The Jeep differential is an integral part of the overall mechanism of your vehicle. This mechanical part helps drivers in dealing with corners with ease. However, your vehicle needs the best gear oil for Jeep differential to be able to do its function well and prevent any deterioration. In fact, the Jeep differential fluid helps in lubricating and keeping the coolness of the differential to make it healthy and work properly.
But what are the best differential fluid for Jeep JK? What is the right time to do a Jeep TJ differential fluid change? These questions and a whole lot more will be answered as we try to give enough information to you, our readers in choosing the right JK differential fluid for your vehicle. We will be featuring products that have passed our standards after we tested several Jeep TJ differential fluid available in the market.
Table of Contents
- Best Gear Oil for Jeep Differential Reviews
- What to Look for When Buying Gear Oil For Jeep Differential
- What is a Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
- How does It Work?
- Who is This for?
- What are the Different Types of Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
- Why do you Need a Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Best Gear Oil for Jeep Differential Reviews
1. Lucas Oil 10048 SAE Differential Lube
When looking for the right Jeep Wrangler differential fluid, there are three factors to consider: power, high-performance, and the ability to withstand high temperatures. Fortunately, all of these factors are what this gear oil from Lucas oil is offering as claimed by the company. During our testing process, I personally witnessed how this gear oil ensures that the differential is lubricated and works efficiently.
Firstly, I like the physical aspect of this gear oil once applied to the vehicle. It’s non-foaming and looks super smooth ensuring that it will last longer in lubricating the Jeep’s differential. This Jeep rear differential fluid will be able to give high performance in terms of lubricating your vehicle and keeping it cool despite the usual hot condition in the vehicle’s mechanism.
In terms of how it is being made, I am impressed with the special additive package found in this gear oil. It serves as the cushion of the gear while assisting the oil from compressing out during the most difficult condition. I was totally impressed and feel like this jeep wrangler differential fluid type was indeed designed to withstand high temperatures without losing the quality of its lubricity.
In terms of quality, this gear oil is top-notched. I have asked a few of my friends who use the product and they were also impressed with this gear oil. Aside from preventing the differential from overheating and keeping it lubricated always, this product has the ability to assist in keeping the mechanical components fresh and looks new despite the wear and tear. Use this oil and it will take care of the vehicle’s differential to last longer and always looks new.
The only issue I noticed in this product is the small particles of metals found in the bottom of the bottle. I am not sure what it is, but I have some apprehension when I saw it.
- Superslick and non-foaming oil providing long-lasting performance
- Provides high-performance applications
- Ability to withstand high temperatures without losing lubricity
- Provides resistance even in extreme conditions
- Assist in keeping components fresh and new
- Metal particles found at the bottom of the bottle
If you want high-quality gear oil, then this product is the right one for your vehicle. Its ability to withstand high temperatures while keeping the gear lubricated all the time makes it perfect for your Jeep. This product is one of the best in the market and I highly recommend it for purchase.
2. Royal Purple 01300 Automotive Gear Oil
If you are looking for a gear oil that makes your differential performs smoother, cooler, and lasts longer, then this synthetic gear oil from Royal Purple Max is the right one for you. It’s an automotive gear oil designed to be tougher and maximize power to provide high-quality protection to the Jeep differential and other gears. This Jeep rear differential fluid is also recommended to be used on other applications that are in need of GL-5 or GL-4 oils.
I have known this gear oil for a long time and it has the reputation of providing high performance and longer drain intervals compared to other gear oils. It’s a fully synthetic oil that combines the company’s Snarled additive technology to enable it to perform at high performance without harming all soft metals and the synchronizer. Furthermore, it contains anti-corrosion properties to protect the differential and other gears from aging and deterioration.
Another feature that I was impressed with is the friction modifier additive which makes this gear oil works without adding additives. It provides the ability to maximize the horsepower while extending the gear and the bearing life. Aside from the corrosion protection, it also reduces the operating temperature of your vehicle to make it performs smoother and quieter.
I also like the flexibility of this Jeep JK Rubicon differential fluid in terms of applying it to different types of differential. Since it was formulated with hypoid friction modifiers, this gear oil can be used by either cone or clutch-type differential. This is truly an amazing gear oil that will take care of your differential and make it operate smoothly.
The only issue I see in this product is the pump which is short. It needs to be a little bit longer as it normally leaves a little portion of the oil at the bottom.
- Helps in reducing operating temperature
- Promotes anti-corrosion properties
- Helps in extending gear and bear life
- Assists in maximizing horsepower
- No additional additives needed
- Pump is short
This is just a minor issue and does not affect the quality of this gear oil. If you want to take care of your differential and make it operate smoothly, this is one of the best options for you. The quality of this product is top-notched and will help in making your ride smooth and easy.
