of it all, curiosity leads me to 'want to know' but rarely is that possible, just gotta accept, it is what it is. My thought's are, why not just spell out out how many ounces for each diff, or each different plug in the differential, instead of the 'finger check'? I guess there's a reason for that too.

 

[Burnerboy]

I'm surprised NO ONE HAS EVEN MENTIONED the two grease jerk fittings just before the universal area.....

I just grease those yesterday, along with oil / filter, and spark plugs changed when putting bike away for the winter season.....

Ronnie

 

[rhino 2]

For sure Mike, there's always a 'back story' and a 'why' of it all, curiosity leads me to 'want to know' but rarely is that possible, just gotta accept, it is what it is. My thought's are, why not just spell out out how many ounces for each diff, or each different plug in the differential, instead of the 'finger check'? I guess there's a reason for that too.

Because the finger check is the most accurate....Stick your finger in and if its dry ' Not Enough fluid , If its wet your good to go why confuse people with numbers and ounces ......Back in my caveman days i would fill the differentials/axles on my vehicles so as when i removed the plug the fluid would just start weeping out...:Shrug:

 

[mhgoldwing]

Because the finger check is the most accurate....Stick your finger in and if its dry ' Not Enough fluid , If its wet your good to go why confuse people with numbers and ounces ......Back in my caveman days i would fill the differentials/axles on my vehicles so as when i removed the plug the fluid would just start weeping out...:Shrug:

Stick your finger in and if its dry ' Not Enough fluid , If its wet your good to go why confuse people with numbers and ounces ​

On mine they specify exactly one quart. Now I hear a little less is better but realistically I found that when pumping from the bottle to the differential it was impossible to get all of it out so I'm just right. BTW, on my RS the trailer hitch bracket prevents me from getting my fat, stubby fingers anywhere near the fill hole to check the level. I have to use some other tool. Not easy at all.

Back in my caveman days i would fill the differentials/axles on my vehicles so as when i removed the plug the fluid would just start weeping out...​

​

Do that on the new ones and they say it will cause them to leak into CV joints or blow the pinion seal. That's why they are very specific regarding the amount of oil to put in the differential.

 

[bikerbillone]

Mike, my very thought to Rino, but I let it go. With the hitch, there's almost no way anyone can get aq finger in that fill hole, think I mentioned that in a previous comment. My fear, is getting too much if you spot some over fill and blowing a seal. I had a professional trike builder do mine, so I hope he got it right, sure charged me enough. My next oil change when I have my sled up on car ramps, I'll get a good light and see what I can see.

 

[mhgoldwing]

Mike, my very thought to Rino, but I let it go. With the hitch, there's almost no way anyone can get aq finger in that fill hole, think I mentioned that in a previous comment. My fear, is getting too much if you spot some over fill and blowing a seal. I had a professional trike builder do mine, so I hope he got it right, sure charged me enough. My next oil change when I have my sled up on car ramps, I'll get a good light and see what I can see.

I drove the trike about ten miles to warm up diff, removed the fill and drain plug and went to have lunch. When I came back I put a hand pump into the quart bottle of rear end oil and pumped it into the diff. Couldn't quite get all of it out of the bottle and up the pump's hose so a little less than a quart. Worked like a champ and no chance of over filling.

If you have diff that requires less, simply remove excess from bottle before pumping and get on with it. Again, no chance of overfilling.

One like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=qua...182&bih=575&dpr=1.63#spd=15013837675711063167

 

[bikerbillone]

That Mike, will be my procedure next change, thanks. How often do you change yours?

 

[bikerbillone]

Gentlemen, this is what I found in my year 2014 file from Road Smith.....





Hi Bill,



Since your kit was produced in 2012 that would make your differential a Ford based product. There is a ¾” plug in the rear of the differential that isn’t exactly easy to get to but it is there. As long as there are no major leaks there really isn’t a need to check it however. It is filled with one full quart from the factory. The fluid level from the plug hole should be about one inch below the hole. The differential manufacturer recommends changing the fluid every 50K miles but that’s for normal automotive applications. Since this is on a trike with much less working stress than a car, you could easily go more than that without hurting anything. There is also a heavy magnet inside the diff that would catch any metal shavings before they’d get into the gears.



Hopefully this helps but as always feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.



Thanks!

-Taylor







Taylor Young

Roadsmith Trike Conversions

www.roadsmithtrikes.com

800-331-0705

3744 Scheuneman Rd

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Ride With the Expert

 

[mhgoldwing]

Gentlemen, this is what I found in my year 2014 file from Road Smith.....





