Question has me thinking.... I have a 2009 F150 XLT 4x4 Scab, that I bought CPO from the Ford dealer that has the axle code on the driver side door sticker listed as '19'. Now if I research '19', is tells me that it is a 3.55 Non-LS. Now the thing that happened a few weeks ago is that I was at my mother's house and I was driving up her backyard to get close to her house so she could see my 'new' truck, and she has a somewhat steep back yard. I began to proceed up the hill, almost got to top and began spinning both back wheels. Now granted, I had at the time the stock Hankook tires which I am not fond of, but both tires were spinning and kicking up mud and grass. So my original thinking here is that according to the door jamb sticker, it should be a Non-LS, and the preference amongst the majority is to get the LS feature. I am confused, if it was in fact Non-LS, then why did both tires spin (not great tires, wet grassy area, etc.). Or do I have the LS diff.? Is there a marking on the rear end that would tell me otherwise?

thanks,
- fordman1264

 

It is possibly that the grass was wet enough to not create enough friction to hold the driver side tire. An open diff can still spin both wheels if the surface is slick enough.

There should be an axle tag attached to your rear axle. It's a peice of metal about 1" by 3" bolted to your housing just beside the differential cover. Crawl under there and take a peek at what is stamped in the tag.

 

19 is a conventional differential.
The aluminum tag wrapped around the passenger-side axle tube nearest the rear-right wheel will say " 3 C 55", "C" for Conventional.

Just because it is a conventional axle doesn't mean only one wheel can spin in limited traction situations. Sometimes both wheels will spin if there is enough friction at both wheels. The RSC can also "simulate" additional traction by applying the brake where it has detected wheel slippage. This has happened to me twice now. Both wheels were spinning and the RSC icon was flashing. I also have a "19" / "3 C 55".

I always thought it was BS because it has never worked for me, but my father once told me he used to apply the parking brake to get both rear wheels going when stuck in mud with only one tire spinning. (1977 F250, 2WD 400 pubes V8, 4 speed HD manual and a decidedly conventional diff.) RSC could be providing the extra friction needed to help the conventional diff spin both wheels. The better part of this is that RSC can apply brakes at any of the 4 wheels independently of the others.

Do you think all this is a bunch of BS? Yeah, I do too.

 

Naw, they don't do that anymore. Now it's just an aluminum foil sticker near the right wheel, wrapped around the axle tube. No more tags... (The cheap $@%#&*! )

 

Ahhh didn't know that. Maybe I should stay in 04-08 from now on.

But seriously, an aluminum sticker? How long will that hold up?

 

Well, my 2003 F250 had both the tag on the pumpkin and the aluminum sticker on the right axle tube. The aluminum sticker parted company after about the 4th year I owned it. It was innacurate anyway because I gutted the 3.73 conventional and put a 4.30 with a Detroit locker. And to add insult to injury, it was a V435F axle! Rarer than a virgin in South Dallas. Most of the F250's in 2002 and 2003 were V435B. The F version has larger pinion and carrier bearings. Why? Who knows. Maybe to handle all that power from the 5.4L 2V. The aftermarket companies only had the B bearing kits, and Ford didn't sell the F bearing kit by itself. I had to get them from a bearing company. (Why am I telling you all this?)

On my 2010, the sticker is already coming off after 6 months...

Stay in the 2004-2008 forum? What fun would that be?

 

Exactly!

 

I crawled underneath and there was a plastic/foil sticker wrapped around the right axle, but that seems to have worn off, as there are remnats left behind. There is a tag that is attached to one of the bolts on the pumpkin that reads:

822 A SYN
355 8 8 9A08

(the number 8 of 822 is the best I can make out as there is some rusting or buildup and I beleive it to be an 8, second guess would be a 6)

(the 3 of 355 is the same situation as above, and my second guess would be an 8)

Hope this is some good info to narrown down what it is.

thanks,
- fordman1264

 

Ah, so we have found the year where they stopped the metal tags: 2010.
McDavis, the vengeance is yours.


On your tag, 3 55 means 3.55:1 conventional (non-LS).

(3 L 55 would have meant 3.55:1 limited slip.)

8 8 is 8.8 inch ring gear diameter.

9A08 is January 8th 2009, the manufacture date.

SYN simply means it requires 75W140 synthetic gear oil.

S822A, S for Sterling/Ford/Visteon (Sterling, Michigan plant) axle type 822, revision A. (822 was correct. I have an S822D)

 

8.8? I guess he has the 4.6L? I didn't know they put that axle under the Scab

The good news is that if you wanted a LS that you should not have a problem finding one for that axle. The 8.8 is only under every first and second gen Explorer, early F150s, mustangs, etc.

 

Yeah but watch out, the F150 and Explorers use 31 spline axles shaft, while the Mustang, Crown Vic, Aerostar, Bronco II's, and most Rangers use a 28 spline axle shaft. (And differential side gears then)

 

Thanks for the information guys. Yes, it is a 4.6L 3v, with the 6speed transmission. Love the truck. Dunno why someone would order it with a non-LS which I think would be a good feature to have. They did order it with the 6-cd radio, sirius, heated mirror group along with the power sliding rear window and power adjustable pedals. But now I have it!!

What would be involved to make it a LS? from a part standpoint and price standpoint?

thanks again,
- fordman1264

 

The dealer can give you all the information you need also if you give them the last 8 digits of the vin #

 

Strange for a 4x4 but not the first time I've seen one without LS.

What would an LS cost? About $450 plus $600 install, and around 3 days down time. A little more ($700) if you want an automatic locker, and more yet for an electric locker ($850 and probably $800 labor). Off-road shops are a good place to start looking for material and labor since they deal with this stuff more often than anyone else, including Ford dealers.

 

You can buy an aftermarket LS unit or a locker for about 400- 800 bucks, then it'll probably cost upwards of 300-500 in labor for installation.