3. Valvoline High Performance SAE Gear Oil
Looking for the Jeep Wrangler differential fluid TJ can be a challenge with all the options available in the market. However, this gear oil from Valvoline is a good choice based on the test that we have conducted. This is a non-synthetic differential, manual transmission, and transmission fluid rolled into one. Furthermore, this is a trusted brand that has proven to produce effective automotive products for its customers.
What I like best about this gear oil is its ability to protect the differential and other gears from extreme temperature. Its specially-formulated additives help in minimizing the effects of shock loads in the vehicle. This, in turn, helps in protecting the gears from scratching, corroding, scrubbing, and holing. All in all, this high-performance gear oil is design to protect the Jeep’s differential and the other components from deterioration and aging while also helping in extending its lifespan.
In terms of flexibility, this gear oil can also be used not only on the Jeep differential but on other gears as well. This gear oil is also recommended to be used on non-synchronized manual transmissions on different types of vehicles such as vans, heavy-duty trucks, sports utility vehicles, and even passenger cars. The gear oil can be used by these vehicles provided that they are in need of API-GL5 or G4 fluid.
Overall, this is an excellent Jeep Wrangler JK differential fluid type that offers a lot of benefits to your Jeep differential. It protects the gears from deterioration and aging effects and helps in the lubrication of all the important components of your Jeep.
The only issue I see in this product is that this is not for limited-slip differential. This is a normal gear oil for your vehicle.
- Provides gear protection from extreme protection
- Minimizes the effects of shock loads
- Protects the gear from deterioration
- Helps extend the lifespan of the differential and other gears
- Promotes flexibility in terms of application to different types of vehicle
- Not for a limited-slip differential
If you are looking for a gear oil that does not require constant Jeep differential fluid change, this product is the perfect one for your vehicle. It’s a non-synthetic gear oil that provides a lot of positives not only to your differential but to other gears as well. Truly an impressive gear oil that I highly recommend for purchase.
4. Mobil 1 104361-UNIT Synthetic Gear Lube
Experienced drivers know the quality that Mobil 1 is offering for every automobile products they made. They are so good at what they do and this includes this synthetic geat lube for your Jeep differential and other gears. In fact, this automatic gear lubricant was designed to provide the highest level of performance to different types of vehicles and conditions. The quality is top-notched as it brings a lot of benefits to your vehicle.
What I like best about this synthetic gear lube is its ability to be always stable at extreme temperatures. Even at the range of -50 degrees celsius, this gear oil can still retain its viscosity despite the unusual range of temperature. The same result happens even if applied to high-performance and hot running differentials and the rear axles which also include limited-slip differentials.
Meanwhile, this gear lubricant is also formulated with an additive formula that includes phosphorus and sulfur. This additive package has the special properties of not corroding yellow metals such as brass bearing cages and other similar components. These properties will assist in protecting the components from gear wear, corrosion, and other types of deterioration due to aging.
In terms of flexibility, this gear oil can be applied to vehicles that require an API – GL5 rating. Moreover, this product helps in extending your Jeep JK differential fluid change interval while reducing the deterioration and other effects of aging.
However, there is a small issue that I notice in this gear oil and that is the quality of the bottle. I feel like that the cap is too small for a hand pump that makes the transfer a little bit difficult. I felt that the company could improve this by making it a little bigger.
- Provides the highest level of performance
- Designed to deliver outstanding power transfer performance
- Ability to perform on a wide range of temperatures
- With a special formulation that promotes optimized viscosity
- Protects the gear from degradation and corrosion
- Subpar bottle quality
This is just a minor issue and does not diminish the quality of this product. Personally, I was impressed with the quality as it shows the innovation and creativity of the company in terms of producing top-of-the-line automobile products. I am recommending this for purchase as gear oil for your vehicle.
5. Red Line 50304 MT-90 GL-4 Transmission Gear Oil
If you are looking for a gear oil for your manual transmission vehicle, then this product from Red Line is highly recommended. This is a popular gear oil that is popular among owners of manual transmission vehicle brands such as Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, among others. The reason? It’s a gear oil that provides high-performance protection and lubrication while helping in making the life of the synchronizers longer.
What impresses me the most with this gear oil is its ability to help in improving the performance of your vehicle. It promotes quicker shifting while serving as the perfect synchronizer coefficient of friction. This gear oil also helps in eliminating notchy shifting and promotes convenience to the driver. Furthermore, it also reduces slipperiness and helps improve synchronizer performance.
I also like the formulation which has low sulfur just like other GL – 4 fluids. This makes it compatible with brass synchronizers and copper manual transmissions as it does not have the components that can cause corrosion and further damage. This gear oil is also stable when dealing with different types of temperature which is good.
