Refilled diff and it started leaking right away. Thinking I overtightened the bolts squeezing out the RTV. Or did not clean it with the right product. SUGGESTIONS???
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All I ever used for cleaning axles is your regular run-of-the mill carb cleaner, nothing fancy. I generally dislike using only RTV to seal the diff cover, instead I spend the extra $5-10 and get the proper gasket, then smear RTV on both sides of that (not much RTV at all, just a thin layer) - install cover, tighten bolts, let sit for a few hours, retighten bolts, fill w/ oil, done! Never had a leak when using this method, if anything once the RTV sets you pretty much don't even need the bolts to hold the diff cover on (not saying you should remove them tho, keep them in there), every time the need arises to open an axle I've sealed this way the cover needs to be almost chiseled off the housing, or pried off w/ a 3ft bar.
If a gasket is not available what I do is I'll kinda snug the diff cover bolts evenly but not bring them in all the way, this ensures that not all RTV gets squished out from between the cover and the housing and enough of it remains in there to form a rubber-like gasket when it sets. Then after it's all dry (preferably let it sit overnight) I'll go back and tighten the bolts good, this way the RTV seals not only by sticking to both the cover and the housing, but also due to the mechanical clamping force on it through the bolts. Only then will I fill the axle w/ oil.
Never had an issue doing it either way, but I much prefer using gasket and RTV together.
