2019 2WD Rear Differential Fluid Change Write-Up (~47K Miles)

[JohnnyO]

Geez they really did de-content these things. Time for the Ford Performance diff cover I guess.
Tip for the front, on my previous Sport Tracs and Rangers the front was impossible to do yourself anyway so I'd just take them to the Valvoline Qwicky Lube where they do it with a suction machine through the fill plug. You could have them do the rear too if you don't want to be bothered taking the diff cover off.

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[Canadian Ranger]

I'm glad someone posted pics of the drain plug full of metal dust, mine had that amount or more at 25 000 miles, As did my front diff & Transfer case. Makes me wish I changed them all at 5000.

You'll be happy with Amsoil in transfer case. It easily doubled the torque in 4L in my Ranger. That said, it was the first time I've ever changed T.C. fluid in any vehicle, so maybe that's normal regardless of the fluid brand.

 

[Canadian Ranger]

Nice write up.

did mine at 2500 miles and the oil looked worse than yours. every oil change I check fluid level and quality with a "mister jelly finger" in the fill hole. it has been looking like new oil since ~46,000 miles

I don't know what lowest priced junk they put in there at the factory, but it ain't worth keeping

I've never been a fan of factory fluids. I'm assuming its Motorcraft, but that's just whatever this year's highest contract bid winner was.

 

[thewhiteranger]

Greetings all,

Thought I would do a write-up on a simple, yet important maintenance task on your Ranger. (This guide is geared towards those of us who have never performed this procedure)
The Ford Scheduled Maintenance is "Every 150,000 mi (240,000 km) Change the rear axle fluid."
The rear axle fluid capacity specifications are 3.70pt (1.75L) or (1.85 quarts) for a standard axle ; 3.04pt (1.44L) or (1.52 quarts) for a locking axle.

Supplies Needed :
-1x 6C2Z-4N282-AA (magnetic DRAIN plug) ($2.16 on Fordparts.com)
-1x E8UZ-4N282-A (FILL plug) ($6.41 on Fordparts.com and comes in a 3 pack)
-2x Quart Easy-Pack or bottles of SAE 80W-90 or SAE 75W-90 Gear Oil of your favorite brand (FORD OEM is XY-80W90-QL)
-Fluid drain pan that can hold at least 2L or 2 quarts of fluid
-3/8" Ratchet and extension or 1/2" Ratchet with 1/2"-3/8" adapter
-Torque Wrench set to 20-21 ft/lbs (27.12-28.47Nm) or you can just Ugga Dugga it..
-Old microfiber towels or shop towels

Optional :
-Large cardboard box for extra spill protection
-Nitrile gloves (can't forget about PPE)
-Brake cleaner and rag to clean around the drain/fill plugs

Step One :

-Park on a relatively level surface.
-Locate and clean around your Fill/Drain plugs (if equipped)...Some model years do not have two plugs unfortunately.
The FILL plug is located on the rear differential cover facing the rear of the vehicle. The DRAIN plug is located on the bottom left front of the differential.

Step Two :

-Place your fluid catch pan underneath the differential.
-Use your ratchet and extension/adapter to break loose the FILL plug first. Since the torque spec is only around 20 ft/lbs. it is easy.
-With the plug removed you can stick your finger or a light to inspect the current fluid level and get an idea of the color of your fluid.
I noticed mine was ever so slightly low from the factory and was pleasantly surprised when I wiped my finger on my rag it was not tar black.

Step Three :

-Use your ratchet and extension/adapter to break loose the DRAIN plug. Since the torque spec is only around 20 ft/lbs. it is easy. I let mine drain about 5 minutes or so until the old fluid was barely trickling out.
-Now you can inspect the drain plug for any gunk (likely will have a metallic goo attached to it) or metal shavings.

Step 4 :

-Hand thread your DRAIN plug until it is hand-tight and you can finish the job with your torque wrench set to 20-21 ft/lbs. (specification is 20 but margin of error if you hit 21 I do not forsee an issue).
-Go around to your unplugged FILL hole and use your Easy-Pack or quart bottles of SAE 80W-90 or 75W-90 Gear Oil to fill until it starts running out of the FILL hole.
-Once you see it running out, hand thread your FILL plug until it is hand-tight and you can finish the job with your torque wrench set to 20-21 ft/lbs.

That's it, drive around and make sure you do not observe any leaks! The job would have taken me around 15-20 minutes max if I had not been taking images.

