Axle lube specifications

[DoraAExplorer]

^ Some manufacturers also use additives to their first fills, I know Subaru adds more Moly into the first oil. In order to help break the engines in. I assume Ford uses assemble additives or some sort of break in additives to the initial fills on oil. This is why I typically do not get the first oil change till 3-4 thousand miles. It helps break the engine in, and is short enough to get any shaving or material filings out of the engine so they are not recirculated through the oil pickup.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Any shavings should end up trapped in the oil filter. If shavings were really rolling around in your oil for 3k your bearings would be trashed.

 

[DoraAExplorer]

Any shavings should end up trapped in the oil filter. If shavings were really rolling around in your oil for 3k your bearings would be trashed.

That is not accurate, I know because I use magnetic oil drain plugs in the sport cars I have owned and they all have little grey micron metal material on them that I wipe off. Most common oil filters don't filter past a certain micron level, I usually always run Wix but Motorcraft on Fords.

 

[Mbrooks420]

It probably just catches them before they end up in the filter. If a magnetic drain plug had any real effect on motor longevity, every car would come with one as an extra safeguard to get them out of their warranty.

 

[quickfix]

When there is enough metal and carbon contaminants to plug up the filter's media the filter will be bypassed and unfiltered oil will be pumped through the system.

 

[peterk9]

All new vehicles should use regular oil in them, for break in of the engine. Synthetic oil is very bad for a brand new engine, it should only be used after a good break in period. It used to be wait until 3000 miles, and then 1000 miles was the point to wait for. I think a good 500 miles is enough given modern cylinder machining(honing) methods.

Those for the U.S. market come with a synthetic blend.

Peter

 

[CDW6212R]

All true, and the best oil is the cleanest and best available, with the best filter or filters, coolers etc. Simply avoid the lesser oils and excessively long intervals. Older engines could take some dirty oil better than newer engines that have more precise oil passages and more fragile components.

It's an individual decision, but be careful about pushing your luck with today's engines. The variable valve timing and complicated valve train's need better oil.

Regular oil filters do bypass oil when they get too dirty, and they only filter objects above about 15 microns in size. If you want really clean oil, install a bypass filter system. The special(called bypass) filter does not accept all of the oil at once, it filters so small(to 2-3 microns), that it has to be plumbed in parallel, and it only receives a small amount of the oil on each pass. They have a restrictor in their inlets(in the filter mount(not in the filter itself)), of about .060" so that it takes a few minutes to filter all of the oil. All semi trucks use bypass filter systems, which is a big reason they get 400k miles before rebuilding an engine. Put one of those in your vehicle if there is space, and your oil will be cleaner than as it comes out of the bottle. Those bypass filters are good for about two years, and cost near $40 from Amsoil. They make three sizes, the small one is about 1.5 quarts in size.

 

[DoraAExplorer]

It probably just catches them before they end up in the filter. If a magnetic drain plug had any real effect on motor longevity, every car would come with one as an extra safeguard to get them out of their warranty.

I guess

All true, and the best oil is the cleanest and best available, with the best filter or filters, coolers etc. Simply avoid the lesser oils and excessively long intervals. Older engines could take some dirty oil better than newer engines that have more precise oil passages and more fragile components.

It's an individual decision, but be careful about pushing your luck with today's engines. The variable valve timing and complicated valve train's need better oil.

Regular oil filters do bypass oil when they get too dirty, and they only filter objects above about 15 microns in size. If you want really clean oil, install a bypass filter system. The special(called bypass) filter does not accept all of the oil at once, it filters so small(to 2-3 microns), that it has to be plumbed in parallel, and it only receives a small amount of the oil on each pass. They have a restrictor in their inlets(in the filter mount(not in the filter itself)), of about .060" so that it takes a few minutes to filter all of the oil. All semi trucks use bypass filter systems, which is a big reason they get 400k miles before rebuilding an engine. Put one of those in your vehicle if there is space, and your oil will be cleaner than as it comes out of the bottle. Those bypass filters are good for about two years, and cost near $40 from Amsoil. They make three sizes, the small one is about 1.5 quarts in size.

Do you sell Amsoil?

I am sure I could run some elixir in my truck and it could make it go an extra 440k miles but your magic oil is the reason it went that far for sure.

LOL

 

[CDW6212R]

I have bought some oil additives, none have notably increased life or efficiency, but I gave them a try. I have used most Amsoil fluids since the 90's, and only the high end oil twice. Their OEM level synthetic used to be $5 a quart, and I've used a lot of it hoping for less oil consumption. But that didn't really help, so I stick with the best priced synthetics Amazon sells. That changes often in price, from the $18 per 5 quart bottle, to $23ish, and far above.

The 2nd time I put the Signature Series oil in my 99 SOHC, I left it in with the Amsoil filter, for about 9600 miles. At the 9k mark, the oil was still transparent and almost full. The aftermarket air cleaner I had an Amsoil air filter in, and 2-3 weeks later I checked the oil, and it was black. The air filter had fallen off inside the air cleaner, which was my fault for not getting the clamp tight enough. The point is that really good oil in an engine that doesn't use any, is in great shape, with a great air filter, can have the oil stay relatively clean for a long time. My other vehicles don't have such a well kept engine, prior owners have neglected the oil servicing and air filter etc. So they use too much oil, and it gets dark immediately after being new.

 

[DoraAExplorer]

I have bought some oil additives, none have notably increased life or efficiency, but I gave them a try. I have used most Amsoil fluids since the 90's, and only the high end oil twice. Their OEM level synthetic used to be $5 a quart, and I've used a lot of it hoping for less oil consumption. But that didn't really help, so I stick with the best priced synthetics Amazon sells. That changes often in price, from the $18 per 5 quart bottle, to $23ish, and far above.

