Stupid Vehicle Maintenance Question - Never Seize

[Ben]

This might be a really stupid question, but would there be any reason not to put never-seize on differential and transfer case plugs? I've never done it before when changing the fluids, but I'm about to do it for the first time in my new climate and was thinking about road salts, etc maybe making those plugs hard to get off 30,000 miles from now.

I guess a concern would be that the never seize might actually let the plugs loosen up with vibration?

[dogmush]

Drain plugs are often taper threads, and seal on the taper. If I was going to put anything on them, I'd use teflon tape.

Although,  we never used anything  on the plugs in hydraulic fluid tanks on the outside of ships. Just ran them in and painted them.  I suspect that's way more salt than you get.

[Ben]

Drain plugs are often taper threads, and seal on the taper. If I was going to put anything on them, I'd use teflon tape.

Although,  we never used anything  on the plugs in hydraulic fluid tanks on the outside of ships. Just ran them in and painted them.  I suspect that's way more salt than you get.

I reckon so. 

Okay, maybe I'll just skip it then. This is for my 4Runner. By the time 30K rolls around again,  I may have a hankerin' for a 6th gen anyway. 

[bedlamite]

I don't think it would be a problem, but I wouldn't bother with it on diff plugs.

I use it on anything I may not have to remove for a long time, and anything with dissimilar metals. Just recently replaced all brake lines on my Silverado with stainless and used it on all threads and tapers there, and the lug nut tapers got a fresh coat where they touch the aluminum wheels.

[Ben]

I use it on anything I may not have to remove for a long time, and anything with dissimilar metals. Just recently replaced all brake lines on my Silverado with stainless and used it on all threads and tapers there, and the lug nut tapers got a fresh coat where they touch the aluminum wheels.

I've just been a fan of the stuff for my irrigation wheeline on one of my pastures. I don't know if it's the water here or what, but the line is only like six years old and for nearly everything original on it I'm having to soak threads, hammer stuff, heat stuff, and then still give myself hernias breaking it free. Or get out the cutting wheel. I started using never-seize, and everything I put that on comes loose as easy as can be when I need to replace it.

[Tuco]

Drain plugs are often taper threads, and seal on the taper. If I was going to put anything on them, I'd use teflon tape.

That.

However, from personal experience of maintaining 20 year old vehicles driven year 'round on Michigan roads, I've never had a diff or TC plug (i.e. taper threaded lube plug) siezed due to corrosion.
Some of those plugs were 10 years & 100k away from the factory and needed a good wire brushing to seat a breaker bar,  but corroded threads weren't the issue.

[Bogie]

Mostly I just see idiots who did "their last" tune up about 70k ago, and who have since decided to keep the truck, and... Oh, bleep...

[Brad Johnson]

Will it hurt? No. Will it help? Questionable. Threads are going to be oily when you reinstall the plug so kinda automatically have a bit of corrosion protection. I would probably do it on a "just in case" basis, but I tend to err on the far side of caution even when it may not be warranted.

Brad

[Kingcreek]

Been doing vehicle and machine maintenance for over 50 years. Lawnmowers to farm machinery and everything in between. Never used anything on a diff plug, never had one a breaker bar wouldn’t open.