Transfer case, front axle, and rear diff fluid change.

[keny01998]

My 2019 Expedition 4WD has around 21k miles and I'm thinking about change out the fluid for transfer case, front axle, and rear diff fluid. I know Ford does not call for these services until like 100k miles but I like to keep my Exp in good shape since I tow 4000 lbs boat in summer time. I have a few questions.

Has anyone change these fluids on the new Expedition?

Does rear differential have drain plug like older Expedition or I have to crack the case like F150? I'm going to use Valvoline synthetic 75-90 for both rear and front axle.

Do you recommend to use anything else except Mercon LV for transfer case?

Thanks,

 

[Soliyou]

The rear diff and transfer case are very easy to service since they have a drain plug. I did both last year. Bought a small hand operated fluid pump. For the front diff, it is probably easier to suck the old fluid out from the fill plug since the cover is very close to the steering rack.

My transfer case (with 4A) has a big warning saying “use Mercon LV only”

for the rear axle, since mine has eLSD, I decided to stick with the recommended Ford 75-85 plus the friction modifier.

Two more things, Ford recommends changing the drain plug every time you change the fluid. You can reuse the old one if you apply thread oil sealant https://www.permatex.com/products/t...high-performance-thread-sealant/?locale=en_us. You can crack these cases easily if you over torque the plugs, so be careful with that.

 

[Plati]

Well you asked for opinions and I think that is absurd! Exclamation point. On my 2014, not due until 150k. Not sure what your year advises in Owners Manual. I think it's about as useful as changing the air in your tires.

I just changed front rear & transfer case on my 2014 at 108k just so I'm good for another 7 years and my mechanic said it was not necessary but did them anyway.

You will get every opinion under the sun from this Forum.

 

[byathread]

Well you asked for opinions and I think that is absurd! Exclamation point. On my 2014, not due until 150k. Not sure what your year advises in Owners Manual. I think it's about as useful as changing the air in your tires.

I just changed front rear & transfer case on my 2014 at 108k just so I'm good for another 7 years and my mechanic said it was not necessary but did them anyway.

You will get every opinion under the sun from this Forum.

Yup, I'm also in the "useless as **** on a bull changing those fluids at 21K" camp...

That being said, I am also a huge fan of doing what I want, so, I'd say if that is what you want to do go for it, man! [emoji41]

 

[Gumby]

I did a transmission service and transfer case service at about 99800 kms (about 61,000 miles) at the dealer. The tranny service was about 2 hrs and cost with parts and labor $502.64. The transfer case was about 0.5 hrs and cost about $71.00. I have also had the rear pinion seal done 3 times (yes that is 3 friggin times) all under warranty. So that fluid must be clean AF.

 

[scottdm]

The only reason that I would consider changing diff fluids early would be if I had to drive through water deep enough that it may have gotten into the diff breathers.

 

[Deadman]

Clean oils cheaper than repairing these modern day POS's!

 

[Soliyou]

For my case, I was troubleshooting gear whine above 75 mph. So I decided to check the fluid condition and replaced them anyways.

That said, I am very glad that I did them. The rear end fluid specially was full of break in metals that shouldn’t be left circulating around clutch plates and eLSD pins.

The transfer case fluid was pretty dark but I guess it is a characteristic of Mercon LV.

In any case, I would not put more than 30k miles on these fluids based on my use.

 

[keny01998]

I just did the rear differential fluid today and it was easy process. I had to run to the store to buy the torch since those plugs would not budge and I didn't want to damage them. Over 2 quarts came out and the fluid was muddy black.

There were a lot of metal particles on the magnets. I cleaned the plugs up and reused them with red thread locker. I pumped in around 2.5 quart until the fluid drained out and trickled from the fill plug. Torqued the plugs around 18 ft/lb and called it done.

I couldn't do the transfer case or the front axle because I do not have the Mercon LV on hand and I have about 1.5 quart of Valvoline 75-90 left. I think front axle uses around 1.9 quart. I may wait until 30k miles to tackle them.

Thanks for your help especially Soliyou with the torch idea

 

[Soliyou]

I just did the rear differential fluid today and it was easy process. I had to run to the store to buy the torch since those plugs would not budge and I didn't want to damage them. Over 2 quarts came out and the fluid was muddy black.

There were a lot of metal particles on the magnets. I cleaned the plugs up and reused them with red thread locker. I pumped in around 2.5 quart until the fluid drained out and trickled from the fill plug. Torqued the plugs around 18 ft/lb and called it done.

I couldn't do the transfer case or the front axle because I do not have the Mercon LV on hand and I have about 1.5 quart of Valvoline 75-90 left. I think front axle uses around 1.9 quart. I may wait until 30k miles to tackle them.

