2006 Damon (Ford F53) differential fluid change madness

[Mike_Schriber]

I'm feeling rather put out at the moment...

I just drained and refilled the rear axle on my 2006 F53 chassis Damon Daybreak. The specifications say it's a Dana 135 and to change the gear oil at 50,000 miles. It also calls out the capacity at 12 quarts. Since I'm about to hit 60,000 miles and head out on a trip I decided that I should get off my rear (no pun intended) and get this done.

First surprise is that the gear oil I drained is red. I've never seen red gear oil before and this should be the factory fill. It looks totally clean but it also looks like ATF which is kinda freaking me out.

Second surprise is that 12 quarts sure didn't come out of there. It's a lot less. So, I go to refill with Valvoline synthetic 75W-140. It takes a bit less than six quarts then overflows out the fill plug. Now I'm really getting annoyed.

So, I look over the axle and after I clean off some grease I find a label that says Ford S110. Woah! What? That's a totally different axle than is called out in the specs and the manual. In fact, I haven't found any F53 manuals that call out the S110 until many model years after mine was manufactured.

I have no idea if the maintenance schedule for the S110 calls for changing the rear axle lube every 50,000 miles or not but I'm way past that point. The question now is if it's okay to have a mix of the new gear oil and whatever the red gear oil that was in there? I see a number of different capacities for the S110 from 6.6 quarts up to 8 quarts. I figure I have about 5.5 quarts of new gear oil in there and the rest will likely be the old stuff that didn't drain out.

Any thoughts?

[Mike_Schriber]

Exactly. The documentation for my year shows the S135 as the 13,500# axle.

j-d wrote:
I forget which RV builder's site I was looking at. Probably Newmar or Tiffin, but their spec pages for Class A Gassers on Ford Chassis indicated a very wide range of GVWR numbers along with at least two wheel diameters. This would mean different specs within the F53 line.

I pulled up the Ford page for 2017 F53 and it showed Dana 80/12,000#, S110/13,500#, S130/15,000# and 17060S/17,500# axle models.

Seems your documentation doesn't match your actual axle and specs.

[j-d]

I forget which RV builder's site I was looking at. Probably Newmar or Tiffin, but their spec pages for Class A Gassers on Ford Chassis indicated a very wide range of GVWR numbers along with at least two wheel diameters. This would mean different specs within the F53 line.

I pulled up the Ford page for 2017 F53 and it showed Dana 80/12,000#, S110/13,500#, S130/15,000# and 17060S/17,500# axle models.

Seems your documentation doesn't match your actual axle and specs.

[Mike_Schriber]

The interesting thing is that I looked on-line at the F53 2006 and 2007 specs and they call out the 135 as well. Go figure.

K Charles wrote:
Ford started using the s110 in '05 and you found the tag so that must be what it is. Maybe they started mid year and you got the older manual with your '05 chassis.

[K_Charles]

Ford started using the s110 in '05 and you found the tag so that must be what it is. Maybe they started mid year and you got the older manual with your '05 chassis.

[Mike_Schriber]

My 2006 manual shows to change the gear oil every 50,000 miles. Then again, it also calls out the wrong axle so...

Dutch_12078 wrote:
My 2001 F53 Owners Manual says the differential is lubed for life with a full synthetic.

"Your vehicle’s rear axle is filled with a synthetic rear axle lubricant and is considered lubricated for life. These lubricants do not need to be checked or changed unless a leak is suspected, service is required or the axle assembly has been submerged in water. The axle lubricant should be changed any time the rear axle has been submerged in water."

[j-d]

Looks to me, like our work here is done. Just don't "Ford" any Streams.

[Dutch_12078]

My 2001 F53 Owners Manual says the differential is lubed for life with a full synthetic.

"Your vehicle’s rear axle is filled with a synthetic rear axle lubricant and is considered lubricated for life. These lubricants do not need to be checked or changed unless a leak is suspected, service is required or the axle assembly has been submerged in water. The axle lubricant should be changed any time the rear axle has been submerged in water."

[Mike_Schriber]

It's definitely a S110 and it took about the right amount of gear oil. From what I can see, the Valvoline full synthetic 75W-140 is fine.

I still can't figure out what the factory fill was though. I have NEVER seen red gear oil before.

[time2roll]

S110 sheet I see says 14 pints or 6.6 liters.
That lube is fine.

http://media.spicerparts.com/cfs/files/media

[j-d]

For some twisted reason, capacities involving "hypoid oil" like differentials and manual transmissions, used to have capacity specified in PINTS/PT. 12 PT is 06 QT.

That said, are you sure you have a Dana 135 Axle? That bad boy has a capacity around 12 Quarts, but seems to be used in bigger trucks.

Dana axles are ID'd by Bill of Material (BOM) Number, a tag on one of the cover bolts. Did you find a tag, what did it read? The info I looked up, on Dana, for 2006 F-53 came up with an axle designated "80/286"

I used This DANA Page and entered Ford 2006 then pulled down to F53. If you can find BOM, enter that.

I think you're right to use 75W-140 full syn lube. I went through this project on our 2002 E450. The manual doesn't say that, but current practice is to use what you chose, same as I did. Going to that lubricant, makes it permanent according to Ford, unless you're running (go figure) an Ambulance.

This ID Page may also help you confirm what you've got so you can proceed to verify that you put enough lube in it.

I was going to drain our axle by removing the cover since it didn't have a drain plug. A tech I trust, said "Suck it out with a Slurp Gun." That was when I remembered the "Oil Boy" I use to suck the oil out of our V8 boat engine through the dipstick tube. I waited till we came in from a 100-mile run, and pulled the axle lube out with Oil Boy. Measured what came out. Matched the spec. Filled with 75W-140 Supertech from Walmart. Took the amount shown in the spec and what I'd pulled out. If all you have is "clingage" from the original lube, no worries. And it sure doesn't sound like you somehow got only half the old lube out before you filled it with new.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

An ice age and three-quarters ago, I used to rebuild Fuller (Road Ranger) transmissions and auxiliaries. The factory insisted on using 50 weight mineral oil and nothing else. Why? The tight tolerance bearings. The counter-shaft ball bearings would gall and seize if 90-weight was substituted.

This left me very leery of migrating away from OEM recommended lubricants in the drive train, unless without question 90 weight GL5 gear oil was factory specified.

The dealer parts department or service manager would be the most reliable source of information for you.

As an aside, I got totally different answers as to the correct fluid for my MoPar automatic transmission from four aftermarket sources. None of them happened to agree with the original factory agency service department.

A different colored and consistency lubricant would definitely raise my eyebrows. With a component as expensive and as hard to fix as what you are dealing with I would put forth effort to ensure whatever I did would not cause failure.

PS: Mopar says the ATF4 fluid in my transmission is not "vital" but firmly suggests transmission life can be markedly prolonged by using it and nothing else.

[darsben1]

autozone website says that the Valvoline full synthetic is for an F53