Yukon Gear Hardcore Diff Cover for 11.5in & 11.8in GM Dodge Ram
The stamped steel cover on an American Axle 11.5 inch rear is the lowest thing under a Chevy or GMC 2500HD and 3500, or a Ram 2500 and 3500, and it is thin. A rock, a stump or a hitch-height trailer ramp can dent it into the ring gear or crack the sealing flange, and either way you are leaking gear oil. Yukon Gear & Axle part YHCC-AAM11.5 is a Hardcore cover cast from thick-walled nodular iron for the AAM 11.5 and 11.8 inch differentials used by GM, Dodge and Ram. It bolts on with the 14 cover bolts, comes with a fill plug, a drain plug and stainless cover bolts, and has a black powder coat finish with a stainless accent plate.
On the 11.5, the cover is not just a lid. Most of these axles fill through a plug in the cover, it holds the gear oil that the ring gear slings up to the pinion bearings, and on a towing truck it is part of the cooling path for that oil. A thick iron cover also stiffens the open back of the housing. Yukon says the Hardcore design reduces housing deflection under high torque, which helps keep the ring and pinion contact pattern where it was set. The inside is contoured so oil circulates back through faster. What it does not have is a carrier main cap support, so it protects the gears and housing without loading the bearing caps.
The AAM 11.5 and the older GM corporate 14-bolt 10.5 both use 14 cover bolts, and the covers do not swap. The 11.5 showed up on 2001-up GM heavy-duty trucks and 2003-up Ram 2500/3500s; the corporate 14-bolt full-floater is the older GM axle with the fill plug in the housing. Our 14-bolt vs AAM 11.5 guide shows how to tell them apart. If your truck is the older axle, look at the 14-bolt truck cover instead. If you are pulling the cover because of a whine rather than a leak, read the AAM 11.5 axle problems guide first, because pinion bearing wear is the common failure on high-mileage towing trucks.
Yukon lists this cover for the 11.5 inch and 11.8 inch AAM differentials in GM, Dodge and Ram trucks. Before you buy, confirm your axle by the ring gear size on the tag or the build code, and check that nothing on your truck sits tight against the back of the stock cover, such as a rear sway bar, track bar or aftermarket bracket, since an iron cover is thicker than the stamped one. If you are not sure which axle you have, send us your year and VIN. You can see the rest of our AAM 11.5 parts in the hard parts collection.
If the cover is coming off for a full rebuild, the Yukon master overhaul kit for 2010-and-down 11.5 and the GM 11.5 axle bearing and seal kit cover the bearings and hub seals.
| Brand | Yukon Gear & Axle |
| Part number | YHCC-AAM11.5 |
| Fits | Yukon Gear Hardcore Diff Cover for 11.5in & 11.8in GM Dodge Ram |
| Type | Diff Covers |
| Condition | New |
| Ships | Same business day (in stock), from the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. The corporate 14-bolt 10.5 and the AAM 11.5 both have 14 cover bolts but different cover outlines. This part is for the AAM 11.5 and 11.8 only.
No. It includes the fill plug, drain plug and cover bolts, but no gasket. Use a cover gasket or gear-oil-resistant RTV on a clean flange.
No. This Hardcore cover does not include carrier main cap support. It protects the housing and stiffens the back of the axle, but it does not press on the bearing caps.
Yukon does not publish a capacity figure for this cover. Fill through the cover plug until oil reaches the bottom of the hole rather than pouring in a fixed amount.
GM 11.5 axles call for 75W-90 and later Rams call for 75W-85. Check your owner manual, and use limited-slip additive only if your carrier requires it.
Yukon lists it for 11.5 and 11.8 Ram axles without a suspension split, but iron covers are thicker than stamped ones. Check clearance to the track bar, sway bar and any brackets near the cover, or send us year and VIN to check.
