Differential service

[Casey B]

I believe it's time to have the differetial fluid changed on my Trac. For recommends every 45K. Should I let Ford do it for $118 or is that overpriced? Also, there is evidence of leakage from the front of the differential where it receives the shaft. Is this a seal problem and would this cause them to open it up anyway? I have to drop it off on Monday anyway for other warranty work.



C

 

[Todd Z]

The gear boxes are 100K miles because of them having synthetic fluid....

I do mine every 30K any way..



They will have to take it apart to change that seal.. IT can be a big deal.. Have it fixed..

Todd Z

 

[steve twyver]

I've done it myself. It is not too difficult but there are some pitfalls. The fill hole is a little difficult to get to on a creeper. It uses a square plug that can be undone with a 3/8" extension. There is some kind of thread sealer/locker on it. There is no paper gasket on the differential cover. A sealer is used instead of a gasket. I used the wrong kind and it leaked a weak later. That meant doing it a second time. Since there is no drain plug, I didn't want to resue the oil for fear of contaminants. So I bought all new fluids. I forgot the kind of sealer that worked - it wasn't the one from Ford, but that should have been the one I used. Anyway it was a learning experience and made me a better mechanic. Even doing it twice, I saved more than half what a dealer charges. I did it on a time bases (5 years) rather than mileage. It certainly didn't need it based on the visual.