The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 1950 5700 differential gaskets

I did a search but couldn't find reference to what I was looking for. My COE has the 2 speed rear axle. I need numbers for gaskets for both the housing and cover. My flaps couldn't help me. Thanks in advance for any help.

I run over the road trucks. We quit using gaskets years ago. So did the manufacturers. Silicon works much better. We used gaskets until probably the 80's and we always had problems with leaks. Instead of removing the third member, we would loosen it enough so that we could wrap a string all the way around 3 or 4 times. That held it longer than gaskets, but silicon is a permanent fix.

I still like to use gaskets for most stuff, usually with Permatex #2 on both sides.

However, crenwelge is right, differentials for years now have been assembled at the factory with silicone. I took a Tour of the Dana axle assembly plant near me a few years ago, they used a black silicone on the covers.
The new Rockwell/Meritor axle I put in a truck last year said in the service manual to use silicone to seal the third member to the housing. I did and it worked just fine.

I Don't care for how silicone looks when it oozes out, so I wipe the extra off with lacquer thinner, or let it set and hit it with the wire brush later.

There is still a chance you will find gaskets, and if not you could always cut some out.
Have you tried http://www.olsonsgaskets.com/ ??

Grigg

I don't give much mind to silicon oozing out of my over the road trucks. It is the oil leaks I want to stay away from. However, I have seen guys that are owner operators with "show trucks" take a razor blade to cut the excess silicon away. These are the same guys that polish their wheels with jewelers rouge.

Thanks for the comments. I was aware that silicone alone is a possibility but didn't know that the manufacturers were doing this. I didn't think of Olsen's, even though I have them bookmarked.

Try this gasket, Fel-Pro #RDS 5049

Its for the standard 1 1/2 to 2 ton rear ends. Im not quite sure if the 2 speeds used a larger size or not.

Good luck, Jeff

I cut out a rear diffy gasket using a pizza box as the gasket material and then sealed it with black RTV.It worked well.Oh Yea, the pizza was good too !!!

I never used a pizza box because you had to pull the third member out. Using string was the lazy way. You just loosen the bolts, pry the third member away a little and then wrap string all the way round it.

When I built aircraft engines we would use silk thread on the crankcase halves to seal them. Never used string to seal anything except in old plumbing repairs(lampwick).