Shame on you, Ford Racing! But… success!

[SubieRubyRoo]

So I bought the Dana/Ford Racing diff cover for my ‘19 F150, 3.55 gears with E-locker. FR cover comes with a gasket made of some material I’ve never seen before, and some “Grade 8” bolts. You’ll notice the quotations, because as I was installing the cover (to 25 ft-lbs), a couple of the bolts just felt “funny”. On the third one, before my torque wrench clicked, I hear a sickening snap, like pencil wars or watching bad skateboarding videos when ankles end up at right angles to how they normally are. CRAP! Snapped off in the middle of the threads, not even where they began rolling them.

So, partly to cool off before I do something rash, I make a run to town to get some real Grade 8 bolts, and I went ahead and grabbed a new Ford diff gasket and a new 10R80 filter since my trans is due soon also. Thanks Ford, for just two days ago raising the filter cost from $65 to $80! But I digress…

Back home with a new EZ-out kit and legit bolts, the rough snap prevents the drill bit from staying on center, sure to bugger up the housing if I continue… so I feel the rough area where it snapped and decide I can probably tap it with a screwdriver and spin out the stub. Took a couple minutes but sure enough, got the piece out with no drilling and no damage!

Stick the new gasket in between, hold the cover up, feed in the new bolts, and all is well with the world. Fill my new diff cover with 4 quarts of @High Performance Lubricants 75w110 Differential Life… no leaks. Whew! Take it for a nice drive to warm it up, and verify: indeed, the very slight whine only between 50-55mph is gone. Hurrah! Gear wear pattern looks beautiful, grabbed fluid sample to get tested, and wiped out bottom of housing with no metal particles visible.

TL;DR: ‘19 F150 3.5 EB, 74,748 miles. Factory fluid. Replaced with new OEM gasket & Ford Racing diff cover, 1 gallon of HPL 75w110 Diff life, and 12 non-Ford Racing cover bolts! Will probably sample the HPL @ 50k just to see how it’s doing but I’m pretty sure it will be unnecessary.

 

[bullwinkle]

Good to know Ford found something ELSE they can "screw" up! Lucky the broken one came out...

 

[Cujet]

Those bolts look way too small (visually) to torque to 25 lb ft. Typically, a 5/16 or 8mm bolt takes less than 20 lb ft. Typical lube torque is 12 to 14 lb ft. And as always, coarse thread bolts use less torque than fine thread.

I'm not sure what size those are, but if they are metric, an 8 on the head, does not designate a grade 8 bolt. Roughly that would be a grade 5.

 

[nascarnation]

I see the spec of 33 lb-ft on several internet forums which seems crazy high for that size bolt.
I'd say measure the diameter, determine the material grade from the head, and consult a good torque chart.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Those bolts look way too small (visually) to torque to 25 lb ft. Typically, a 5/16 or 8mm bolt takes less than 20 lb ft. Typical lube torque is 12 to 14 lb ft. And as always, coarse thread bolts use less torque than fine thread.

I'm not sure what size those are, but if they are metric, an 8 on the head, does not designate a grade 8 bolt. Roughly that would be a grade 5.

It’s a 5/16-18, and as Damos noted, Ford spec is 33 ft-lbs. 1/2” socket fits the head. Thanks!

 

[MSCH]

in what world would someone need grade 8 fasteners on a diff cover?

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

in what world would someone need grade 8 fasteners on a diff cover?

Got me. Rock impacts?

 

[ford250]

So I bought the Dana/Ford Racing diff cover for my ‘19 F150, 3.55 gears with E-locker. FR cover comes with a gasket made of some material I’ve never seen before, and some “Grade 8” bolts. You’ll notice the quotations, because as I was installing the cover (to 25 ft-lbs), a couple of the bolts just felt “funny”. On the third one, before my torque wrench clicked, I hear a sickening snap, like pencil wars or watching bad skateboarding videos when ankles end up at right angles to how they normally are. CRAP! Snapped off in the middle of the threads, not even where they began rolling them.

