Good morning all. What years of these F150's have the same front axles? I've searched the old interweb high and low. I cant come up with anything concrete.
My son has a 2018 F150. I'm pretty sure the front diff just smoked itself. I haven't torn into it too far yet so this isn't confirmed. I'm just playing the what if game and looking at used 8.8 IFS axles on ebay.

All but 1 cv boot split and slung grease everywhere. Started smoking while he was driving down the smooth paved highway, not in 4wd. I had to trailer him home. Pulled the front skid plate. The plastic oil "diverter" tray directly above the diff was completely melted and dripping onto the ground. The front diff cover is discolored now too. I'm assuming it was from heat. I pulled the fill plug and stuck my finger in the oil. It has oil, but I was rewarded with a LOT of fine metal shavings as well. The truck has 148k on it. Eventually I will pull it apart further and do a more thorough investigation. He leaves to boot camp this week so I'm not in a rush. What years of F150 8.8 IFS axle housings will work? Getting the correct gear ratio aside that is.

Thanks all-

 

I know the suspension up front is the same from 2014 and up. I'm not sure about the axle itself, but 2015 -2024 for sure. Could be the same axle back to 2004, but that would require further investigation.

Here's an guide written about 5 years ago. It states that the 8.8 front axle is the same from '97 up. But again, I would want more solid confirmation. If you're buying a used one, get the newest, lowest mileage one you can find.

https://www.blueovaltrucks.com/tech-...uck-suv-axles/

So what happened to the axle? Was one of the IWEs stuck locked? Is it lifted with extreme CV angles?

 

I haven't taken anything apart yet. Just took the skid plate off and inspected everything. It's still sitting on the trailer. I'll check the IWE's when I dig into it. He said it wasn't making any strange noises though.
It has a 2" leveling kit on it. Before I got my eyes on it, I thought maybe the cv axles were just old and tired. But both sides splitting at the exact same time would be quite the coincidence. And they surely wouldn't have made the diff so hot it melted all the plastic around it.
I'll check that link out. Thank you.

 

I ended up buying a front diff from a 2020 Navigator off Ebay. Everything I can find indicates it will work. Same axle code numbers on the tag and everything. If I find any super carnage when I pull the diff apart I'll post them.