Diff expert needed.

[hornet05]

Can a diff expert tell me, within 6,000 kms when would you know your diff had no oil, someone told me drove for 6,000 kms with no oil and never knew it was empty. So as you can see I need an off record comment, me I'd say within the first 100 kms, but am no expert. So some knowledge is needed from a diff mechanic.
Thanks in advance.

[fester]

A few variables here I would think.

Was it bone dry or just almost empty as there could have been a small splash floating around here and there. How long were the trips. The shorter they were the less heat generated, less load and less wear.

There factors though I would imagine would still only account for short term variances but could easily allow him to clock up several hundred K's. Through in a few longer trips early on and it could be very different.

In my mind though the bottom line is that it is very doubtful to get 6,000k's without knowing but then again there are some very automotively illiterate people out there too.

[layback40]

As has been said, there probably was some oil in there. It would have started to get noisy after a few 100km if it was one trip. In hot weather it would be in trouble sooner.
I cant understand why the interest. There is nothing "off the record on the internet.