Hello All,

I was wondering what everyone thinks of the best choice for rear-end fluid is on a 2.3 2005 ranger 2wd.

I got about 120k on it and have kept up with previous services.

I wanted to use Walmart conventional gear oil because it is so inexpensive and I tend to change my fluids often so why spend the big bucks? Synthetic choices are almost 4x the price.

Do we have a strong preference for the weight of the oil? It seems that Ford had moved to an 85/140 weight from their 80/90 weight due to it preventing wear.
I do not do much truck stuff with it and tend to drive it easily as it is my little go-around truck.

I live in Pheonix so it gets pretty warm here and I never would ever call it cold as I used to live in Chicago.

I was planning on changing out the rear bearings and seals as a PM is why I am going in there.

Thanks,

BOB

 

Personal preference here for both RearLimitedSlip & FrontOpenSlip 4.10 Differentials:
is to change GearOil every 33kMiles\4years using AmsOil#SevereGear 75w140.FullSyn+LimitedSlipModifier.
Fords manual spec for front is lighter 75w90.BaseOil,
but considering FrontDifferential is always spinning (4WD engaged or disengaged) & prefer simplicity of same 75w140 in both.
I know this is likely overkill, but prefer Differentials last as long as possible.
If you change GearOil routinely & have limited funds, SuperTech\WalMart\Warren should be ok.

 

Thank you for your reply,

I really appreciate this forum and aim to contribute whenever I can.

I am not against spending money but I just like to change oil and get messy and if I get the cheap stuff i can feel better about over maintenance.

I did order a lube locker to make the process a bit more convenient and avoid the long RTV set times.

BOB

 

Hello All,

I got the rear bearings in and took her for a test drive and it seems a bit quieter and maybe smoother. It is as good as a Ford Ranger XLT can get I would say.

I used the lubelocker and hope it works out as planned as I like to perform oil changes more often than most.

I did adjust the rear brakes but may have overdone one of them. One of my wheels was a bit warmer than the other. Not super hot but enough not to want to hold my finger on the axle for too long.

I may set it up again or leave it to go and let it works itself in. I never seem to have had luck with self-adjusting drum brakes.

Overall took about 3 plus hours but I worked slowly and methodically as it was my first time. Thanks to the forum and Youtube I do make as many mistakes.


Thanks,

BOB