Cant get front diff fluid out

[socci]

So I took off the fill plug and a little fluid slowly leaked out. Then I took my fluid pump I have and stuck the hose in as far as I could. The problem is I am not sucking out any fluid. I tried to stick the hose in the diff at many different angles, but no luck. I actually started thinking that maybe my diff was low, so I cracked open my two bottles of RP and shot some in. It instantly leaked out all the new fluid. I ended up wasting two bottles of RP and mixing some old fluid (which looked new) with the RP, I am not sure if that is bad or not. Has anyone had this problem before? My pump works fine, I tested it with the RP, it sucked it up no problem. I starting thinking my hose is too think to get to the bottom of the pan maybe.

 

[IZwack]

Depending on the design, pumps that need to vertically lift fluid in general need to be "primed" - that is to say, there usually needs to be fluid in the pumping mechanism in order for it to operate. So having said that, did you try again after your test of sucking oil out of the RP bottle? Keep in mind also that if the vehicle is cold (you're in RI after all), it will be much harder to suck the differential oil out since its viscosity will be high. So you may want to drive it around for 20-30 minutes or so beforehand. While you're draining the differential, it might also be a good idea to keep the new oil inside the house or at least in a bucket or warm water until its ready to be pumped into the differential.

 

[socci]

Depending on the design, pumps that need to vertically lift fluid in general need to be "primed" - that is to say, there usually needs to be fluid in the pumping mechanism in order for it to operate. So having said that, did you try again after your test of sucking oil out of the RP bottle? Keep in mind also that if the vehicle is cold (you're in RI after all), it will be much harder to suck the differential oil out since its viscosity will be high. So you may want to drive it around for 20-30 minutes or so beforehand. While you're draining the differential, it might also be a good idea to keep the new oil inside the house or at least in a bucket or warm water until its ready to be pumped into the differential.

The pump does not require priming, but I did try it after I filled it with RP. It sucked the RP up fine, and the RP came right from the back of my truck so I am sure it was almost as cold as the fluid in the diff. The diff was not warm though, so I guess I could try that. The thing is I have changed diff fluid before with a similar pump without any problems. I cant figure out why it wont suck the fluid out, unless I just cant get the tube in the proper position. I even ended up cutting the tube at an angle to avoid it sitting flush against metal, but that did not work either.

I have a small drill pump with a smaller dia. tube I was hoping to use, but I do not think my crappy 14.4 volt drill is powerful enough to suck the fluid. I can only get it to suck water.

 

[Jason c]

I had some extra tubing from my "one man" bleeder kit for my brakes. It was the perfect size to slip in side of my gearbox pump tubing. Wrapped a little electrical tape around it to help keep it air tight. Is was skinny enough to fit all the way down to the bottom and suck it out.

 

[socci]

I had some extra tubing from my "one man" bleeder kit for my brakes. It was the perfect size to slip in side of my gearbox pump tubing. Wrapped a little electrical tape around it to help keep it air tight. Is was skinny enough to fit all the way down to the bottom and suck it out.

Yea I even thought about doing that with my drill pump tubing, now I wish I tried it before I wasted the RP. I guess I can buy two more bottles and eat the wasted 40 dollars. The fluid did look new though, so I do not know if it is worth it. It would just be nice to know I have fresh fluid in there.