Axle code?

[StevenStebo]

I have searched the ends of the internet and cannot find what my axle code means. On the door sticker the axle code is "455", I need to know if I have limited slip or not.

2006 Limited V8 2WD.

I have 2 quarts of Castrol Hypoy C 85-140w and a suction pump ready to put in, but do I need the LS additive put in also?

 

[Flag Gibby]

Pretty sure that you pulled the wrong code from the door sticker. None the less, if it was a limited slip it would have an "L" in front of it. The number directly under the header "Axle" on your vehicle is most likely 45 since the limited slip is L73.

 

[Bill MacLeod]

From a 2006 Explorer/Mountaineer shop manual:
- axle code 45 (3.55 non limited slip)
- axle code 46 (3.73 non limited slip)

There is no mention anywhere of TractionLok (limited slip), but it does say "The conventional rear axle requires Motorcraft SAE 75W-140 High Performance Rear Axle Lubricant XY-75W140-QL"
Neither is there any mention of an additive.

Capacity is 1.65 litres (3.5 pints)

My understanding is that all 4.6 3V have 3.55 gears and all 4.0 V6 have 3.73 gears.

 

[steve6534]

From a 2006 Explorer/Mountaineer shop manual:
- axle code 45 (3.55 non limited slip)
- axle code 46 (3.73 non limited slip)

There is no mention anywhere of TractionLok (limited slip), but it does say "The conventional rear axle requires Motorcraft SAE 75W-140 High Performance Rear Axle Lubricant XY-75W140-QL"
Neither is there any mention of an additive.

Capacity is 1.65 litres (3.5 pints)

My understanding is that all 4.6 3V have 3.55 gears and all 4.0 V6 have 3.73 gears.

You're correct on the 4.6 all having a 3.55 diff but with the 4.0 it depending on if it came with the towing package or not. The tow package got the 3.73. They also stopped offering the limited slip diff in 2006 due to the RSC / traction control system.

 

[StevenStebo]

Mucho gracias on the info guys. You saved me $10 on the LS additive that I will take back. I got 210,000 miles on the truck and she is still like new except slight whining from the rear end...

 

[SSCUN]

You're correct on the 4.6 all having a 3.55 diff but with the 4.0 it depending on if it came with the towing package or not. The tow package got the 3.73. They also stopped offering the limited slip diff in 2006 due to the RSC / traction control system.

Just to clarify, no 4th gen explorers come equipped with limited slip? Is there an aftermarket limited slip available? Is it possible to install a 3rd gen limited slip into a 4 gen carrier?

 

[dacaur2]

correct no limited slips in any 4th gen explorer, but the brake traction control is very effective.
I have a 4.0 V6 and 3.55 gears. I think by "tow package", what is meant is explorers with a 1.25" hitch like mine will have 3.55 gears, and those with a 2" hitch will have 3.73 gears.

 

[michael loibl]

Correct no 2006 and up explorers were available with any limited slip but traction control instead. Very effective and quick responding system, I doubt you would miss having a limited slip.

 

[SSCUN]

I have a 1972 Datsun 240z. There's a fabricator (Apex Engineered) that sells a rear IRS tube frame kit that bolts into the rear end and will allow for a 4th gen explorer center carrier to be used. I won't have the traction control hooked up so I'm looking for limited slip alternatives for the 4th gen carrier. I just got off the phone with Ford Performance and the rep said, "The center section from an earlier 3rd gen explorer should fit the 4th gen-- they're both 8.8 and IRS. He did say that they are not compatible with the super 8.8 diffs. Just wanted to provide more information. Gonna pull the guts from a junkyard D4 (3.73 Trac Lock) explorer (02-05) and see if it fits the 4th gen next change I get.

 

[dacaur2]

There is a difference between the 3rd and 4th gen center sections. 3rd gen are held in with 3 bolts, two in the rear and one in the front, while the 4th gen has 2 in the rear and two in the front.
With that said, I still think a 3rd gen would work even if the kit is designed for 4th gen. I believe when they went to 4th gen, they simply added a 4th mounting point without changing the other 3 points. I believe this because I just changed my rear center section, and the one I received was out of an 06. Looking at it, it looks exactly like the 3rd gens I have seen, only with the 4th mounting point added. Like they took the 3rd gen casting mold and modified it to add the 4th mounting point, leaving everything else the same. It even has the port for the abs sensor, which isn't needed in the 4th gens because they moved the sensors to the outer axles, the port has a little plate bolted on where the sensor would have been. The center section I took out of my 2010 looked very different and didn't have the abs port, but the new (used) one bolted right in its place and works fine.

If you look in the modified 4th gen section, there is a post with a lot of info on adding a limited slip, supposedly by someone who has done it. Or just try a 3rd gen with a limited slip already in it. Obviously I dont KNOW it would work, but I wouldn't bet against it working either. I know I have read about sombody using a 4th gen center section in their third gen. They had to drill a hole for the abs sensor and press a tone ring out of a 3rd gen onto the 4th gen carrier.

 

[SSCUN]

There is a difference between the 3rd and 4th gen center sections. 3rd gen are held in with 3 bolts, two in the rear and one in the front, while the 4th gen has 2 in the rear and two in the front.
With that said, I still think a 3rd gen would work even if the kit is designed for 4th gen. I believe when they went to 4th gen, they simply added a 4th mounting point without changing the other 3 points. I believe this because I just changed my rear center section, and the one I received was out of an 06. Looking at it, it looks exactly like the 3rd gens I have seen, only with the 4th mounting point added. Like they took the 3rd gen casting mold and modified it to add the 4th mounting point, leaving everything else the same. It even has the port for the abs sensor, which isn't needed in the 4th gens because they moved the sensors to the outer axles, the port has a little plate bolted on where the sensor would have been. The center section I took out of my 2010 looked very different and didn't have the abs port, but the new (used) one bolted right in its place and works fine.

If you look in the modified 4th gen section, there is a post with a lot of info on adding a limited slip, supposedly by someone who has done it. Or just try a 3rd gen with a limited slip already in it. Obviously I dont KNOW it would work, but I wouldn't bet against it working either. I know I have read about sombody using a 4th gen center section in their third gen. They had to drill a hole for the abs sensor and press a tone ring out of a 3rd gen onto the 4th gen carrier.

Thanks for the info. I'll try looking for that video on the 4th gen section tonight. I found a 4th gen at the local pick and pull so I might go the pick up the 4th gen carrier and swap the 3rd gen Track Lock while i'm in the junkyard.