Thanks for your help especially Soliyou with the torch idea

Glad it went well. I don’t think red thread locker is the correct product! Removing it will be a big fight. The correct product is oil thread sealant. It is like a white gooey paste that replaces Teflon tape

 

[keny01998]

Glad it went well. I don’t think red thread locker is the correct product! Removing it will be a big fight. The correct product is oil thread sealant. It is like a white gooey paste that replaces Teflon tape

Thanks for the advice. The factory plugs used red thread locker and they came out after I torched them for 30 seconds. I probably will buy new plugs when I change the fluid again in 50k miles

 

[Expedition Dave]

I make it a habit of changing fluids early--early in the life of the vehicle--especially on my 4wds. Every vehicle I buy, I swear at the time I will "...keep it forever..." It rarely works out that way, but that's my mindset going in (also why I have a small cadre of friends who "lurk" around all my prior-owned vehicle sales to buy sight unseen b/c "they know how I take care of my vehicles") My whole life and career have been built around caution and mitigation of threats and yet, I'm still still fun at parties ;-). So it, makes sense that it carries over to any complex machine or people I care about.

Some vehicles I have done at 3K, 6K, others at 10K, and I will probably do this one at 25K. Believe or not, one of the worst offenders was the 3K rear diff fluid change of my 2011 Chevy Tahoe.

I have had fluid come out like it was brand new, and I have had stuff come out jet black. That suggested service schedule is a decision made under the scrutiny of lifetime service amortization. "Maintenance free" is a good selling point.

IMHO, vehicles and some parts take at least 8-10K to fully seat and break in. That is when it is hardest on the fluids and full of the most pollutants and debris. The rear end tend to always be the worst, I have found.

It is a personal decision, and not everyone is going to be right all the time, at every point, at every vehicle. But look at the rear end issues popping up here now. Could an early fluid change prevent it--reduce it? Make it worse even? Or using it once a month to remind the diff it has a clutch locker be the right answer? Both?

With all the factory installed complexity and shy dealers, consider getting a coupon and let them do it. Watch them if you can, and take pics of what comes out. I'd not want to takes this to a Jiffy/Mule & Fuel and have something go wrong with these spaceships. My recent experiences with Ford have not given me a good feeling about warranty claims. With some things, you want them on the hook.

Rant Switch--deactivated!

 

[keny01998]

I tackled the front axle and transfer case today after I bought two bottle of Mercon LV from Autozone around $9 each. The transfer case was super easy and those plugs came out with no effort since they do not have red thread locker. The fluid was still bright red and I put back around 1.8 quart. I'm surprise that our Expedition does not have the skid plate to protect the transfer case like the F150s.

The front axle required more effort. I had to remove the skid metal plate with 2 13mm bots, and the felt cover with 2 8mm and 1 13mm bots to gain access to the plug. Fill plug has red thread locker and with a little torch, it came out. The drain process took forever with a hand pump from Habor Freight. I pumped out around 1.5 quart and filled it with Valvoline 75-90 synthetic gear oil. The color is kind of light muddy instead of black like the rear differential.

I took the Exp out for a test drive in 4WD mode and I could feel the differences. I maintain most of my cars myself and I think cheap fluid change is better than issue later. I own most of Lexus and Acura, and this is my first Ford SUV since I tow a boat.

 

[JoJoDaClown]

I suggest changing the fluids. I don't care what Ford says for change interval. I changed front, rear, and transfer case at 50k miles and was very glad I did. The rear looked okay, expected color; Transfer case looked like burnt ATF, but likely as expected; Front diff was really bad. Black with a ton of shimmer in it.

 

[SEPTIC PROFESSOR]

Dude, Jiffy Lube has universal fluids that work in all vehicles. a lot of guys go there to save money by dropping their expees off there in the morning

 

[sjwhiteley]

The only reason I'd not change fluids earlier than theoretically required is if you have the high potential to do it wrong, break something in the process or use the completely wrong fluid.

 

[Soliyou]

Dude, Jiffy Lube has universal fluids that work in all vehicles. a lot of guys go there to save money by dropping their expees off there in the morning

Why use a generic fluid on these sensitive components??!! It is only $100 in fluids every couple of years!

 

[keny01998]

Dude, Jiffy Lube has universal fluids that work in all vehicles. a lot of guys go there to save money by dropping their expees off there in the morning

I don't trust Jiffy Lube, Firestone with these maintenances. I rather pay extra and go to a Ford dealer if I can't do it myself.

 

[Overtow]

I'm about to drain/fill the rear differential (and maybe the front too) since I had the "ELSD Reduced Torque" message. I was trying to get the details on fluid type/capacity and figured I'd share what I found here to save someone time in the future. Interestingly the manual says the rear axle is "considered lubricated for life" (bullet #2):




Link:

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/vdirsnet/OwnerManual/Home/Content?variantid=4740&languageCode=en&countryCode=USA&Uid=G1886438&ProcUid=G1906157&userMarket=usa&div=f&vFilteringEnabled=False

Here is the message I received (while towing my boat with a spare tire installed) that makes me want to replace the fluid (borrowed this picture from a different thread, this is not my truck)

"Limited slip differential reduced torque"

I just saw it for the first time at the end of last week and just shy of 1,500 miles. Mine came on immediately after starting and pulling away from the pick-up lane at the grocery store. I haven't seen it since, and based on some of the replies here, I'm beginning to wonder if my case was the...

www.expeditionforum.com

 

[Fastcar]

Yup, I'm also in the "useless as **** on a bull changing those fluids at 21K" camp...

That being said, I am also a huge fan of doing what I want, so, I'd say if that is what you want to do go for it, man! [emoji41]

Yup, it is his toy! Do what ya gotta do.