Can I use brake cleaner on the rear differential gears?

The oil is draining, and I was thinking about using brake cleaner on the gears. The oil and gears are both dirty, but there are only a few small metal shavings.

7 Likes

I asked the shop guy if I should clean the inside of the differential during my 500-mile fluid change after the gear install. He said not to do that. He thought that some of the cleaner might get stuck behind the carrier and mix with the new gear oil. He said it might be okay to spray the gears, but not the carrier.

I wouldn’t do it, but that’s just my opinion based on my gears.

That makes sense, but I cleaned it really well after spraying brake cleaner and let it air dry for a while. I hope it’s okay. I noticed the brake cleaner evaporates quickly.

Yep, it works well and I’ve never had a problem with it. Just let it evaporate for a few minutes and you’re all set. I’ve never put brake cleaner in my coffee, but who knows, I might try it someday (LOL).

Brake cleaner dries completely on its own. That’s why you use it on brakes: just spray it on, let it air dry, and then continue.

I use some, but I don’t hose the whole carrier down.

Using brake cleaner on brakes seems similar to using carb cleaner, just under a different name. It’s like gun scrubber, which is also a type of carb cleaner. I usually just use water and a brush unless there’s grease, in which case I use a solvent or add Dawn dish soap to the water.

I used WD-40. But honestly, it might cause problems, so you might want to take my advice with a grain of salt. :joy:

Water and Dawn soap inside a diffuser? Wow, that’s surprising!