So, partly to cool off before I do something rash, I make a run to town to get some real Grade 8 bolts, and I went ahead and grabbed a new Ford diff gasket and a new 10R80 filter since my trans is due soon also. Thanks Ford, for just two days ago raising the filter cost from $65 to $80! But I digress…

Back home with a new EZ-out kit and legit bolts, the rough snap prevents the drill bit from staying on center, sure to bugger up the housing if I continue… so I feel the rough area where it snapped and decide I can probably tap it with a screwdriver and spin out the stub. Took a couple minutes but sure enough, got the piece out with no drilling and no damage!

Stick the new gasket in between, hold the cover up, feed in the new bolts, and all is well with the world. Fill my new diff cover with 4 quarts of @High Performance Lubricants 75w110 Differential Life… no leaks. Whew! Take it for a nice drive to warm it up, and verify: indeed, the very slight whine only between 50-55mph is gone. Hurrah! Gear wear pattern looks beautiful, grabbed fluid sample to get tested, and wiped out bottom of housing with no metal particles visible.

TL;DR: ‘19 F150 3.5 EB, 74,748 miles. Factory fluid. Replaced with new OEM gasket & Ford Racing diff cover, 1 gallon of HPL 75w110 Diff life, and 12 non-Ford Racing cover bolts! Will probably sample the HPL @ 50k just to see how it’s doing but I’m pretty sure it will be unnecessary.

Hello sir
Your not alone on this issue
My son and I did the same swap about two years ago and snapped a bolt the same way. It’s a sick feeling

 

[ford250]

in what world would someone need grade 8 fasteners on a diff cover?

I’d rather have em than not

 

[Cujet]

Should be 13 lb ft torque. Maybe a misprint that was carried over and the misinformation spread.

 

[ford250]

So I bought the Dana/Ford Racing diff cover for my ‘19 F150, 3.55 gears with E-locker. FR cover comes with a gasket made of some material I’ve never seen before, and some “Grade 8” bolts. You’ll notice the quotations, because as I was installing the cover (to 25 ft-lbs), a couple of the bolts just felt “funny”. On the third one, before my torque wrench clicked, I hear a sickening snap, like pencil wars or watching bad skateboarding videos when ankles end up at right angles to how they normally are. CRAP! Snapped off in the middle of the threads, not even where they began rolling them.

So, partly to cool off before I do something rash, I make a run to town to get some real Grade 8 bolts, and I went ahead and grabbed a new Ford diff gasket and a new 10R80 filter since my trans is due soon also. Thanks Ford, for just two days ago raising the filter cost from $65 to $80! But I digress…

Back home with a new EZ-out kit and legit bolts, the rough snap prevents the drill bit from staying on center, sure to bugger up the housing if I continue… so I feel the rough area where it snapped and decide I can probably tap it with a screwdriver and spin out the stub. Took a couple minutes but sure enough, got the piece out with no drilling and no damage!

Stick the new gasket in between, hold the cover up, feed in the new bolts, and all is well with the world. Fill my new diff cover with 4 quarts of @High Performance Lubricants 75w110 Differential Life… no leaks. Whew! Take it for a nice drive to warm it up, and verify: indeed, the very slight whine only between 50-55mph is gone. Hurrah! Gear wear pattern looks beautiful, grabbed fluid sample to get tested, and wiped out bottom of housing with no metal particles visible.

TL;DR: ‘19 F150 3.5 EB, 74,748 miles. Factory fluid. Replaced with new OEM gasket & Ford Racing diff cover, 1 gallon of HPL 75w110 Diff life, and 12 non-Ford Racing cover bolts! Will probably sample the HPL @ 50k just to see how it’s doing but I’m pretty sure it will be unnecessary.

Great pics !!!
Look good inside for sure

 

[Impatient]

@SubieRubyRoo , was your factory fluid the 75w85?

and curious if you’d heard of Lubelocker gasket. I believe it’s a reusable metal gasket with a soft rubber (silicone?) surround. I believe Ford uses something similar on trans pans. I’m considering that for my rear diff since the factory RTV is leaking now. The challenge will be getting a shop to do what I want, yet stand by their Torsen install work…but that’s a topic for another thread (search gear oil rabbit hole…or don’t).