My gear oil did not look terrible at 47,000 miles, so I think I will make my interval every 50,000 miles. I personally would not recommend following Ford's schedule of 125,000 miles.

great write- up your pictures are clear and giving the part numbers is great! awesome to have as well! -- by locker you mean the E-locking rear end right??? thats what I have on my FX2, I just had dealer do the 30k brake fluid change and they told me no need to do axle fluid when I asked but I think Ill do it anyway.....looks easy to do I wonder if a small engine drain pump would work to get fluid out for those missing the drain plug??? should get most of it out anyway and less messy Ive got a '20 so Think im still in the got a drain plug group. o

 

[RedDakooter05]

"Ford ranger, the cheapest to own truck"

Uh yeah, cause ford wants you to change fluids at 100k or 150k, lmao. The mileage when most people sell or trade them.



Sorry, just wanted to rant on people who buy into fords cheapest to own claim bs.

 

[Trash Panda]

great write- up your pictures are clear and giving the part numbers is great! awesome to have as well! -- by locker you mean the E-locking rear end right??? thats what I have on my FX2, I just had dealer do the 30k brake fluid change and they told me no need to do axle fluid when I asked but I think Ill do it anyway.....looks easy to do I wonder if a small engine drain pump would work to get fluid out for those missing the drain plug??? should get most of it out anyway and less messy Ive got a '20 so Think im still in the got a drain plug group. o

Yes! I am pretty sure the e-locker would fall under the locker fill specs; I do not have a locker, so mine holds a tad bit more fluid.

I don’t see why it would not work, I picked up my oil pan on Amazon (Groz 41961) and it was a breeze. It has a spout and it’s a controlled flow, so I was able to easily pour it in my oil storage container.

Just remember your FILL plug is flat, and your DRAIN plug has the magnet.

 

[Trash Panda]

"Ford ranger, the cheapest to own truck"

Uh yeah, cause ford wants you to change fluids at 100k or 150k, lmao. The mileage when most people sell or trade them.



Sorry, just wanted to rant on people who buy into fords cheapest to own claim bs.

I have not got around to installing my heated tailgate yet, so I have to stay on top of maintenance. ?

Ranger has to compete with the Taco!

 

[Racket]

Had the dealer change mine and put in Ford premium diff lube around 26K miles. Especially since I had been doing light towing but was about to tow a larger load 650 miles.

Ford built a price competitive truck with some nice options and I understand if I want to maximize the length of ownership I'm going to have to invest extra.

 

[thewhiteranger]

Had the dealer change mine and put in Ford premium diff lube around 26K miles. Especially since I had been doing light towing but was about to tow a larger load 650 miles.

Ford built a price competitive truck with some nice options and I understand if I want to maximize the length of ownership I'm going to have to invest extra.

me also! I was going to do Diff fluid at about 60k but might as well do it every 30 it looks easier than an oil change I like those oil bags I wonder if I can find them local? never seen them before its a great idea! --- I tow regularly and I plan to keep this thing as long as I can --- I kinda like it!!!!! it meets my needs and is a lot easier to park than an F150 -- I park in a garage at work and a lot of spaces are pretty tight

 

[Wytchdctr]

If you do not have a drain plug like me: Add the following steps- (Note the owners manual changed after the build date of 10/11/2021.. so anyone after that probably doesn't have the freaking bolt - guessing on that being when it changed)

Find a rather large drain to catch the mess that is about to happen.... I am going to add cardboard around the catch pan because I am dense and tend to miss with drain pans.....

Detach the brake line retainers (purple things in the picture) from the differential housing cover stud bolts using a small pry tool to lift them straight off. NOTE: Take care not to damage brake line retainers, they will be reinstalled.

Bolt removal. Remove the differential housing cover stud bolts (where the brake line retainers were located) using a deep wall 10mm socket. Then the rest with either a regular 10mm (if you can find it) or deep well.

Remove the case

Make a huge mess because Ford saved... 4 dollars and however much it cost to thread the bolt hole for the drain.... let it drain

I am going to replace the gasket because the gasket is pretty cheap and it seems silly to try and reuse it and end up spending even more to get a gasket later and more oil. So... clean up the surface so it is nice and smooth for the new gasket.

https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/ - part number KB3Z-4036-A - currently 26 dollars + shipping etc.

NOTE: Make sure the gasket mating surface is free of oil or debris before applying new gasket. NOTE: If rust is present, smoothen out any hard edges by scraping away some of the rust.

Throw the gasket on and put the cover back.

TORQUE: Tighten both the bolts and brake cable retainers to 20 – 25 lbs. ft. (27 – 34 Nm)

I like to do a star pattern when installing anything like a cover, pan, etc. Not sure if that is needed but seems like a good idea to make sure it sits just right and not leak.

Refill as instructed above.. post one.

Taken from how to install the ford performance diff cover: https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FORDINSTSHTM-4033-R.PDF

 

[ctechbob]

Of course, Ford wants you to replace the plugs, I'm sure they have a small bit of sealant on them, but those threads should be NPT and tapered. There's no reason you can't reuse them. I actually find it flat-out ridiculous that they want you to. I suppose it gives the dealers another line item they can charge, and it might prevent the ham-fisted dealership lube monkey from having a leak, but anyone competent should have no issue with it.

