I too love the look of gatorbacks. But with 37 in front im not sure any flaps will hold. I need to research it better, as i do want the flaps back, these ridge grapplers throw a ton of dirt on the truck.
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- OP 🔹
- #342
Oh ya, the Gatorbacks would almost certainly be a bad day with 37's. The 35's barely clear when going to/from a sharp turn.
Why did you say the truck was illegal with 3 mudflaps?
I’ve been thinking about getting mud flaps once the Carli E Venture 2.5” kit is installed if the mudflaps fit properly and are able to stand up to moderate abuse
Sounds like a good usage of points & I’d have the dealer install them
- OP 🔹
- #344
In some (many?) states tires need to be covered by a certain amount, either by the body of the vehicle or by mud flaps, to protect other vehicles from road debris. The debris can lead to damage as well as a reduction in vision (think bad spray from wet or slushy roads).
Here's the law in Washington:
With trucks the body doesn't sit low enough over the tires, so mud flaps are required to make up the difference.
This is something that's rarely enforced, to be clear, but I don't want to give a cop a reason to pull me over. More importantly, I don't want to be that a**hole truck driver to everyone behind me as I inevitably kick up rocks and debris driving down the road, along with a reduction in safety in the rain until I get the 4th flap installed.
For sure! Though as I noted above to Alpoba, clearance could be an issue with larger tires. So if you're planning on larger tires once you get the Carli kit installed you may want to see if others have experience with the Gatorbacks and larger tires.
Sorry i have to ask, did instructions say that you might have an oil drip if doff cover not tightened quickly enough?
The reason i’m asking is because today i noticed some oil on my driveway and traced it to carli diff cover lowest bolt. So i went for my wrench and to my surprise all 5 carli bolts were loose enough for not a tight enough seal. I tightened all 5 bolts but now i’m worried how much oil might have leaked in the 3 weeks since carli install. Incidentally, my carli lower steering stabilizer fall off right after the install at the bolt from he diff cover. Seems like they forgot to tighten everything around the diff cover.
Now i wonder if i need to refill the diff oil if enough of it leaked. Not even sure how to find out.
- OP 🔹
- #346
I think it’s less about tightening it quick enough, and more about the nature of the seal. In most cases that RTV seal won’t leak at all, but in some cases it might leak a slight amount when pressure is reduced.
I’m no expert, but that’s concerning the bolts weren’t tightened; however, I doubt much leaked out unless there was a large amount under the truck.
In the same breath, if you paid someone to install it I would be back asking them to refill the diff to guarantee you aren’t low.
Yep, they already ordered carli lower steer stabilizer and will reinstall at their own cost. It was very concerning to me when 50 miles from install the damn thing fall off. I immediately marked every single bolt from their carli install (a lot of them) and have been monitoring them regularly to see if anything got lose and moved. But stupid of me to think that they would not tighten the diff cover bolts, so i didnt mark or check them and thats what started leaking:-(
Thanks for the tip. Im calling them tomorrow about the diff cover re-fill, and if i see leaks they will have to drain, reseal, and refill. (I just watched Arods video on how its done on dana60)
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- OP 🔹
- #348
Oof, no kidding that’s concerning! And can’t blame you for not thinking about the diff cover bolts.
And to clarify: my understanding is if the diff does leak during the diff guard install, it will be extremely minimal and be sealed up again once the bolts are re-tightened. So it shouldn’t not continue to leak.
Something else to keep in mind: since you drove with loose diff cover bolts, the RTV seal would have experienced shock and vibration without appropriate pressure. That could have compromised the seal significantly more than the normal process of removing and then re-applying pressure.
Once again I doubt it’s enough to matter. But you also paid to have the job done right, so they should make sure it’s right and remove that bit of uncertainty IMO, and that means re-sealing the diff (in addition to ensuring it’s topped up as noted before).
Great point. I was thinking exactly this last night when looking at the seal from the back with a flashlight, but telling myself that hopefully it didnt come apart and will be OK when tightened. I’ll ask today if they can reseal it or cover the cost for another shop to do it (thinking this shop is more suspension work oriented, not sure if i even want them to handle this job)
Thanks for walking me through it logically. All great points which help me understand the diff. sealing much better.
Edit: looks dry the next morning. But that one spot where there is no seal, thats where it started flaking yesterday when i was cleaning the oil around the seal. I think that is the exact spot where it might be compromised. And a second pic is where it leaked i assume primarily in the last week.
Edit 2: talked to the owner, they will do the re-seal for me. Says they’ve done it know-it /qualified to do it. I still have confidence in the shop and the installer apologized to me when it happened, said he must have forgot to torque the stabilizer, not deflecting but admitting that its the only reason it could have gotten loose like that. And he suggested i watch him do everything (even work with him) when im there for 500 mile re-torque where he’ll go over everything with me so that i can learn and be able to troubleshoot and fix myself. So yeah, maybe they rushed the initial install, but im hoping it’ll be good at the end. Mistakes happen, its how they are addressed is what’s important.
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- Staff 🛡️
- #350
- Jun 25, 2021
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- 22MY F250 Star White Lariat Tremor
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Catching up on some older posts!
