94 F350 SRW, replaced a seal, need to top off the fluid. Plug looks a little bit rusty, tried to turn it, sprayed with PB Blaster, waiting for that to set in.
So tell me, a middle aged woman, the best technique to get this plug out. I'm assuming it comes out COUNTERCLOCKWISE. Please correct me if I'm wrong...
Next up I'm gonna smack it with a hammer.

tia
Lee

 

Might want to use a breaker bar - basically, a real long-handled wrench - to get some more torque.

Counterclockwise is correct.

 

nice pic :-) too funny
yeah I guess I gotta jack it back up and get a cheater pipe.. Thanks for confirming the direction, that could truly suck to get wrong ....

 

You can click the QR code in my sig to read an explanation.

 

Keep soaking it and testing it. Hammer taps are okay so long as you dont damage it. Try right hand pull to tighten some then left -counter clockwise. Sometimes that will break it loose.

 

Smack it with a hammer... LOL.....

Actually , that might just help... a couple good smacks square on might help break it loose along with the PB Blaster... Good luck with it!!!!




If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer!!!!

 

ok, got the plug out. cheater pipe...
inside of the plug has a slight ridge (factory) Mine was flat from the build up of, well, "graphite". That's not making me happy. Is that common? Am I looking at $$$ to replace parts in the future? If it's not low on fluid how do the gears shed? Or is that not what the fine grey slick is from.....
fluid was not low, there was a slow stream leaking out, and my guess is that even if it wasn't jacked up I wouldn't more than a couple oz in it. So apparently the seal wasn't leaking for very long.

 

I've seen that a lot. Just clean it off and put it back in. I wouldn't be worried about it.

 

u set my mind at ease. thats the prob with DIY, u dont know when something means something, or when to let it ride. So I will run it as is then.
Really nice guys, thanks again

Lee

 

Lee,the rear diff lube should be changed every 100k miles. (or probably like every 10 yrs,whichever comes first.the stuff sure looks bad with age.)
now might be a good time to pop the cover off,and give 'er a good flush,seeing how you've got the fill plug all loose and all right now.
you can put the cover back on with a new gasket if you prefer,or simply use a nice bead of black (high oil resistant) RTV is all it needs.careful you don't over tighten the bolts when putting the cover back on.it doesn't take much.just use a 3/8 drive ratchet,or be real,real easy using a 1/2 drive.
synthetic gear lube can help with economy a bit too fyi.

 

You may want to clean the VSS while you in there
Not sure if you have F53 or not with a E4OD but if so there a VSS on the transmission and not the rear end.

But if you have one on the rear end above the drive shaft it would be good to clean it. If you decide the change the VSS on the rear (if it has one) dont get the wrong one for the other. One is a little longer than the other.

 

I did the fluids on mine at 99k and I'm glad I did, but just remember this, as gear oil breaks down, with age and mileage, it loses some of it's viscosity or "thickness" This means that as the oil is broken down it will run off of the top of the ring gear faster, drain out of the wheel bearings sooner, and leak from the outer pinion bearing more quickly than new oil, as a result you might have seen a leak and resolved the issue but still had a surplus of oil in the rear end, this is due to the fact that the oil has partially lost it's ability to coat and fill the small crevices in the bearings and journals in the axle. Remember that in these rear axles the oil is all the way in the outer ends with the wheel bearings so even in the event of a fluid change, the oil remains in the outer wheel bearings and is nearly impossible to get it out without removal of the axle drive flange.
This is more in depth than you necessarily need but it is just an oversight that I have seen in the past and even I made myself a time or two. I once had a pinion seal leak, and I replaced it the it leaked so I replaced, then it leaked so I replaced the seal, speedi sleeved the yoke, and it leaked, I pulled the cover, drained the oil that was the consistency of water, and refilled with valvoline durablend and the leaky seal stopped, without changing the seal, still leak free to this day, It wasn't a bad seal, but the oil was so bad that it was impossible for the seal to hold it back, just a little reminder, Good luck.

 

<<<You may want to clean the VSS while you in there
Not sure if you have F53 or not with a E4OD but if so there a VSS on the transmission and not the rear end.
But if you have one on the rear end above the drive shaft it would be good to clean it. If you decide the change the VSS on the rear (if it has one) dont get the wrong one for the other. One is a little longer than the other.>>>

ok, sorry for the ignorance. what is a VSS? and F53? all I'm aware of at this point is the sterling rear end, I'm sure there are more details, but I don't know them. Where do I look?

thanks
Lee

 

VSS = Vehicle Speed Sensor, a device utilizing the Hall Effect and used by the computer to determine the speed of the vehicle.

F53 & F59 are cab & chassis (aka stripped chassis) trucks, generally sold to customizers who finish building out the bodies and add hydraulic lifts used by utility companies, tool cabinets, whatever.

 

I got to looking into your model and I would leave the VSS as it is, it should be the older model and one that has yet to be adapted so I would leave it. Sorry for the redirect on that. I should have looked into it further.



ctubutis
I forgot all about F59's