Are there certain brands or types of fluids you prefer? The owners manual does not say so how many quarts of oil does the engine take? I have a rear end leak so what type of fluid do you suggest for it?
Most folks have steered you right. Fluids, filters, maybe plugs. I would pull a plug and see what it looks like before I changed them. It's pretty cheap to change plugs, but if it doesn't need it then it doesn't need it. The 4.6l holds right at 5-6 quarts. A 5 quart jug from Walmart, plus an extra quart that I don't use all of, gets me by.
As to the rear end leak, I was going to suggest for maintenance that you crawl under your vehicle and check tranny, transfer case, and both differentials for leaks. This is a must for me when buying a used vehicle. If I find a little caked on oil on the rear end I don't always freak out, but fresh fluid around the tranny or transfer case is a no-go. That usually means the transmission is acting up and the guy selling it decided to change the fluid to see if it "fixes it." When it doesn't, they sell it before the tranny goes completely.
You need to find out if you have a limited slip rear end (dollars to donuts that you do). If so, you need to add friction modifier with the fluid. Some people have had good luck with mobile 1 synthetic, which supposedly has the friction modifier added. I tried it once and found that my rear end still chattered a little on turns.
Where is the diff. leaking from? Mine was leaking (and had moisture introduced in the rear end) from the vent tube, which had come off the nipple for whatever reason. Changed the fluid, put the tube back on, no leaks since (and a smooth running rear end).
