outdoorfever

Hello again. I was just curious to see how long was too long to drive with water in the diffs. I havent checked them yet but lets say i did have water in there...i havent checked yet cause i dont have a new bolt and i dont wanna get that one off and not be able to get it on again. i have ordered one and it should come in tuesday..i'm worried cause i am driving this weekend..should i be worried? thanks guys ~kyle

lee

i dont know about length of time, but i know that if you DO have water in your diff, the diff oil should be drained too. just a tip.

SLC Punk

I would drive as little as possible. You really don't want to run the risk of getting a lot of damage!

outdoorfever

yea lee i know...but i cant get my plug out cause its stripped..thats why i bought a new one and just waiting for it.

Mystickal

It depends on several things, most notably how much water is in the differential and how long its been since your differential oil was changed.

Oil and water do not mix - normally oil will float on top of water. So if you have only a little water, it *should* fall to the lowest point of the differential.

There are three problems with water in your differential (that I can think of, anyway)

One, it will displace the lubricating oil that should be in there. Water is not a very good lubricant.

Two, it can cause whatever lubricant is in there to break down, losing its lubricating properties.

Three, it can invite rust. On the gears.

Think about those implications for a moment.

Personally, I wouldn't drive any more than absolutely necessary with any major amount water in the differential.

Is it the plug that is stripped or is it the hole? If it's the hole, then you'll have to either use a bigger plug anyway, or drill out and re-tap the existing hole.

Hope this helps,

~Bill

Serith

depends on how long it has been in there, but driving it untill tuesday should be fine, just try not to drive a lot. I drove mine for probably 3-4 weeks (just guessing) when i finally realized i should change it, and i got small chucks of metal coming out. so you should be fine, just change it pretty quick.

MTL_4runner

The water mixing with the oil will make a nasty milkshake in there.
You should be ok just don't drive too far as it may not be getting proper lubrication.
Do drive it some because you don't want the water to separate and rust the gears.
If rust does form that may spell the end of those gears and bearings.

outdoorfever

yikes...yea the water would have been in since sunday, the 7th. So no more than a week and couple days. Thanks for the help.