Rob:

I have the factory CD service manual from FORD. For the Aerostar front axle, it's Mercon. Capacity is exactly 35 ounces. That's for both '93 and '94 Aerostar with E-4WD, that's your car. Trust me on this one

 

Thanks so very much everybody. I will change it out. So much for trusting my Chilton's manual. I love this site.

 

I took the Dana 28-2 out of my van again. Drained all the fluid. Took out the gears. Sprayed it down with brake cleaner and installed new oil seals. They cost me about $20 CDN for two of them. Before I put it together I will try tomorrow to find a way to install a drain plug in the cover.

 

Rob:

Just drill a hole near the bottom of the cover and braze a steel nut on the outside, just so you don't interfere with the gears inside. Then use a short bolt with a copper crush washer as a drain plug.

 

I agree that is the best way. I tried a "Speedy Muffler" shop in Burlington on the way to work and they wouldn't do it.

So at work I drilled the hole at the bottom of the cover plate and I found this stuff at work called "LPS Rapid Strong Steel renewal composite" (www.lpslabs.com) to attach a stainless steel nut over the hole. And I am using a rubber o-ring for a seal. And I am using a cut-short stainless steel bolt.

I installed red high-temp silicon gasket to seal the cover back on and it is drying in my basement right now. Silicon says it takes 24 hours to dry.

Will be ready to re-fill my DANA 28-2 with MERCON tonight and re-install into my Aerostar. Then I will be ready for the next snow storm.

 

I finished this job Jan 5, 2005. Filled the differential with MERCON ATF. So far the drain plug is holding. Also no more leak.

 

What did you use for the drain plug? Is it some kind of two-part epoxy (resin+hardener)?

 

"LPS Rapid Strong Steel renewal composite" (www.lpslabs.com). There are two tubes of stuff. One is called a "base" and the other is called an "activator". The website only lists the "strong steel stick" so I am not sure if this is an older product. But I saw some for sale on ebay.

 

I see. It's probably epoxy just like JB-Weld. Watch that drain periodically, since you don't really know whether that epoxy is compatible with Mercon. When I was a grad student (a lifetime ago ), I used to use epoxy a lot in the experiments I ran for my dissertation, and it was good for most fluid. However, on some fluids (mostly solvents, especially Freon-113), it softened or swelled up over time. So, watch that drain plug from time to time.

 

I guess I will need to keep a stick of gum and a bottle of ATF in the truck.