Question for those do it yourselfers

[Brigadoon]

I do all routine maintenance on my motorhome that I'm capable of doing. I've always done that with all my cars/Jeeps/cycles/motorhomes etc. I enjoy it and I know the job was done right.

I would like some input on the changing of the gear oil in the rear axle of my Mountain Master chassis. Info faxed to me from Spartan says to change the axle fluid annually. I changed the rear axle fluid about 1 year ago and replaced it with Amsoil synthetic. Since then I have put 10k miles on the motorhome.

My question is this- do you think it is necessary to change the rear axle fluid every 12 months? I realize that it's not a difficult job, but I was wondering if you think it is actually necessary.

[Brigadoon]

I do all routine maintenance on my motorhome that I'm capable of doing. I've always done that with all my cars/Jeeps/cycles/motorhomes etc. I enjoy it and I know the job was done right.

I would like some input on the changing of the gear oil in the rear axle of my Mountain Master chassis. Info faxed to me from Spartan says to change the axle fluid annually. I changed the rear axle fluid about 1 year ago and replaced it with Amsoil synthetic. Since then I have put 10k miles on the motorhome.

My question is this- do you think it is necessary to change the rear axle fluid every 12 months? I realize that it's not a difficult job, but I was wondering if you think it is actually necessary.

[Harm]

After reading the maintenance schedule I had the same question. Most people I know have never changed the rear lube. I know it's a big vehicle with high stress and I also want to do what's best for my coach.
The Amsoil website says:
Heavy Duty Class 8 Line Haul Follow the OEM drain interval (miles or hours) for synthetic oil up to 250,000 miles or 3 years, whichever comes first. Otherwise, drain at twice the OEM interval for conventional oil.
I plan on changing mine to Amsoil too and going 2-3 years at least.

[Cruzer]

Even dino gear lube should last for at least 2 years. Synthetic adds even more and it's typical to see 5 years. When I worked on 18 wheelers we'd go 3 years and many times 300,000 miles on Kendall non-synthetic gear lube and never had any issues. 1 year may be what's in the book but I don't see it as realistic.

[Brigadoon]

Thanks for your opinions. I agree, I'll just check the level of the axle fluid and leave it at that. I think I'm good for a couple of years.

[tmitchell]

I changed the rear end oil about a month ago. First time in 3 years. The hard part is getting the oil back in. I tried 2 different style cheap hand pumps, but the oil was too thick to flow through it. I ended up using a large funnel, that held a pint of oil, with a tube on the end. I was laying on my back and would hold the funnel out beyond the MH so my wife could fill it. Then with me holding the hose crimped I would maneuver the funnel until it was higher than the fill hole in the rear end, release the pressure on the hose and let it drain into the rear end. Then repeat those steps about a million times. Needless to say I will not be changing the rear end oil again for quite a while, unless I have access to a pit or a lift.
Tom

[Doc Mark]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but I have always wondered about Amsoil. Is it truly a help or is it just mouse milk?

[Brigadoon]

Hi Doc,

I'll give you my opinion, which you know, will not even get you a cup of coffee.

As far as engine oil is concerned, I doubt that synthetic oil provides much advantage over dino oil under normal operating conditions. However. under extreme conditions of heat and stress, syns apparently will out perform standard oil. I put the syn in to give myself peace of mind that I have given my engines (all of my vehicles and generators) the maximum protection that I can provide. Hopefully I will never test the limits of the syn oils.

When I had a gas powered coach, I really appreciated the fact that I had the syns in the engine and tranny when I was crawling up the long grades in the Rockies. My GM powered Workhorse worked hard for 15 to 20 minutes at 4000+ rpms while going up some of the grades in the mountains. I felt confident that the syns were paying for themselves at that point. Additionally, I had no problem with extending the oil change interval to 6k to 7k miles. This allowed me to do an entire trip out west and return home without having to do an oil change.

With a factory recommended oil change interval of 15k miles on my diesel, I'll change the oil once per year or 15k miles. In reality I put on about 12k miles per year and change the oil. I do this just prior to our annual 2 month summer trip so that I have "fresh" oil in the engine when we leave. The rest of the year is spent in good old flat Florida where the engine is almost asleep as we go down the road, so it's under a low stress situation.

I use syns in all other applications on the coach also- trans, front bearings, rear axle, and chassis grease.

Having worked on my own motorcycles, trucks, cars my whole life I have continued this with the motorhome. Not only do I know the job is done right, it also balances out the increased cost of the syn products. I just finished changing the engine and generator oil and filters, the air dryer filter, fuel filter, water/fuel seperator filter and greased the entire chassis. The cost for all the filters and syn products was a total of $350 ($275 if you remove the air dryer cartridge from the total).

Someday I may loose my enthusiasm of crawling under the motorhome to do these tasks, but I figure that is about 10 years down the road!

However, for the future, I have been considering making an annual stop at the Spartan factory for service, but it will probably be a couple of years before I start.

[Brigadoon]

tmitchell,

When I changed the rear end oil, I purchsed a hand pump from Amsoil. It worked well for me and made the job go reasonably smooth. Of course it does take a little time to pump in the thicker oil.

[tmitchell]

Terry,
I will check that out, if I change the rear end oil again. I did let the gallon containers sit in the Florida sun for a few hours, hoping the oil would flow a bit better.
Tom

[Doc Mark]

Thanks Terry for the info. I too had been a crawler-under kind of guy, but can't anymore. I do like the idea of a yearly trip to Spartan for service. Sounds like I'll add that to my list.

Mark