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.... I will NOT know for sure what size ring gear I have until I pull the cover off and measure it.
My biggest conflict is between believing the actual door jamb " axel code" which I have mentioned is C9. Every internet page says C9 axel code is a 10.5" gear. The "DEALER" who used my V.I.N. # to look up This vehicles " HV BOM" ( that's History Vehicle, Bill Of Materials) For those that might be interested, Says that the info tells him it's a 9.75" ring gear.
Oh, One of the other people I reached out to was a "differential parts expert". He ASSURED me it was a DANA 10.5" gear.
So it leaves you wondering what it's going to be and who is going to be correct....
You are WAY overthinking this. Again, the different size ring gears are used in different axles. You can figure out which axle you you have without disassembling the diff. A Dana 60 will have a 9.75" ring gear, A Sterling 10.25" will have a 10.25" ring gear, A Sterling 10.5" or Dana 70 will have a 10.5" ring gear.
You say C9 points to a 10.5" ring gear on your internet. But on my internet it indicates a Sterling 10.25". But you know it's not a Sterling (10.25" or 10.5") because your axle has 10 cover bolts and Sterlings have 12.
So find out if it's a Dana 60 or a Dana 70. As I said above, Dana axles usually have the number cast into them. If you can't find that, here's a link to a thread where someone was asking how to tell the difference. The third and 4th posts have links to pictures of each diff housing with arrows pointing to the noticeable differences. How do I tell if it's a Dana 60 and not a 70? | Moparts Question and Answer | Moparts Forums
I don't see how the diameter of the ring gear would affect what weight oil you would use. As Conanski mentioned Ford went to lighter weight synthetic to improve fuel economy. Use whatever you want. I think I used 85W-90 in my 8.8.
So does that confirm it's a DANA?
Also, I agree that I am "way over thinking this".
But that's because the original Owners Manual seems to make such a big deal out of it too.
And it ( seems) to be broken down to some extent to ring gear size.
I just like to have all the facts before I get into something.
Maybe I could ask an (easy) question...
Anyone tell me what size socket I need for the 10 bolts holding that DANA cover on?
Seems nothing I tried fit. 14mm? 5/8ths I think was too large. 9/16ths to small. 14mm only seemed to fit on boxes end. Closed end to small.
Where's Goldilocks & the bears when you need them?.. ...LOL.
EDIT: Looks like I didn't try the 9/16ths hard enough or at all!
Past... It's 9/16ths dummy.
PS. Thanks for the link. I will take a look. DDT
Last edited by dieseldogtom; Dec 29, 2018 at 02:19 PM.
Reason: additional info
Did the fluid r&r today. With a tape measure I could see it must be 9.75. Because if it were a 10.5" it wouldn't fit!
Happy to say everything went smooth. Didn't spill a drop of old oil. Only splashed a bit of new oil as I tried to squeeze with bottle & tube. Turns out you don't need the tube. This is one spot the Van has plenty of room. 3 Qts. Mobil 1 synthetic & 7 oz. Of Friction Modifier brought the level right up to slightly below the full hole. Only found a small amount of fine metal filings on the magnet. Not bad for 92,000 miles!
Used a felpro gasket and some black permatex for good measure. Carefully torqued bolts up after letting the permeated set up for about 1/2 hour.
No torque wrench required. Its not to difficult to estimate 20 to 25 foot pounds.
No chatter. No leaks after 30 miles.
Not a difficult job. Just a bit smelly and could be messy if your not careful.
I did it. Any monkey can. You can to if you are considering it. DDT
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