they called me yesterday to say the truck would be ready today. i asked that they save a sample of the fluid so i can send it off to blackstone, however when i got there they had saved about 1/3 of a shot glass worth. i am hoping that will be enough for the test. the fluid was white/yellowish in color.

got the truck back today. the removed everything and opened the diff and stated there was a "contaminant" in there and they did not know what it was or how it got in there but somehow they were able to determine that it was not water. i really don't know how they did that but i asked 3 times and each time they said the same thing. seems a bit strange to me.

in addition to opening and cleaning it they also installed new bearings and a host of other small items (per the receipt 2 seals, a spacer, bearing assembly, a cup, a baffle, nut, flange, cone and roller). i am hoping they just screwed up on the receipt as it says they only installed new oil (75w80) in the rear axle with the friction modifier (x3), however there was never a problem with the rear. i'll have to call tomorrow and find out. everything i have been able to find states the friction modifier is for the rear and not the front, but who knows - maybe they drained and filled both.

i also had my 3rd new rear window installed due to lack of defrost ability.

apparently there are two transmission recalls out for my '13 xlt. i had one done earlier in the year for the trans but this work order states they did another recall to the trans. it lists it as "transmission downshift powertrain control module program recall".

in the end the ford rep, not the dealer rep, had everything approved and i didn't even have to pay my $100 deductible. i'm going to keep an eye on it now and check it every 5k or so to see what is happening. i'll also be throwing it into 4x4hi when on the freeway on a long, straight stretch of road to work it out from time to time. fingers crossed!

 

per the rep it is just the way things are coded/entered in the computer. even though mine was for the front the description says rear. was also told the friction modifier is required for both front and rear diffs.

 

Weird, because my 2013 needs no modifier, front or rear. I guess, I have e-locker in rear (if you don't), but I thought the front was the same.

 

dunno mate. maybe it has something to do with max tow and the 3.5? as i said i was always under the impression the rear needed the modifier but not the front, however according to this dealer both need it.

 

Looked it up. Front says nothing about modifier. Rear has a footnote that says:

 

again, dunno. that is what they told me, nothing more and nothing less. i suppose there are a host of things that could be different from one truck to the next, even when they are the same levels whereas ours are quite different other than the year - xlt vs fx4, 3.5 vs 5.0, i have max tow, etc. etc.

it was a warranty repair so i'm not worried about it since everything is documented, 3 times no less (dealer, ford, me), and if anything goes wrong in the future it will be covered as well. my esp runs for almost 4 full years still. if the modifier could potentially cause any problems they will surface in the next 4 years.

 

you had me a bit concerned so i checked the manual i have and found this:





so there is a friction modifier called for in the front diff as well it seems, or at a minimum it was revised to add it as of 10/25/13. strangely my invoice states they used 75w80 when the manual calls for 80w90. another weird bit is that although this is listed under the front diff section of the manual the oil is listed as "premium REAR axle lubricant" which is the same thing listed on my invoice even though the work was performed on the front.

 

Well, the bottles all say "rear"on them. When I got mine I wrote "front" just so I wouldn't get confused later.

 

Interesting.

I planned on trying to suction mine.

 

The last time I did my front was with a suction gun, a 1/4" vinyl tube and a lot of patience. I think I'm finally going to drill/tap the bottom of the housing for either a 1/4 or 3/8" pipe plug. Probably 3/8".