Draining and Flushing the Axle

sb mm 35.03.004
  1. Remove the plug at the bottom of the housing and drain the lubricant while the unit is warm. See Fig. for an example of the rear axle differential on an MB Shuttle Bus, and see Fig. for an example of the axle housing on an XB Shuttle Bus. Allow enough time for all of the old lubricant to drain completely.
  2. Flush the unit with clean flushing oil, then drain it completely.

    3. Important: Do not flush axles with solvent, such as kerosene.

  3. Clean the drain plugs. For magnetic drain plugs, a piece of key stock or any other convenient steel slug may be used to short the two magnetic poles and divert the magnetic field.

    4. Note: Meritor recommends using magnetic plugs with elements having a minimum pickup capacity of 2 pounds (1 kg) of low-carbon steel, in plate or bar form. Magnets will rapidly lose effectiveness as collected material bridges the gap between the two poles. Clean or change the plugs before this occurs. It may be necessary to clean or change the plugs one or more times between lubrication change intervals.

  4. After cleaning the drain plugs, install and tighten them 35 lbf·ft (47 N·m).

    1. Ratio Tag

    2. Drain Plug

    3. Limited Slip Lubrication Tag

    4. Filler Plug

    5. Model Number

    6. Axle Housing Breather

    7. Manufacturing Date

    8. Part Number

    Fig. 1, Meritor Rear Axle Differential, MB Shuttle Bus

    1. Axle Housing Breather

    2. Fill Plug

    3. Temperature Indicator Plug

    Fig. 2, Meritor Axle Housing (typical), XB Shuttle Bus

Note:
Parent topic: Meritor Axles
Document Number: 0000120647
Manual Publication Date: 2025-01-08
Topic Publication Date: 2024-11-18