As I mentioned earlier, this gear oil can be applied to different types of vehicles such as GM, Ford, Audi, and a whole lot more. Aside from these manual transmission vehicles, this gear oil is also suitable for atlas transfer cases for off-roading.
However, the only issue I see in this product is the small bottle. The opening is small that it will not fit with the regular hand pump. It will make the transfer a little bit challenging and difficult.
- Provides high-performance protection
- Promotes quicker shifting
- Eliminates notchy shifting
- Helps improving synchronizer performance
- Prevent corrosion and damage to brass synchronizers
- Bottle is small
This is a gear oil that offers high-quality results to your Jeep differential. This also helps in extending the Jeep Wrangler rear differential fluid change interval which is beneficial to the Jeep owner. I am recommending this gear oil for your Jeep and other types of vehicle.
6. CRC StaLube 24239 SAE-Gallon Gear Oil
Last but certainly not least, this gear oil from CRC takes pride in being a professional product that offers high-quality standards. And the best way to know the quality of the product is to learn where it is made and CRC gear oil is proudly made in the United States. Aside from that, this gear oil not only offers quality but also reliability in terms of making the Jeep differential work smoothly.
The CRC Multi-Purpose gear oil is a type of GL-4 hypoid gear oil that comes with high-temperature properties and low pour points. This enables the gear oil in providing the proper lubrication to the differential and other gear in the different temperature ranges. This means that this gear oil can still retain its viscosity despite the unusual range of temperature inside the vehicle’s mechanism.
I also like the formulation of this not-so-popular but effective gear oil. In fact, it has an additive that comes with anti-wear and anti-rust properties which provide the best protection from corrosion and other forms of degradation. Furthermore, this gear oil has these non-corrosive properties to bronze, copper, and other non-ferrous alloy, bushings, and bearings.
Meanwhile, this GL-4 gear oil is usually required in most of the older manual transmissions. But before deciding to use it, it is better to check first with your vehicle’s factory service manual for the right oil requirements of your vehicle.
The only issue I see in this type of gear oil is that this is a rare commodity. What I mean is this gear oil is not easy to find since this is mainly intended for those old vehicles with manual transmissions.
- Provides the highest quality standard
- A professional product
- Promote reliability in providing powerful performance
- Made in the USA
- Can be used on vehicles with API/GL-3 and GL-4 oil requirements.
- Not easy to find
If you have an older vehicle with a manual transmission, then this outstanding gear oil for your vehicle. I am impressed with its quality and reliability in terms of providing the best lubrication for your vehicle.
What to Look for When Buying Gear Oil For Jeep Differential
Are you planning to buy a gear oil for your jeep differential? If yes, let me tell you that there are a lot of products available in the market and it may confusing for you before finding the right fit for your Jeep. Below are the factors that you can consider before buying a gear oil for your Jeep differential.
The API GL Ratings
The most important thing is to know the API-GL oil requirements or specifications for your Jeep or any other vehicle for that matter. This is for you to be able to buy the right gear oil as these products are classified according to their API-GL ratings. Also, please be reminded that you cannot just use any gear oil available in the market because it might damage and bring gear failure to your vehicle. So, choosing the right gear oil that matches your gear specification is important.
The Brand
After knowing your vehicle’s gear oil specification requirements, the next thing to do is find a good brand that manufactures the leading gear oil. To some, this is not important but for me, choosing a brand that has proven itself in the automotive industry will likely produce high-quality gear oil. It is also interesting to note that some auto companies such as Ford, Volvo, GM, among others have come up with their own specifications for gear oil to be used in their vehicles.
The Quality
The word “quality” is such a broad word but for choosing a gear oil, quality means making your Jeep differential performs at its best to help improve the performance of your vehicle. The gear oil should provide high-performance protection in terms of lubricating the differential and make it cool all the time despite the condition and temperature. In other words, find a gear oil that will be the right fit for your vehicle in terms of making your gears healthy and promotes comfort to the driver.
Flexibility
If you own multiple vehicles, a gear oil that has the ability to be used on different specifications will be beneficial to you. Just make sure that this gear all have met the specification and requirements of all your cars.
Formulation and Additive Package
The formulation is basically the components that compose your gear oil. It is important for you to know the formulation because it will bring a lot of side effects to your differential, both positively and negatively. Earlier in the review, we have mentioned products that have a formulation that may degrade or corrode a specific type of metal which can bring degradation and damage to your vehicle. So it is important for you to choose a gear oil whose formulation brings a lot of positive effects on the differential of your Jeep.
