Drove my 87 ramcharger today-first time in a couple months.Rear end seemed noisy.When I got home I checked the fluid(9 1/4) when I popped the plug milky oil gushed out.Looks like it was over full to run out the fill hole.Oil looked like chocolate milk.Checked the front diff same only not as bad.Do you guys think water got in there or is there a gear oil that looks like a chocolate milshake.Thanks

Sounds like water got in...have you been 'wheelin maybe?

Condensation builds up not only in an engine but also in transmission and rear ends. Metal and humid conditions create a perfect place for condensation to occur. I have seen gears freeze solid leading to destruction of the rear end in the winter due to condensation in the rear ends of vehicles.

yep full of h20

check the vents on the tube of the axle

I usally put a rubber hose from the vent up high in the frame,then make a small loop at the end to make an air pocket for deep wheelin in water

the 9 1/4 has a hole drilled in the tube with cover tac welded on over it

pry that off and tap theds in the tube,put a brass hose nipple in and run a hose up and do the loop thing

that will slow the water getting in down a lot

if its beeen stuck and the axle under any water mud it will go right in the 9 1/4 axle vent,same on the d44 front end

and what they said about condensation build up with one sitting,shows up as rust on the ring gear also pitting the teeth

clean it out and add some 90-140 gear oil and hope the bearings arnt hurt,if it makes a steady roar its prob the carrier bearings if it whines on the gas and off the gas its prob the pinion bearings,never know it just could be the axle bearings and not the chunk...so check them also.IMO

9 1/4 are bad on the carrier bearings but other wise they are a tuff rear axle

if it has a sg in it make sure to add the additve for them

if its not going to quite down,add some lucas oil additave to it to thickin it up

check the pinion nut to make sure its not coming loose,they are known for that also

clean out and driv it,bout all you can do when ya find it like that

good luck with it

Had same problem on my 03 Dakota, it was rebuilt under warranty at 33K they said it looks like it took on water, it never was under water, then about 9 months ago it started to growl with 91k, checked oil and it was milky, changed it but noise got worse. Got all my parts from Doc Diff and rebuilt it myself, Found the axle breather port cloged, i cleaned it out and drilled it out a bit bigger,ran a 5/16 hose way up under the bed, added a 5/16 fuel filter also. and check it often to make sure its free and clear. That cloged breather was slowly adding water to the gear oil over time, i have 10K since the rebuild and so far so good.

It has not been underwater since I owned it. I have put about 3000 miles on it since then.