2002 - Mule 3010 - Front Differential fluid fill location?

[Hillman]

Where oh where is the front differential fluid fill location?? I found the drain but cannot find the fill plug! The manual shows a plug just in front of the differential vent tube but there is NOT one there on my Mule!

 

Don't want to drain until I know where/how to fill it. I know it takes very little fluid but how do you get it in the frick'n differential? Been on the lift 2 weeks now!!!

[Travis]

Look through these diagrams.  You might could find it... I keep looking for you.

I have an 01 Mule 550 C5. re building the engine on it.

[kenfain]

Gotta be on the front side, at or near the top. Mine is an 05, 3010. And it's clearly visible from the front, when you bend over just enough to see the diff. 

  Maybe yours just doesn't look like that's what it is. Like the trans. drain on my Honda. It just looks like another bolt. Good thing the factory labeled it with tiny letters. Shame they didn't do that in your case.

If you think a picture of mine might help, I'd be happy to go out and snap one. But mine is too obvious, there's no way anyone could miss it. So yours is likely different.

[Hillman]

Thanks Ken!...but I found it!

The SPECS show it being in a different place but I found it tucked tightly behind the front skid plate. I was confident that I was wasting my time pulling the skid plate because I felt I could see everything clearly enough but.......NO. Once I dropped the plate there it was looking just like a "fill plug"!! I wasted 3 days whining about it rather than grab a wrench and turn a few bolts!

 

Lesson learned! I filled the Engine oil today along with the Tranny...over filled both!!!!! Spent all afternoon messing with a syringe to suck the excess out.

 

I'll do the front diff tomorrow and NOT over fill it. It supposedly only takes 0.06 of a quart. I'm also using some "limited slip differential fluid" for my Corvette. Maybe that'll help with the 'ol "Mule Differential Chatter".

Thanks again,

DJ

[kenfain]

4 minutes ago, Hillman said:

Thanks Ken!...but I found it!

The SPECS show it being in a different place but I found it tucked tightly behind the front skid plate. I was confident that I was wasting my time pulling the skid plate because I felt I could see everything clearly enough but.......NO. Once I dropped the plate there it was looking just like a "fill plug"!! I wasted 3 days whining about it rather than grab a wrench and turn a few bolts!

 

Lesson learned! I filled the Engine oil today along with the Tranny...over filled both!!!!! Spent all afternoon messing with a syringe to suck the excess out.

 

I'll do the front diff tomorrow and NOT over fill it. It supposedly only takes 0.06 of a quart. I'm also using some "limited slip differential fluid" for my Corvette. Maybe that'll help with the 'ol "Mule Differential Chatter".

Thanks again,

DJ

Nice lift you have there!

I'm glad you found that plug, mine is tough to get to with the huge winch mount that's there. But I remember seeing that plug on the front of the diff. Hope I don't need to access it anytime soon. I'd probably come in from the top.

Hope that cures the problem you're having. Others have problems caused by driving on hard pack, with the vehicle in 4wd. That's definitely something to avoid. I'll occasionally exercise the front differential, by using a perfectly straight road, and not even a swerve. Put it in 4wd for a block or so. Since mine rarely sees any mud, or hills, I do this to keep the seals from drying out. I've heard others needing serious work to remedy problems caused by leaving it in 4wd on hard pack, or pavement. 

Don't know if you've got the torque specs, I'm sure they're the same as mine. Looks like 22ft lb.