This is exactly the case. The piston rings will not fully seat until ~5-6k miles or so depending on drive cycle. Prior to that time you will see additional blowby into the crankcase which dilutes the oil with fuel among other things. It is a continuous process and improves every mile driven. Once seated you shouldn't see any noticeable difference.
Totally normal though!
- OP 🔹
- #351
That’s fantastic!! Completely agree that mistakes happen, and how they’re handled makes all the difference. Assuming the shop follows through (no reason to believe they won’t) then also agree with confidence in the rest of the install being restored.
- OP 🔹
- #352
Very cool! Thank you for the confirmation, and great to see my engine has now fully broken in! Neat to have specific confirmation of that.
Been monitoring for the past two days, unfortunately it is sipping, i can see oil forming at the seal every few hours. I decided to do the change myself, prior to going to the suspension shop. The reason is, i will learn from the process, the full cost is around 60$, not a big deal, and the silicone needs 24 hours before diff oil can be added safely, at least thats what i read everywhere. If i do it at the shop, leaving the truck for 24 hours wont be an option. So while it might cure in an hour plus, best case is it let it cure on my driveway for a full dayThat’s fantastic!! Completely agree that mistakes happen, and how they’re handled makes all the difference. Assuming the shop follows through (no reason to believe they won’t) then also agree with confidence in the rest of the install being restored.
- OP 🔹
- #354
Well, good that you were pursuing the reseal anyways! And that’s a great plan!Been monitoring for the past two days, unfortunately it is sipping, i can see oil forming at the seal every few hours. I decided to do the change myself, prior to going to the suspension shop. The reason is, i will learn from the process, the full cost is around 60$, not a big deal, and the silicone needs 24 hours before diff oil can be added safely, at least thats what i read everywhere. If i do it at the shop, leaving the truck for 24 hours wont be an option. So while it might cure in an hour plus, best case is it let it cure on my driveway for a full day
Though I’m curious how dealers do the reseal if the RTV needs 24 hours. No way they’re keeping trucks overnight just for a diff oil change.
That is EXACTLY what i was thinking. Even PPT Arod is his video said that he is coming back after an hour of making a seal with TA29 or TA31 and yet he got back to it the next day instead
but on forums ive been reading that motorcraft TA29/TA31 need 24 hours to cure before putting the lubricant oil back in. Even for a similar popular Permatex 81182 diff gasket maker, the directions say:- Apply a continuous and even bead of silicone to one surface; surround all bolt holes. Assemble parts immediately. Finger tighten bolts until material begins to squeeze out around flange. Allow to dry for one hour then retighten 1/4 to 1/2 turn.
- Silicone dries in 1 hour, and fully cures in 24 hours. Allow more time in cold or very dry conditions.
- OP 🔹
- #356
Interesting. Maybe it’s one of those things where it’s best to wait for it to cure, but not the end of the world if you don’t?That is EXACTLY what i was thinking. Even PPT Arod is his video said that he is coming back after an hour of making a seal with TA29 or TA31 and yet he got back to it the next day instead
Not sure how to interpret it. Should one wait to add oil until it is dry or until it has fully cured. Multiple forum threads said it needs to cure.
- Apply a continuous and even bead of silicone to one surface; surround all bolt holes. Assemble parts immediately. Finger tighten bolts until material begins to squeeze out around flange. Allow to dry for one hour then retighten 1/4 to 1/2 turn.
- Silicone dries in 1 hour, and fully cures in 24 hours. Allow more time in cold or very dry conditions.
- OP 🔹
- #357
Not a mod for the truck, but got an Otterbox Defender case for my iPhone Mini today (protect it during SAR missions). Got me thinking about the wireless charger in the truck, and maybe the Mini would fit well now that it has a chunky case.
Nope. Best I could get was 5 minutes of charging while driving and then it would cut out. If I picked the phone up and set it back down it would start charging again immediately…for about 5 minutes (or significantly less sometimes).
As I expected, wired charging is the way to go. Perhaps one day wireless charging will be functional, but it isn’t for me right now. I need to be able to rely on my phone being charged when I reach my destination.
Nope. Best I could get was 5 minutes of charging while driving and then it would cut out. If I picked the phone up and set it back down it would start charging again immediately…for about 5 minutes (or significantly less sometimes).
As I expected, wired charging is the way to go. Perhaps one day wireless charging will be functional, but it isn’t for me right now. I need to be able to rely on my phone being charged when I reach my destination.
We made a trip up to Fort Collins Colorado just to shop at the Otterbox outlet store
The guy working recommended a non otterbox case for my 12 pro max that is not as bulky & coupled with a screen protector is really great
He said the case was styled like the old Magpul cases and it worked great with a pop socket
It did work with the wireless charging but I use my phone for navigating & hate where the wireless charger is so I still plug it in & put a lovely pop socket on the case lol
- OP 🔹
- #359
Gotcha! Ya I’m definitely taking advantage of the fact I have the Mini so the phone itself is small to begin with.
You don’t use CarPlay to use your phone’s navigation?
