Sta-bar disconnect leaking?

[ktechll]

2023 Badland SAS. Hasn't been off roading or driven hard. Just did the 2nd oil change at 9,000 miles and skid plates are wet with gear oil. Checked the front diff and it was 8 - 12 oz low. Topped it off and took it to the dealership. Tech said it was hard to find but it's the sta-bar disconnect. How does the sta-bar disconnect connect to the front drive unit? Parts are ordered and should be here next week. I've been looking for pics and videos online to get an idea of how it all bolts together, but all I find are demo videos of how the disconnect works.

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[Ducati1098]

How does the sta-bar disconnect connect to the front drive unit?

They don’t connect at all. The leak was probably your sway bar disconnect unit the whole time and had nothing to do with the front drive unit.

 

[RagnarKon]

The stabar disconnect system doesn't connect to the FDU at all actually.

It's a sealed hydro-mechanical system with hydraulic fluid inside. Although obviously yours is not very sealed anymore. Sits behind the FDUs between the engine and transmission. You actually have to pull out the stabar disconnect system to replace the transmission.

Edit-- And @Ducati1098 beat me again. How does he always do that?

 

[Ducati1098]

Edit-- And @Ducati1098 beat me again. How does he always do that?

 

[dgorsett]

So then the question, why was his fdu 8 to 12 Oz low, that's quite a bit.

 

[Ducati1098]

So then the question, why was his fdu 8 to 12 Oz low, that's quite a bit.

Probably just slightly under filled from factory. It happens. I’m not sure that amount would’ve made a difference though

 

[ktechll]

So then the question, why was his fdu 8 to 12 Oz low, that's quite a bit.

Yeah, getting things fixed is a process. We just took it from sea level to over 12,000 feet in Colorado and I changed oil the day after we got back and noticed the leak. It was raining up there so I had it in 4A for a while. My first thought was a plugged vent from the factory and the extra pressure pushed the oil out somewhere. No leak from any of the seals you can easily see. When we get it back from the dealership I'll keep a close eye on it.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

 

[dgorsett]

Probably just slightly under filled from factory. It happens. I’m not sure that amount would’ve made a difference though

My thought also at first. So I checked the OM, the 210 actually only holds 26.2 Oz so this is disconcerting.

I've gotten lazy and don't check my new vehicles, assuming they start out right, unless I notice a leak. I think I'll check everything.

 

[ktechll]

I'm not sure what fluid they use on the sealed sta-bar system, but the oil I smelled was the very essence of 9,000 mile gear oil from a differential.

 

[ScLeCo]

I'm not sure what fluid they use on the sealed sta-bar system, but the oil I smelled was the very essence of 9,000 mile gear oil from a differential.

Hydraulic fluid

 

[dgorsett]

I'm not sure what fluid they use on the sealed sta-bar system, but the oil I smelled was the very essence of 9,000 mile gear oil from a differential.

Well, nothing smells quite like gear lube, so I'd be watching that diff.

 

[ktechll]

Update: After a 3 week wait, I finally got my rig back from the shop with the new sta-bar disconnect system installed. Took it out to the trails behind the house to break in the new parts. No serious rock crawling yet, but I did get to test things out a bit on the dirt paths. Was all good until I got back to the driveway and saw it was leaking again! Brought it right back to the dealer and they put it up on the lift so I could check it out with the mechanic. He had put different colored UV dyes in the engine, trans, and front diff - smart move. Now it looks like it's a bad pinion seal on the front drive unit. Fingers crossed the new seal they ordered does the trick, the only other thing could be the housing seal leaking onto the pinion. I'll keep y'all posted!

 

[5GENIDN]

Update: After a 3 week wait, I finally got my rig back from the shop with the new sta-bar disconnect system installed. Took it out to the trails behind the house to break in the new parts. No serious rock crawling yet, but I did get to test things out a bit on the dirt paths. Was all good until I got back to the driveway and saw it was leaking again! Brought it right back to the dealer and they put it up on the lift so I could check it out with the mechanic. He had put different colored UV dyes in the engine, trans, and front diff - smart move. Now it looks like it's a bad pinion seal on the front drive unit. Fingers crossed the new seal they ordered does the trick, the only other thing could be the housing seal leaking onto the pinion. I'll keep y'all posted!

Sure seems that your guess work was significantly more accurate than the techs..... Interesting the tech did not clue in on the diff being 6 to 8 oz low.....

 

[C1 Ret]

My spouse's '22 Wildtrak had a leaky pinion seal in the front diff. The Ford tech found while changing the oil, and it was fixed under warranty.

 

[pjstans]

My spouse's '22 Wildtrak had a leaky pinion seal in the front diff. The Ford tech found while changing the oil, and it was fixed under warranty.

Same thing here - 22' Wildtrak - substantial leak in front pinion seal - 16K miles, normal driving. Dealer will have for over a week (ordering parts - supply chain issue - no surprise here!) - will also be looking at differential. IMHO, this shouldn't be happening and it seems to me to be a design flaw. How many here believe this issue will turn into a problem and an eventual recall?

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