Change Driveline Fluids Early!

[DefNotBuddyLee]

@Ziemann , based on the comment of towing 3k lbs regularly, I would be inclined to go with 75w140, but get that it might be super sludgy for your cold climate. I bet @CarbonSteel could give you some insight. I went 75w110 but live in warmer climate and don't tow.
As far as those asking why, @MadMan4BamaNATL has the best answer. For those of us that are tougher on our vehicles and have the tools and knowledge to do this ourselves, its cheap insurance against a possible failure on the trail...a trail that may be far away from getting your standard roadside assistance help.
@tourproto , in regards to documentation of the benefits, I honestly could not say what is out there. With that said, you mention frequent oil changes to the engine. Changing these lubricants is exactly the same premise. Fresh fluids with fresh properties and removal of contaminants. Now is the value worth it to you? Maybe not if you are paying dealer cost ($700 as you mentioned), but would you have considered if it only cost you $75 and 2 hours of time?

Edit - Looks like @CarbonSteel already weighed in while I was typing slowly.

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[woodsman44]

Said the man, completely missing the point of the thread. lol

U must be a "south pole" elf

 

[tourproto]

@Ziemann , based on the comment of towing 3k lbs regularly, I would be inclined to go with 75w140, but get that it might be super sludgy for your cold climate. I bet @CarbonSteel could give you some insight. I went 75w110 but live in warmer climate and don't tow.
As far as those asking why, @MadMan4BamaNATL has the best answer. For those of us that are tougher on our vehicles and have the tools and knowledge to do this ourselves, its cheap insurance against a possible failure on the trail...a trail that may be far away from getting your standard roadside assistance help.
@tourproto , in regards to documentation of the benefits, I honestly could not say what is out there. With that said, you mention frequent oil changes to the engine. Changing these lubricants is exactly the same premise. Fresh fluids with fresh properties and removal of contaminants. Now is the value worth it to you? Maybe not if you are paying dealer cost ($700 as you mentioned), but would you have considered if it only cost you $75 and 2 hours of time?

Edit - Looks like @CarbonSteel already weighed in while I was typing slowly.

for $200 it would already be done, $700 is not being done.

I own an BMW that I drive pretty hard. I don’t track it and don’t do clutch drop burnouts but the tach sees the redline quite often and it has 170k miles on it.

I had the diff and tranny fluid done at 50k mileage intervals and it has been trouble free. Not saying a BMW and a ford are the same type of car but other than engine oil, nothing IMHO should need fluid replacement that soon for moderately hard usage. But that’s just my thought.

if a fluid change at 10k miles and 50k miles shortens the life of the Bronco that much, I guess I will deal with it down the road.

And unless a different local dealer will do this for 1/2 the price I am going to hold off until that same 50k timeframe.

 

[Ziemann]

I realize that most folks don't really "Use" their Bronco's for their intended purpose. And for those folks, they are probably comfortable with going with Ford's recommendation. That is probably ok for their use.

I take advantage of the capabilities of the vehicle, but don't abuse it. Preventative maintenance makes me feel more comfortable. I have used my Jeeps, Nissan Xterras, and Toyotas (all with Manual transmissions) pretty hard, and am always amazed at how ugly the lube looks when I drain it. I realize that those vehicles are apples and oranges compared to a Bronco, but given how easy it is to change these lubes, it is cheap insurance.

The pour points of all of the gear lubes that I am looking are better than -40F. So, I may take your advice and go with 75w140.

 

[Los]

Hello Bronco brothers,
So today I stopped by a Ford dealer to purchase front and rear diff oil, I was giving the parts guy the number for both oils, he asked for the VIN# then he told me that according to his computer data and my VIN that the front and rear oil are the same. Asked him for a print out of such data. I guess Ford has made updates... it was pricy.
He seemed confuse as to why I wanted to change the oil so soon, at 15k Miles.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Hello Bronco brothers,
So today I stopped by a Ford dealer to purchase front and rear diff oil, I was giving the parts guy the number for both oils, he asked for the VIN# then he told me that according to his computer data and my VIN that the front and rear oil are the same. Asked him for a print out of such data. I guess Ford has made updates... it was pricy.
He seemed confuse as to why I wanted to change the oil so soon, at 15k Miles.

