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22 450 1k miles did my first oil change on a lift and checked my diff levels the rear was low and this is what the fill plug looked like. Took it to the dealer and they filled it up.
now I'm overthinking it and at certain speeds with medium braking I hear a sound coming from the rear.
anyone else have similar experience? I plan on checking it again in a couple thousand miles before taking it to the dealer.
This post is what I was waiting for. I'm curious if anyone actually drained each of these drive components and measure the fluids? Does it add up to the owner's manual/Ford recommendations? Picked up my '22 DRW in October and it will get used a lot more when our AF 990 truck camper arrives next month. Hopefully Ford did the right thing and filled these components correctly before we start hauling 4,500lbs in the bed of the truck. I'm fairly confident they did as I never had an issue with the 2018.
Cheers!
I drained my 22 F450 tonight - partly due to this thread, and partly because it seems reasonable to change the oil after initial break in. The Ford maintenance guide to change it at 150,000 miles seems a bit long to me….. Anyuway, I could not reach the fluid level with my pinky. My 11.8 axle calls for 3.78 quarts (including the friction modifier), and that’s about what drained out. When I re-filled with that amount, I could not feel the oil level with my finger.
So, hope this helps, and apparently no, the correct fill quantity is not level to the fill plug opening.
How low is "low"? The biggest hazard from a differential running a low level, like half full, is there is not as much fluid volume to dissipate the heat and it is the heat that destroys gears. There will some very fine metal particles -a fine sludge- on a magnetic plug as the gears burnish. Noticeable pieces, like flaked off metal, could mean bearings coming apart.
How low is "low"? The biggest hazard from a differential running a low level, like half full, is there is not as much fluid volume to dissipate the heat and it is the heat that destroys gears. There will some very fine metal particles -a fine sludge- on a magnetic plug as the gears burnish. Noticeable pieces, like flaked off metal, could mean bearings coming apart.
So the front I could stick my pinky in and touch the fluid but the rear I couldn't reach it at all
I wonder if they come prefilled from Dana to Ford but I doubt it. They probably have a assembly line machine that fills them all to the same "correct" level and I read about them being low months ago, I'm assuming it's very common at this point
Did you do any hard use and how many miles on it? Pulling and continuous high speed heats the gear oil and causes it to break down. Under light duty, you might not have any issues. If you couldn't reach the rear axle oil with a bent finger, then that's too low. Again, how you used it would influence the action. I would probably have the gear oil changed out since the oil is compromised. It might be okay, but you don't know that for sure. Again, when it gets too hot, it breaks down. The gears can be inspected for heat scoring, brinelling, pitting and such once the oil gets changed. Don't let your mind run away with you. A hypoid gear will always exhibit some whine. Usually it is masked by the radio and road noise.
Have been very easy on it, mix of city and freeway. No hard accelerations. 1,000 miles is when I checked it and took it to the dealer to fill up correctly.
Have been very easy on it, mix of city and freeway. No hard accelerations. 1,000 miles is when I checked it and took it to the dealer to fill up correctly.
You are probably in good nick. If it's topped up now, then you are good to go. I wouldn't worry about it. If you start hearing a howl, then you can always take it in when it does that.
I posted about this about 10 months ago, my 2019 f450 limited was found low on rear diff oil at 4,800 miles and that’s where the disaster began. Dealer had to rebuild rear end because they said ford wouldn’t replace it because the truck was over 12 months old. Dealer replaced all bearing but no gears, now I have a gear noise at about 60mph when towing. I have been waiting for parts since July now and finally dropped it off at the dealer last month. They had truck for 3 weeks before they discovered they had the wrong ring and pinion gear. I’m now told the right gears won’t be available until next month. Ford has finally got involved and offered to replace the truck.
I wonder if they come prefilled from Dana to Ford but I doubt it. They probably have a assembly line machine that fills them all to the same "correct" level and I read about them being low months ago, I'm assuming it's very common at this point
Yes they do get filled with oil at Dana, unless something has changed since when I worked at Dana. Left there in 2002.
The ford f53 chassis recall is what prompted me to check my oil level because I was getting a slight vibration from the rear end while towing heavy uphill.
