'99 Expy 100K Maintenance

[lelakwoman]

Hi, new to the forum here.

I drive a '99 Ford Expy. 5.4L, V8, 4R100, and 3.73:1. I typically drive to and from work, but i do a lot of highway driving too (my job has me travel). I change my engine oil every 3K (it starts to use oil after that) which is about every 5-6 weeks...to give you an idea about how much i drive.

I just rolled over 111K miles and want to swap the fluids. I need advise for the following:
Power Steering (brand, weight, amount)
Front Differential (brand, weight, amount)
Tranny (brand, weight, amount)...i will be draining the T/C as well.
Rear Differential (brand, weight, amount).

From what i have read so far it seems like most of the people on this forum favor redline. From other forums, I have read that i should switch to a fully synthetic. Any opinions on either of these statements?

PS: i've already done the brake fluid and i can handle the coolant myself. Just found out that to change out plugs and do the fluids would cost me $500 at a local shop, so i intend to do this myself (well the fluids anyway, the plugs look like too big of a pain).

Thanks in advance-

 

[TheJMan19]

Since my '00 Mountaineer V8 is fairly similar to your Expedition, I'll give you some suggestions based on what I have done.

For the power steering, I like Mobil 1 ATF. I used 2 quarts and a turkey baster. Just suck out the fluid in the reservoir and fill with new fluid. Start the engine, turn the wheel lock to lock a few times. Repeat until the 2 quarts is gone.

For the front differential, any 90 weight will work. However, I like Mobil 1 so their 75W-90 is what I use. I don't know the exact capacity of the axles on an Expedition, but my Mountaineer holds 1.8 quarts.

For the rear differential, Ford used 75W-140 synthetic. This is about twice the price of 75W-90, and is a bit harder to find. Again, Mobil 1 makes a 75W-140 that can be found at most auto parts stores. Again, not sure of the capacity, but mine holds 3 quarts in the rear. If you have a limited-slip differential, don't forget to add some friction modifier. I found that I had some chatter even after replacing with Mobil 1.

For the tranny, I like Castrol Mercon V. It's around $3.00 per quart, and you'll probably need 10 quarts if you drop the pan and drain the TC. I also highly recommend changing the transmission filter.

Lastly, I don't know about the 5.4, but on my 5.0, changing the plugs was very simple. There is a "flap" that is riveted into the wheelwell that can simply be pulled back and gives easy access to the plugs. I used Autolite Double Platinums, much cheaper than Motorcraft.

Good luck!

 

[loudist]

You should first check out Auto Rx (Arx is the boards shorthand for it) and Fuel Power (FP) and Lube Control (LC). These are highly regarded by the members of this board, even the skeptical ones.

Check out Molakule's site specialty formulations.
He makes excellent custom boutique oils and lubes for all our cars and trucks.
specialty formulations

Seems at 110k miles its time for these clean up and maintainence products before you change out your fluids.

[ February 21, 2005, 05:58 PM: Message edited by: loudist ]

 

[FazerZ]

Don't use Mercon V in your Expedition. The 4R100 uses regular Mercon fluid and the use of Mercon V can cause front seal leaks/damage. Just use a quality ATF. If you want to increase service life/interval, Mobil One Synthetic ATF would be recommended.

It's likely TheJMan19's Mountaineer is using a 4R70W and the stock fill is Mercon V.

DH

 

[Not the Autorx Frank]

FAzerz,

Bet you a dollar its a 4R70W.

 

[Whimsey]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Not the Autorx Frank:
FAzerz,

Bet you a dollar its a 4R70W.

---

I'll see your dollar and raise you another $

. In all seriousness most if not all of the earlier Expi's with the 5.4 came with the 4R100 transmission. Ford went "cheap" later on and started using the 4R70W trannies with the 5.4's. And since lelakwoman stated it's the 4R100 tranny, my monies on that one. And besides when in doubt check on the door sticker for the transmission code. And FazerZ is right. Ford is ADAMANT about using only a straight Mercon/DexronIII ATF. You are NOT even supposed to use a duel usage Mercon/MerconV ATF.

Whimsey

 

[FazerZ]

Frank,

I was just going on what was contained in the post. As Whimsey stated and you suggested, the 4R70W did start coming behind the 5.4 V8 later in production. I'm sure there is a significant cost savings in using the lighter duty trans instead.

GM ended doing the same thing in their Cadillac line. The Escalades used to use the large and reliable 4L80E transmission and now they use a beefy up 4L60E, or to be more precise, the 4L65E.

So, since some bets are up, lelakwoman, how do you know it's a 4R100?

: cheers :

DH

 

[Schmoe]

Read the manual. Fords are pretty picky about certain fluids. I'm sure the PS fluid is the same as the Mercon ATF. Also, your in for a shock if your thinking about changing the plugs yourself. Nothing like the 5.0 The 5.4 has aluminum heads and only 4 threads for the spark plugs. They are difficult to get to and must be torqued just right or they will blow the plugs out. Just look at other forums like f150.net or fordtrucks.com and type in "blowing plugs" and read on.

 

[Not the Autorx Frank]

Silly me. I stand corrected, My brother in law has a 2001 w/ a 4R70W.

Either way I would use RL D4.

 

[loudist]

Back on topic.
I reiterate, before you change out all the fluids, I recommend to research Auto-Rx.

Clean that puppy internally and slowly (1500 miles cleaning 2000 miles rinseing) with organic esters not solvents (solvents are bad for many reasons).
You can clean your engine, transmission, transfer case, power steering with A-Rx.
There are plenty of folks here who have used the product in these applications with great success.

In answer to your lube questions, go to Specialty Formulations website which is Molekule's business.
Molekule is a well respected lubrication chemist who is making higher speced oils and lubes with better additive packages than the commercially availabe oils and lubes. Talk to Molekule about your Expy's lube needs.

Have you had the fuel filter and the sparkplugs changed in that 110k?

 

[lelakwoman]

I have used the auto-rx, but it's been 30K miles ago. seems like i should be doing it again. i'm in a training class right now learning about chemistry and corrosion of steam turbine in utility plants

i will be doing some research on the other maintenance products next week.

i know i have the 4R100 two ways: used the VIN and got under there to see what the pan shape was

i think it holds 16qt dry, but i'm not sure how well it will all "drain" out with just dropping the pan and draining the T/C.

thanks again...great posts.

 

[lelakwoman]

whoops, forgot one more part. i have NOT had the plugs changed. thought i was going to be adventurous enough to do them myself, but starting to second think that...

and i do change the fuel filter. because of my travel schedule for work, it's been 40K since the last change. plan on doing it very soon.