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

@SubieRubyRoo , was your factory fluid the 75w85?

and curious if you’d heard of Lubelocker gasket. I believe it’s a reusable metal gasket with a soft rubber (silicone?) surround. I believe Ford uses something similar on trans pans. I’m considering that for my rear diff since the factory RTV is leaking now. The challenge will be getting a shop to do what I want, yet stand by their Torsen install work…but that’s a topic for another thread (search gear oil rabbit hole…or don’t).

No clue what my factory fluid was… I have 3.55 with E-lock diff.

I have the lube locker gasket, both original and a new one now. It’s amazing, not a drip or seep anywhere. 2 downsides: the steel shim rusts; and mine was $45 from the dealer, but I literally put it on, filled it, and was driving it immediately. Mine was not able to be reused as part of the gasket surface had stuck to the pumpkin and came off when it separated, plus it was very rusty, so I replaced it.

I doubt there should be any issue at all with making the shop use an OEM gasket.

 

[Brons2]

This has an actual gasket? Most of the 00s/10s Fords just used silicone and you had to scrape it off every time.

I bought a Lube Locker gasket for the 9.75 in my Navi off Amazon but if there's something I can just go pick up locally that would be better.

 

[Impatient]

No clue what my factory fluid was… I have 3.55 with E-lock diff.

it was very rusty…

I doubt there should be any issue at all with making the shop use an OEM gasket.

Ford MIGHT use a different fluid in SuperDuty’s and larger, but other trucks/SUV’s and “normal“ cars are all 75w85…I believe. And look how good your gears looked! Makes me think 75w140 is usually overkill, maybe even 75w110 is overkill, unless super-severe service. I wouldn’t be so pro-thin, but am generally disappointed in gas mileage in my Transit, so want to strike a balance. No 75w90 is as thin as Motorcraft 75w85….as far as I know.

interesting about the rust. There is no factory gasket…RTV.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

interesting about the rust. There is no factory gasket…RTV.

There is most certainly a factory gasket on my rear diff, it’s a steel shim gasket with an o-ring on the inside lip of the shim, it gets sandwiched between the cover and the pumpkin to form the seal. I know, because it was there when I took my rearend apart, and also bought a new one from the Ford dealer for $45. It’s not only sealed up tight as a drum, when I removed the bolts the factory cover literally fell off on its own with no mess nor scraping the pumpkin before refilling. I can find the PN if you’re interested.

My front diff, however, which is next to have the fluid changed, does have RTV because I can see the gray stuff peeking out around the edges of the cover.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Here’s the rear diff shim gasket for anyone interested. It’s a little salty, but works flawlessly. Zero mess to clean up if you ever need to remove & reinstall, and if you don’t live in the rust belt you may never have to replace this.

https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/suspension/chassis-parts/axle-housing-cover-gasket-differential-cover-gasket-rear-p-hl3z4036a?pdp=y

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

in what world would someone need grade 8 fasteners on a diff cover?

Same world where a diff cover needs 33 ft lbs of torque.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Same world where a diff cover needs 33 ft lbs of torque.

It does appear Ford is a hair overzealous with their torque requirements for this application.

 

[Impatient]

“assumption is the Mother of all f-up”

I ASSUMED your diff housing was a 9.75, just different innards, and the new rear cover looked just like a similar cover for the 9.75 available at Summit.

but, from your link:

• Electronic Lckng Diffrntl 3 / 4 Flt. Electronic Locking Differential.
• With Rear Axle Less Limited Slip Diff or 9.75" Axle or Double Rear Wheels or Single Rear Wheels

So I now ASSUME that means it’s NOT for the 9.75. Wait, just what does that mean??

well it does say it fits the Transit 2015-2024…which I believe were all 9.75 (there’s that assumption thing)

But I better not assume your diff came with 75w85. Does anyone know what fluid these E-locker diff’s come with from factory? There’s no need for friction modifier, is there?