Hi Bill,



Since your kit was produced in 2012 that would make your differential a Ford based product. There is a ¾” plug in the rear of the differential that isn’t exactly easy to get to but it is there. As long as there are no major leaks there really isn’t a need to check it however. It is filled with one full quart from the factory. The fluid level from the plug hole should be about one inch below the hole. The differential manufacturer recommends changing the fluid every 50K miles but that’s for normal automotive applications. Since this is on a trike with much less working stress than a car, you could easily go more than that without hurting anything. There is also a heavy magnet inside the diff that would catch any metal shavings before they’d get into the gears.



Hopefully this helps but as always feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.



Thanks!

-Taylor



Taylor Young

Roadsmith Trike Conversions

www.roadsmithtrikes.com

800-331-0705

3744 Scheuneman Rd

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Ride With the Expert

I changed mine at 50K and will probably do it again at 70K simply because I get bored during the winter.

 

[lgjhn]

I drove the trike about ten miles to warm up diff, removed the fill and drain plug and went to have lunch. When I came back I put a hand pump into the quart bottle of rear end oil and pumped it into the diff. Couldn't quite get all of it out of the bottle and up the pump's hose so a little less than a quart. Worked like a champ and no chance of over filling.

If you have diff that requires less, simply remove excess from bottle before pumping and get on with it. Again, no chance of overfilling.

One like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=qua...182&bih=575&dpr=1.63#spd=15013837675711063167

Mike,

I've found that the pump I purchased from Wal-Mart will only pump out about 24 oz out of new 32 oz bottle which is pretty much right on the money for my diff.

I know the RS written spec is a full quart (32oz), but I'm sticking with Dan's suggestion in that earlier post of only 24 oz. As mentioned above, our diffs are verrrry lightly loaded compared to their original automotive design service.

FWIW, having done a bunch of ring/pinion changes on Chrysler diffs over the years (I'm an old drag racer), I'd usually fill em about 3/4 of the factory recommended fill for on-road highway service to get a tad less friction from oil windage, but still enough to keep the diff fully lubed. IF you've ever had the cover off and look at approximately where the oil level would be in relationship to the ring/pinion/seal assembly (usually you can see a stain line), the ring/pinion assembly is still getting plenty of lube, especially with the synthetics we have available to us today, but it takes the oil load, especially when hot, off the pinion seal a little bit. I agree that Dan knows his stuff on these, and I'm pretty confident and comfortable with the 3/4 fill for our lightly-loaded trike diffs.

Hey, IF mine burns up/lets go, I'll just pull the whole darn thing out and rebuild it, but I highly doubt that will be necessary.

 

[lgjhn]

I'm surprised NO ONE HAS EVEN MENTIONED the two grease jerk fittings just before the universal area.....

I just grease those yesterday, along with oil / filter, and spark plugs changed when putting bike away for the winter season.....

Ronnie

Hi Ronnie,

I believe I saw somewhere on this forum where RS says those only need a small shot about once/year. I think those are for greasing the splines in the drive shaft.

 

[Burnerboy]

Hi Ronnie,

I believe I saw somewhere on this forum where RS says those only need a small shot about once/year. I think those are for greasing the splines in the drive shaft.

I shoot a few shots of gears in once a season, It gives me a better feeling to know that IT HAS BEEN DONE!

Ronnie

 

[camplejeune]

Hello everyone,

Bringing this thread up again. Thanks for all this info as it helped me changed the differential fluid last night. First, car ramps is a must then I lifted the front of the bike with floor jack and placed the front wheel on a stack of wood to level it. Found the drain and fill plugs as stated in this thread. According to the R/S information I have the Ford unit per the method of counting the cover bolts. This trike has 51,000 miles showing, I have no idea when this was converted. By the way this is on a 2008 GL1800 we just purchased. I measured the old fluid that drained completely out (28 ounces). I also used the hand pump that screws on to the bottle using the longest suction tube that came with this pump left 5 ounces of new fluid in the bottle, so 27oz went back in the differential. There is no sign of a leak, so the factory did not fill this unit with a full quart? Dan may be correct and the factory may be using less? FYI, a 1" deep well socket was perfect to remove that fill plug.

Thanks again for all this great info on this forum.

