Is the factory gasket reusable, and the lube locker an upgrade or do I need to get a gasket before I drop the cover? Looks like increased capacity diff covers are $2-300 so I need to do some research there. Truck has 75k on it and would like to eliminate any costly repairs.
more than likely there is no factory gasket, RTV is the go-to for differential covers. A Lube Locker gasket allows you to skip the RTV all together and reuse it.
Some aftermarket differential covers have a machined recess for an O-Ring gasket, so don't buy a lube locker gasket until AFTER you choose a diff cover depending on whether or not you'll need it.
it's also important to get the right mix of limited slip additive to gear oil when you do change it, not enough and it'll chatter around corners, too much and the clutch plates will slip too easily. For that reason I use the Royal Purple gear oil, already formulated and has done good for me.