I'm on change #3 with the same plugs. It's not something you should stress over unless you absolutely positively want to do it 'by the book', which is slightly silly, but it's your money. Frankly, I never even consulted the manual for the change other than to look up the recommended fluid.

The amount of 'one-time use' threaded fasteners on this truck boggles the mind.

 

[gov cheese]

65k miles on 2019 Scab 2wd diff oil change. Oil didn't look to bad, was about 1/4 inch of junk on the magnet. Replaced with Motorcraft 80W90. Plenty of room under the truck once spare tire was removed. Took opportunity to check spare and air it up.

Surprised the drain plug was only finger tight could loosen with just an extension. So, you might want to check your diff plugs.

 

[thewhiteranger]

I bought the stuff last week - I went with the motorcraft 80/90 it was in stock and pretty inexpensive. My dealership had two of the plugs in stock - on their computer the top and bottom are both the same part number --there they are in the picture if anyone wants to see what they look like new. I asked parts guy and he said the reason to replace per ford is that there is single use thread sealant on them so everyone above is correct I planned to re use and add thread sealant like others but they are surprisingly cheap only $2.50 each so I bought two I plan to reuse fill plug (not likely to leak logically) and replace the drain plug just haven't gotten to it yet but Im only at 37k on my 2020 Plan to have trans fluid done at about 50k as well --- I like this truck a lot so hoping to keep it a long time. OH and mine is a 2020 FX2 with the locking rear (dana per parts guy) differential Im not sure it the plugs are all the same but I think they probably are just wanted to mention in case they tell you different.

 

[Psycho78]

I reused same plugs. Seemed like a waste to trash them. Been 10k miles since i did the rear and it has not budged. I did the transfer case and front Diff last weekend, and so far no leaks or issues. I'll keep an eye on them for about 1k, then call it good. I just hand torqued them down till snug like you would an oil drain plug. Also, I did not see any evidence of a thread sealant on any of them, and they all came off super easy as others have mentioned. (2020 xlt 4x4)

Side note, I also did the transmission fluid last weekend using that $7 harbor freight red transfer pump. Sucked out just under 5 qts from the dipstick and put 5 full qts back in. I'm at 48k miles. I'll go another 15k then drop the pan and replace filter. I had planned on buying the overpriced PPE pan, but it was so easy to pump it out and back in, that I think I'll save the money and just use the stock plastic pan. PPE used to be like 200 and is now over 300. Just not worth it for a drain bolt and an extra qt. or so. I offroad a lot and don't hit the plastic pan at all. If someone has built a rock crawler, then the PPE pan is probably worth it for added durability.

.... I asked parts guy and he said the reason to replace per ford is that there is single use thread sealant on them so everyone above is correct I planned to re use and add thread sealant like others but they are surprisingly cheap only $2.50 each so I bought two I plan to reuse fill plug (not likely to leak logically) and replace the drain plug just haven't gotten to it yet but Im only at 37k

 

[thewhiteranger]

I reused same plugs. Seemed like a waste to trash them. Been 10k miles since i did the rear and it has not budged. I did the transfer case and front Diff last weekend, and so far no leaks or issues. I'll keep an eye on them for about 1k, then call it good. I just hand torqued them down till snug like you would an oil drain plug. Also, I did not see any evidence of a thread sealant on any of them, and they all came off super easy as others have mentioned. (2020 xlt 4x4)

Side note, I also did the transmission fluid last weekend using that $7 harbor freight red transfer pump. Sucked out just under 5 qts from the dipstick and put 5 full qts back in. I'm at 48k miles. I'll go another 15k then drop the pan and replace filter. I had planned on buying the overpriced PPE pan, but it was so easy to pump it out and back in, that I think I'll save the money and just use the stock plastic pan. PPE used to be like 200 and is now over 300. Just not worth it for a drain bolt and an extra qt. or so. I offroad a lot and don't hit the plastic pan at all. If someone has built a rock crawler, then the PPE pan is probably worth it for added durability.

well since ford says transmission and differential is good for like 150k my thinking is just replace every 50k or so and should be good or better than average anyway. I plan to keep this truck for awhile it does what I need it to do pretty well -- I hadn't thought of pumping out and replacing trans fluid assuming it was at the right level to begin with that should be good enough again since ford says it needs nothing for 150k. For now Im going to do the differential I wonder why there is no sealant on some?? I hope its not another thing ford forgot to do on some of them Im just glad my year has a drain plug on it some of the newer ones dont and no way id pull the cover to change it, did that once a long time ago and never again - HUGE mess!

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