BeaterGoat
New Member
Been lurking for a while, first post here. Picked up a 2018 SWB Limited 4x4 w/ Max Tow last August with just under 67k miles. I was a little worried about the mileage, but it was Gold Certified with 1 year bumper to bumper, powertrain warranty is good until 2025/100k miles. A significant amount of work was done by the dealer prior to certifying it. I towed my 25ft Airstream a couple times last fall, in total probably about 150 miles. I do not know what kind of towing was done prior to my purchase.
Pulled it into the shop today (just ticked over 71k miles) to change diff and transfer case fluids. I took a small sample from the rear diff prior to draining and it was full of metal flake and small particles. Checked the transfer case fluid - same thing. Pulled the fill plug on the front diff (no drain plug) and stuck my finger in - full of metal as well. I have drained hundreds, if not thousands of diffs, transmissions, and transfer cases and have never seen this much metal without a noise concern present. I'm scheduled at Ford for next Tuesday and will update this thread after they give me their verdict.
So a cautionary reminder: check your fluids! We are often concerned about engine oil and ATF, but diffs and transfer cases are just as important.
Pulled it into the shop today (just ticked over 71k miles) to change diff and transfer case fluids. I took a small sample from the rear diff prior to draining and it was full of metal flake and small particles. Checked the transfer case fluid - same thing. Pulled the fill plug on the front diff (no drain plug) and stuck my finger in - full of metal as well. I have drained hundreds, if not thousands of diffs, transmissions, and transfer cases and have never seen this much metal without a noise concern present. I'm scheduled at Ford for next Tuesday and will update this thread after they give me their verdict.
So a cautionary reminder: check your fluids! We are often concerned about engine oil and ATF, but diffs and transfer cases are just as important.