Differential fluid change - limited slip additive?

Hello,

My Cherokee needs the front and rear diff fluid changed. I would like to do it myself and save $90 in labor.

How do I know if a limited slip additive is needed or not? I don't see any tags on the diff cover.

Also, should I use a paper gasket for the cover or RTV?

Thank you in advance for the help.

You can tell when you take the cover off worst case scenario go to the store and buy some. As for gasket I'm going to use rtv. I'm going to do mine tomorrow actually. I've got a leak I've been meaning to fix.

Sent from my HTC M9 using Tapatalk

Do yourself a favor and pick up a lube locker. You won't have to mess with rtv again.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/52416_103.htm

x2 on the lubelocker, great part.
W/ the tires off the ground and t-case or trans in neutral, spin a tire.
If they both rotate the same direction you have a limited slip.

I swapped out the fluid in my front D30 and rear 8.25 for synthetic. Used Valvoline VV975. I used this instead of a gasket from Napa. BK 7651944.

http://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/BK_7651944/BK_7651944

Like the idea of the Lube Locker. Being reusable and all. But my '00 is just a DD so it is not like I am running through water and need to clean it out regularly.

Fel Pro gaskets are $4-5 each. I hate using RTV. Its a bitch to get the cover off, a bitch to scrape the RTV off, ... I guess some guys use Scotch Brite wheels but where does the dust go? The front will not have LSD. The rear may you'll just need to look. The LSD carriers are larger and more square shaped. Or if you jack up the read end and turn one tire forward, if the other tire also turns forward, its LSD. If you use synthetic then generally no additive is needed.

They make an RTV remover. The one I had sprayed on and in a minute or so turned the RTV to gel and it pretty much fell off.

I just redid my front diff and used a Dana Spicer gasket for $7. According to the package it is reusable, and seems to have a nice rubbery coating. Cleaned both surfaces well with brakleen and no leaks.

Not sure if they have them for D35s or C8.25s but there are omix-ada and crown alternatives. Felpro is great too. Might be a good alternative in price to lubelockers if you're not going in there all the time, and you won't have to mess around with/wait for RTV to set - just refill and go. It can be kind of a pain fitting a bottle above the diff to gravity fill (especially if you get a gallon jug) - grab a cheap flexible-neck funnel or one of those $4 fluid transfer pumps from HF.

Photo of open diff on left, LSD on right: