After some 4x4 wheeling on a rocky mountain trail, my rear Dana 44 diff was leaking oil. No good. It was scraped up & the cover was bent on the bottom. The JK factory diff cover is sort of thin which is why the rear factory diff cover got bent, but the Ruff Stuff D44 diff cover is 3/8" thick and rather heavy. Ridiculously thick! Probably bullet proof (but I didn't test that). I bought 2 Ruff stuff covers (to get free shipping), and I'll do the front diff next. I also got the bolt kit & Lubelocker gaskets.
It comes unpainted, so I cleaned, primed & painted it. I used a spray can of regular black enamel paint on the outside.
The Ruff Stuff bolts are longer than factory and a 12 point head. The factory bolts at 3/8" long are way too short & can't reach through the 3/8" Ruff Stuff cover. You def need longer bolts for this thicker cover. The reason they offer 12 point bolts is that these bolt heads are smaller diameter so you can get a socket on them. A regular 6 point socket will not fit on all 10 bolts, the RS cover is in the way.
I thought I had more than enough tools, but I didn't have a 12 point 5/16 socket. Lowes didn't have that socket either. So I bought a whole 12 point socket set at HFT just to get the one socket. I didn't realize how uncommon 12 point bolts are. It would be great if Ruff Stuff would offer that socket as an optional add-on.
The bottom of my Dana 44 diff took some minor damage too, I needed to gently file off the curled over bit. Then spent some time with a putty knife & Goof-Off solvent cleaning off all the old sealant so the cover wouldn't leak later.
Bought the LubeLocker gaskets. I did find a "similar" unbranded version for $10 less, but reviews said it was a sucky counterfeit & not to ruin your project with crap parts to save $10. So I got the legit LubeLocker gaskets from Ruff Stuff. Was really glad I did because I needed to pull the cover back off before even getting it all the way installed. The bottom bolt wasn't threading right, so I cleaned up the thread with a tap. Also the rear diff bolt hole at top left, about 11 o'clock, is not as deep as the other holes, so I needed to add 2 washers so that bolt wouldn't bottom out. I did not need to move any bolt holes in the Ruff Stuff D44 cover, they were tight but correctly placed. Torqued to 30 ft lbs.
JK Owners manual recommended GL-5 SAE 80W-90 gear oil, unless you're towing, then they recommend 75W-140 synthetic in the rear. I do tow sometimes. The Owners manual doesn't offer that choice for the front axle.
A screw on flex hose worked out really well to get the quarts of gear oil into the diff. Only leaked a couple of drops, which was great. The old gear oil was the color of dark brown honey. The new synthetic oil was clear, which was a surprise to me. Was easy to squeeze through the hose, not slow like molasses. Took the old oil to local auto parts store to recycle (free).
The oil fill hole on most of the 3rd party diff covers is higher than the Dana 44 factory fill hole. RS has a big 3/4" hole, so plenty of room to get your pinky finger in there & use as a dipstick. It took about 1.5 quarts of gear oil to fill enough so my pinky finger got into oil. Ruff Stuff says to mark the new cover where the filler hole on the old cover would be, as a reference. Do not overfill.
This Repair/Upgrade project was a success! No leaks and I did it all the same day, including obtaining that 12 point socket.
Summary: The Ruff Stuff diff cover is way more heavy duty than the factory cover and I expect I'll never have a problem with it. Sturdy, solid, great weld quality, & accurately made. Get the bolt kit. While you're waiting for shipping; make sure you have a 12 point 5/16" socket. Get the Lubelocker gasket, its expensive but everybody I talked to says it is great & very reusable. Check your owners manual before you buy more gear oil & buy 1.5 "�� 2 quarts per diff, plus make sure you have an adequate oil change pan.
