1999 Mounty 5.0 aka My Great Bad Idea

[Mbrooks420]

Mercon V for the transmission.

 

[97Sandbox]

Mercon V for the transmission.

Sounds good. I'll probably skip the trans servicing and save the cost of several quarts of Merc V then. The fluid in there isn't that dark and doesn't smell burned. I topped it off with some leftover Merc V I had before I drove the Mounty home from the seller's and it feels okay.

Transfer case and differentials ought to be cheap to service though. I'll have a thing or two to learn though as this is my first Ranger-based vehicle with a front diff and t case!

 

[410Fortune]

At least do the t case
Mercon iii in t case
Mercon v in trans
That’s what I run anyways

 

[97Sandbox]

Read some old threads about diff fluid changes. Apparently the front diff was originally specified as 80w-90 but there was a TSB to switch to 75W-140 (just like rear diff) later -- can anyone confirm? If that's true, it'd be nice I'll just buy a gallon of 75w-140 to do both differentials (I have about a quart left in a gallon jug from the last time I did changed the fluid in my Sport).

 

[410Fortune]

You can run 80w-90 or 75W-140 whichever you choose
the ford dealers switched from 80W-90 to 75-140 back in 98 at the same time all the trucks did
75W-140 is better for fuel economy especially the synthetic
its the same old 8.8 axle and the same ol dana 35 front diff (for the most part)
I run 75w-140 full synthetic and i buy it in 5 gallon buckets to save big $$$$$ they want like $9-15 a QUART for mobil/valvoine synthetic lube at the parts stores...I get mine at tractor supply

 

[97Sandbox]

Sounds good. I went ahead and ordered 80w-90 after reading a lot of conflicting things yesterday -- in the future I'll probably run 75w-140 across the board for simplicity.

I used to be able to buy good gear oil cheap at Blain's Farm & Fleet in Wisconsin, but all we have around where I live now is Orscheln/Tractor Supply and I didn't feel great about their selection (only had 85w-140). I went ahead and placed another RockAuto order because it was still cheaper with shipping than buying from my local O'Reilly's.

Thankfully there's a Ford dealer between work my son's daycare where I should be able to get the OEM L/S additive for the rear.

One more fluid question, did the 302 Ex/Mounty come with orange or green coolant? The prior owner filled the Mounty with red which I'll be draining and flushing out shortly. I've always ran green in my 4.0 Ex's, but the Mounty manual isn't very specific.

 

[donalds]

Green is fine
I run yellow prestone universal stuff

 

[Mbrooks420]

Factory fill is green.

 

[97Sandbox]

Awesome Thanks!

I suppose these old school cast iron blocks might not be as sensitive as modern aluminum blocks where every manufacturer seems to recommend a special coolant for their specific alloy (I always run Honda Type II in my Civic -- it's pricy, but if I've learned anything about Honda, it's that they know their engines).

 

[97Sandbox]

Slowly but surely picking the old barn apart for chicken coop materials...

It's getting sketchy to keep working on the barn so once I get the rest of the good sheet metal off, I'll put the farm rig Mounty to work and yank the barn down. It'll be safer to pick apart the wood when it's not up in the air.

 

[97Sandbox]

I'm hoping to get some work done on the Mounty this weekend between barn demo and tuning up bicycles for an upcoming family vacation. I went ahead and ordered a bunch of Mercon V to use in the power steering, eventually in the M5R2, and I was planning to use it in the transfer case, but now I'm wondering if that's a bad idea.

I've read many places that Mercon V is backwards compatible with older Mercon applications (like the M5R2 and Borg Wanrer transfer cases would have been specified) just that Mercon V is held to tighter standards. However, today I read that Mercon V has additives that Mercon didn't have and the additives can cause issues for transfer cases -- can anyone speak to that? If that's true, I'll make sure to use my cheapo Dex/Merc in the transfer case and save the Mercon V for transmissions and power steering.

 

[Turdle]

Just bought 2 bottles of dex Merc for our f150 transfer case at the only place I could find it, 11 bux per qt. Geez

 

[97Sandbox]

Hmmm... I've been reading more and it sounds like a true 4x4 transfer case shouldn't care if it has Mercon V in it, but the viscous clutch in the AWD transfer case might not like friction properties of Mercon V. I'll hunt down some Dex/Merc just to play it safe.

 

[EB4X]

Here's my list...some of it copied from the master(s) / Jamie and others... ...anyway:
REAR DIFFERENTIAL

D4=Limited Slip. It requires 75W140 Synthetic gear oil and 4 ounces of Ford XL-3 Friction Modifier Additive.

Some Synthetics claim you don't need the XL-3 but you DO need the 75W140 Synthetic for your Limited Slip diff.***The front diff calls for a different weight than the rear also.


FRONT DIFF: 75w140 synthetic is recommended, but 75w90 is more fuel efficient.


TRANSFER CASE:

***Mercon III is the best fluid for your t case
Do NOT use mercon V
I do not run full synthetic atf in these cases, just Mercon III and change it yearly or bi yearly

***AND Best bet is Mercon LV (love). As Fourten mentioned, do NOT use Mercon V in transfer cases.

***Like others said...
Either:

Plain Mercon (not V!!!). This is something you would buy in Walmart, it would say Merc/Dex compatible fluid. Least Expensive.

Mercon LV (Superceded by Ford from the original Mercon Recommendation. Currently Recommended by Ford for our transfer cases). Ford does not license plain Mercon anymore.

Valvoline Transfer Case Fluid (which is probably their Synthetic Trans fluid in a different bottle).

 

[Turdle]

So, where's the chicken coop?

 

[97Sandbox]

The chicken coop has been sketched up and the old barn is 80% dismantled. Just need 2-3 more weekends and we'll be ready to begin the Mounty overhaul!

 

[Josh P]

Will the chicken coop have a barn door?

 

[97Sandbox]

Likely one sliding man door and several hatches that can be opened for ventilation depending on the weather. It should be pretty nice, I'm even trying to convince my wife that a new welder would really be beneficial for the construction process

 

[Turdle]

Oh, you can't have decent eggs without a welder. Doesn't everyone know that?

 

[410Fortune]

I used some Cheapo shed windows from
Amazon in our chicken coop and tree house, they really work great. They open and have screens and everything

Shed Windows and More 12 X 18 Playhouse Window White Flush, Chicken Coop Window, Shed Window, https://a.co/d/7N4Qend