Meanwhile, the additive packages are formulations that are being added to make the gear oil more effective. But it is also important to be careful and check if it does not damage your differential.
What is a Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
The gear oil or the differential oil can be found on the axle housing of your vehicle. It is different from the engine oil in the sense that it is much thicker and performs under high and intense pressure. The gear oil is mainly responsible for lubricating the gears, bearings, and even the clutch. For the differential, it is responsible for lubricating the pinion gears and the ring. If you have a limited-slip differential installed in your vehicle, it will all the moving components of the assembly healthy and well.
How does It Work?
The main purpose of the gear oil for differential is to lubricate and keep it cool all the time. Try to imagine your differential without the gear oil as it will result in overheating because of the hard contact between the components or gears. When you are driving, the gear oil will be lubricating all the gears, bearings, and clutch in your vehicle. For the differential, it will lubricate the pinion gears and the ring which is responsible for transferring the power of the driveshaft to the wheel axles.
Furthermore, if your vehicle is using a limited-slip differential, the gear oil can also help in keeping all the moving parts in the assembly in tip-top shape. After all, the purpose of the gear oil is lubrication and making the parts cool despite the heat produce by the friction from the constant contact of the moving parts.
Who is This for?
The gear oil for differential is for Jeep owners and drivers who want to have the best performance of their Jeep and other vehicles. This product is also for the drivers who want to drive comfortably when on the road. The gear oil is also for Jeep owners who want to take care and keep the best maintenance of their vehicle so that the differential and other components will last longer.
What are the Different Types of Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
The gear oil for Jeep differential is classified into three types as set by the American Petroleum Institute (API). These are the new classifications for gear oil as mandated by the API:
- API-GL 4: These are lubricants and oil used mainly on passenger cars and some light manual light truck gearbox.
- API-GL 5: These are oils and lubricants used when there is huge movement inside the gears such as light and heavy trucks, passenger cars, and the bus with hypoid final drives.
- API-MT 1: This is a classification for gear oils used for heavy trucks and buses with manual transmissions.
Please take note that the older classifications (GL-1, GL-2, GL-3, etc.) are no longer used because some of the service and driving conditions are no longer applicable today. Another reason is that there are gears used before which are not already in use today which makes the classification obsolete and unrelated.
Why do you Need a Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
The gear oil for Jeep differential brings a lot of benefits to the driver and the vehicle as well. For the Jeep owner or the driver, the gear oil makes the automotive parts of the vehicle healthy and in good condition. When all the parts are in good condition and working fine, it will bring a lot of comfort to the Jeep owner when driving on the road.
For the differential of your Jeep, the gear oil helps in the lubrication which helps in keeping the coolness of the differential and other parts of your vehicle. This in turn will assist in making all those parts from working perfectly. The gear oil is also designed to protect the differential and other parts from corrosion and other degradation aspects which are caused by aging and wear. It helps to preserve the quality of your differential to make it last longer in your vehicle without undergoing repair.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Best Brand of Gear Oil for Jeep Differential?
In this review, we feature 6 of the best available in the market that has passed our testing. All of the products we presented are highly recommended for purchase to be used in the vehicle. However, 3 of the products we presented have caught my attention in terms of quality and effectiveness. They are Mobil 1 Synthetic Gear Lube LS, Valvoline High-Performance Gear Oil, and Lucas Oil Synthetic Transmission and Differential Lube.
How to Install and Use?
Installation and usage vary from brand to brand. The most important thing is to follow the guidelines set by manufacturing. If you are inexperienced and do not have the skills, feel free to ask for assistance from a proffesional mechanic or someone who knows how to put the gear oil in your vehicle.
How to Care and Maintain?
Maintenance and taking care of your gear oil will also depend on the guidelines set by the manufacturer. It is important for you to follow the guidelines in terms of storage and how to maintain the gear oil not use.
What is The Warranty?
The warranty varies from brand to brand. The most important thing is to know the terms and conditions of your warranty because it serves as your protection when things go wrong.
How Often Should you Change Differential Fluid Jeep?
Changing the differential fluid can be done as recommended by the manufacturer’s manual. However, when the gear oil is contaminated with water, then you should change the differential oil immediately.
Where to Buy it?
The gear oil can easily be purchase at the nearest auto service and parts store near you. However, with the recent pandemic, it is better to buy it online. There are a lot of E-commerce stores such as Amazon, Alibaba, Rakuten, Ebay, Aliexpress, and other online that deliver the product on your doorstep.
Conclusion
We have reviewed 6 of the best gear oil for Jeep differential available in the market today. We certainly hope that one of these gear oils will be the right fit for your vehicle. The information that we have detailed in this review was designed to help all our readers in making the right choice before going to the market and buy one.