The 2nd time I put the Signature Series oil in my 99 SOHC, I left it in with the Amsoil filter, for about 9600 miles. At the 9k mark, the oil was still transparent and almost full. The aftermarket air cleaner I had an Amsoil air filter in, and 2-3 weeks later I checked the oil, and it was black. The air filter had fallen off inside the air cleaner, which was my fault for not getting the clamp tight enough. The point is that really good oil in an engine that doesn't use any, is in great shape, with a great air filter, can have the oil stay relatively clean for a long time. My other vehicles don't have such a well kept engine, prior owners have neglected the oil servicing and air filter etc. So they use too much oil, and it gets dark immediately after being new.

Regardless of brand, synthetic oils as long as they meet production spec and are backwards compatible will be fine as long as the interval change. Like @Peter said Ford uses blends in their Ford Performance models and this includes the ST Explorer, Raptor, and GT Mustang. I do not know if they use it in their super GT car they make but given that the Raptor motor is a derivative of it and it comes with the blend oil then I assume that they do the blended in it as well.

Amsoil is good stuff and I pay 24 bucks for a 5 gallon jug of Castrol Edge, that same jug of Amsoil is 55 dollars. Is it worth 2xs the money, not to me since synthetic motor is synthetic motor oil. Motul runs around 40 bucks a 5 quart jug and I would be more inclined to try it then I would Amsoil if I am going for a premium/ boutique motor oil.

 

[CDW6212R]

The point of a high end oil is the lifespan, and every oil is basically claiming that they are special. So there is a level of BS from many of them.

They all meet OEM specs, stop mentioning that ever, you cannot find an oil which didn't meet specs when it was made.

The Amsoil OEM level oil they have(they have at least three levels), is around the same cost as Valvoline, Castrol etc. It is not available in any jugs, quarts only, or a 30gallon barrel. So buying it is inconvenient versus Walmart choices, or Amazon.

If you have an engine worthy of top level oil, that can be used for a year, or up to 25k miles. That could save a lot of money depending on your yearly mileage. I would prefer to change the oil once each Spring, with the special oil filter capable of lasting a year also. That would make a yearly oil and filter cost about $75 or so, taxes and shipping varying. That's a whole lot less than what I do spend now, about six times a year for 25kish miles, plus adding oil every couple of weeks.

The key is quality of engine, using oil or not, leaking etc. These are meaningless words if your engine is worn out, from poor oil quality or long interval changes etc. I am trying to get people to understand that all oils are not the same(specs and claims don't matter), going too long on any oil is not the best, and air filters are very important too. Ignore OEM recommendations to some extent, use better quality parts than they suggest, and change the oil more often, not at or longer than they suggest.

 

[DoraAExplorer]

The point of a high end oil is the lifespan, and every oil is basically claiming that they are special. So there is a level of BS from many of them.

They all meet OEM specs, stop mentioning that ever, you cannot find an oil which didn't meet specs when it was made.

The Amsoil OEM level oil they have(they have at least three levels), is around the same cost as Valvoline, Castrol etc. It is not available in any jugs, quarts only, or a 30gallon barrel. So buying it is inconvenient versus Walmart choices, or Amazon.

If you have an engine worthy of top level oil, that can be used for a year, or up to 25k miles. That could save a lot of money depending on your yearly mileage. I would prefer to change the oil once each Spring, with the special oil filter capable of lasting a year also. That would make a yearly oil and filter cost about $75 or so, taxes and shipping varying. That's a whole lot less than what I do spend now, about six times a year for 25kish miles, plus adding oil every couple of weeks.

The key is quality of engine, using oil or not, leaking etc. These are meaningless words if your engine is worn out, from poor oil quality or long interval changes etc. I am trying to get people to understand that all oils are not the same(specs and claims don't matter), going too long on any oil is not the best, and air filters are very important too. Ignore OEM recommendations to some extent, use better quality parts than they suggest, and change the oil more often, not at or longer than they suggest.

Okay, so you run it to not change the oil interval to a year or longer, that makes sense. I understand and in your case that works. I try to follow the maintenance oil change frequency as outlined in the owner's manual to the best of my ability.

 

[CDW6212R]

Watch the air filter condition as much as anything, it's easy for people to forget that for a long while.

 

[Mbrooks420]

If you are going to change it at less
Than the manufactures schedule, I’d use the cheapest options available.

 

[michael loibl]

How did we get into such a deep discussion about motor oil on a topic of axle gear oil

 

[quickfix]

How did we get into such a deep discussion about motor oil on a topic of axle gear oil

Stuff just morphs over time. Even a short time in this case.
There's a lot of misinformation about POLs out there too...so, fun to explore.

 

[michael loibl]

I would bet that is a misprint, you want the heavier gear oil in the primary diff.

BTW, buy the best gear oil, don't skimp on that critical fluid. I choose Amsoil, they make the best gear oil, and it's called Severe Gear. Theirs is better than the other top brands by a lot, and it costs less, about $14-$15 a quart. They make three viscosity's and I have some of each on hand most of the time.

I would love some confirmation on this fluid recommendation if anyone has a source.

 

[quickfix]

Me too.

 

[smoothboy2]

I’m reading thru my 2020 owners manual and came across something that suprised me in the fluid specifications.

The rear axle calls for 75w85 synthetic and the front calls for 75w140 synthetic.

rear drive primary I would have expected the opposite.

For example my old 2006 Explorer rear drive primary calls for 75w140 REAR and 75w90 Front

I going change the front transfer case fluid in my 2006 Ford Explorer and I am going to use Valvoline Full Synthetic Transfer Case Fluid which is basically the same as regular transmission fluid I think. Why would you use 75w90 in there?

 

[Mbrooks420]

It’s an axle, not a front transfer case. There is only a single transfer case in the center.