 

[camplejeune]

A confirmation here on my last post. I call R/S yesterday and spoke to Mike to find out what year my R/S was made. They use two numbers in the serial number to know the year built. Mine is a 2014. The tag is located on the right-side of trailer hitch channel. I was told by Mike and our local R/S installer that these Ford rear ends need that 32oz of gear lube. Last night I added the rest of the bottle.

 

[Burnerboy]

Thank you "everybody" I'm going to crawl under my bike once this dang weather warms up a bit, and see what I can find, and go ahead, and try that rear end fluid change....Can't see why I can't do it..... I usually find that everytime I'm abit worried about doing a job, I usually find that is wasn't that big of a DEAL, AND I WORRIED FOR NOTHING.. last week I replaced the Radiator fluid in the wing, I worried that I'd not be able to accomplish this job, well it was a piece of cake and I saved myself alot of money, and had hand prints on the back of my shirt, because I gave myself a pat on the back.... LOL

Ronnie

 

[camplejeune]

Thank you "everybody" I'm going to crawl under my bike once this dang weather warms up a bit, and see what I can find, and go ahead, and try that rear end fluid change....Can't see why I can't do it..... I usually find that everytime I'm abit worried about doing a job, I usually find that is wasn't that big of a DEAL, AND I WORRIED FOR NOTHING.. last week I replaced the Radiator fluid in the wing, I worried that I'd not be able to accomplish this job, well it was a piece of cake and I saved myself alot of money, and had hand prints on the back of my shirt, because I gave myself a pat on the back.... LOL

Ronnie

I ran the rear wheels up on ramps and then jacked up the front placing wood under the front tire making the bike level. I suggest buying that hand pump the auto parts store sell for changing transfer case fluid. This will screw on to the quart bottle. The longest suction dip tube that comes in the kit will not empty the bottle. I used another container to dump that amount into or you can cut the bottle and still use the hand pump. Per R/S I added the almost the full quart.

You can do this task. FYI, I used a 20% off coupon at Harbor Freight to purchase their plastic type ramps. Well worth it and I can use them to change oil on my truck verses using a floor jack. I have no problem buying tools: new job-new tool is my moto.

 

[Nels]

Need more info

I am new to Roadsmith trikes and goldwings and this forum. I have a question about my differential. I just bought a 2007 GL1800 with 2007 HT1800 conversion. The trike has 49,995 miles on it and it was triked when brand new. The differential is a 9 bolt. All 9 bolts go thru the plate and hold on the cover. There is no access hole thru the plate and no plug in the differential cover . I have not seen any pics of this kind of differential. The manual that came with the bike only shows the plate with the access hole I wire brushed the bottom and found the drain plug. The only place I can find access to refill is by removing the breather valve on the top of the differential. Before I start unscrewing things I am hoping that somebody that knows what they are doing can give me some guidance. I am planning a trip from NY to Arizona in the next month and the info on this forum says that this should be done. Thanks for the help.

 

[Nels]

Thanks for the reply. I went back out, put it up on jack stands and pulled the tires off and took another look. It was on the right side, directly facing the tire.

 

[camplejeune]

Thanks for the reply. I went back out, put it up on jack stands and pulled the tires off and took another look. It was on the right side, directly facing the tire.

Hello Nels, Welcome to the group. I just purchased an 08 GL1800 with 51,000 miles. I am going thru flushing all the fluids to discover that in 2014 when this scooter was triked with the R/S HTS they did not have the rear brake system connected with the front brakes like the OEM bike had. They now sell a kit with all the fittings to reconnect them. The kit is $27. I had my local R/S dealer order me a kit. The front brake pads on mine was worn unevenly due to what I assume is not having all the caliper pistons applying even pressure. Just replacing the pads and flushing the fluid made a big difference in stopping power. At 51,000 miles my clutch and front brake master cylinder reservoirs had a bunch of crap starting to collect at the bottoms.

Safe travels and enjoy your new toy.

 

[Burnerboy]

Thanks for all your help, It's now 18* degrees in my garage, BUT once it warms up, I'm going under the TRIKE, to look for those drain and fill bolts...

I ride a 2010 Goldwing with a Roadsmith trike kit.........

I like repair'n and service'n my bike myself, the dealership will rape the hell out of my wallet.............

I put my TRIKE up on 4x4 boards one under each tire, so it's lever and four inches off the floor, give'n just enough room to work under it..

WARNING:::::: Be sure to WIRE TIE your FRONT BRAKE LEVER to keep the bike from rolling off the boards, (w/you underneath it)

Ronnie

2/20/24