Would love to see a VOA of the oil to see a number data points...

 

[Ziemann]

What did the dealer charge for per quart?

 

[Los]

It was listed at $52.82/qrt, with military discount $41.34 + uncle Sam's fees....

 

[Ducati1098]

It was listed at $52.82/qrt, with military discount $41.34 + uncle Sam's fees....

Oof. You may want to shop around next time, that price is way over retail.

 

[CarbonSteel]

It was listed at $52.82/qrt, with military discount $41.34 + uncle Sam's fees....

ZOMGWTHBBQSAUCE!

That is a robbery for what is likely oil made by Conoco/Phillips and every synthetic on the shelf can likely outperform it for 60-70% less cost...

 

[Los]

I asked if it comes with life time replacement for that price... the guy did not get my joke

 

[Dorf2point0]

Just something to point out--the number to the left of the "W" (which stands for Winter and not Weight as commonly misunderstood) determines the cold weather performance of the oil.

With that said, 75W-90, 75W-110, and 75W-140 will all perform very well in extremely cold weather. For example, while there are other ways to measure cold weather performance, the pour points for all of these viscosities are typically -40F or lower and they are all typically exactly the same.

I would not be concerned about the cold weather performance of a synthetic gear oil and I would use 75W-140.

And YES I do.. 75W110 in front and 75W140 in rear. These rear ends need a heavy gear fluid.. I service a 2022 Wildtrak and it has be running through temperatures of -15.. The owner stores it in a garage, he doesn’t have to idle to heat up.. His mileage MPG has not changed since 75W140. His acceleration, not affected.. Someone, I’m trying to find the individual who specified 75W85 as a CARB credit ( MPG) . The gear weight is/ has not been specified for technical reasons. Administration issue!!! On the other hand 5W30 is the design oil for the engines.. Has everything to do with funky oil pump and the oil galleries, (smaller size than we would like), in the ECO engines.. There is a technical reason, @CarbonSteel has made the case, to use higher weight gear for all applications.. The thermal issue I believed was touched on and then there is the age of fluid. A 100,000 mile change would have gear oil that has age effects and thermal degradation, let alone the metal particles being circulated through the gears .

 

[RedSoloCup]

Definitely some good info in here. I’m gonna run 75w90 in the front and 75w110 in the rear since ones doing more work and I have enough new Valvoline 75w90 for the front from my F150 i traded in. I’ll probably run Supertech Mercon LV in the TC since it is approved and i used the oil at 5k oil changes in my 2.7 and UOA showed it was good still plus it’s made by Warren. Haven’t decided on what brand for the Rear Diff. Since it’s a DD and doesn’t get much off-road currently probably save a little money and go Valvoline for now. May do Amsoil though. Oil changes will be with Pennzoil Platinum most likely or Quaker states top Synthetic as I buy in Bulk since my Mustang takes 10qts of 5w-30

 

[The Bronc]

I changed the fluids in all 3 yesterday. CarbonSteel was an excellent resource and help. I really appreciate you CarbonSteel and the contributions you have made to the thread and forum at large. Everything went textbook because of the detailed write ups and videos. I was able to easily remove and reuse the plastic brake clips because of the detailed explanations. My fluid looked okay. The rear differential fluid was the darkest. There was no magnet on the drain plug to the transfer case. I am not sure if that is normal or a mistake during my build. This is something anyone can do if they have the right tools and a few hours. Read and watch all the videos you can first. It will save you time and money in the long run.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I changed the fluids in all 3 yesterday. CarbonSteel was an excellent resource and help. I really appreciate you CarbonSteel and the contributions you have made to the thread and forum at large. Everything went textbook because of the detailed write ups and videos. I was able to easily remove and reuse the plastic brake clips because of the detailed explanations. My fluid looked okay. The rear differential fluid was the darkest. There was no magnet on the drain plug to the transfer case. I am not sure if that is normal or a mistake during my build. This is something anyone can do if they have the right tools and a few hours. Read and watch all the videos you can first. It will save you time and money in the long run.

Happy to help! I try to stay in "pay it forward mode" and do what I can, when I can to help everyone.

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