Help with changing RDU fluid

[The Gemini]

Can someone please provide me a link to thread(s) on how to change the 80W-90 fluid in my 2016 SHO w/ PP? Or videos? Or instructions? I have the car up in the air, but only see one bolt to remove, and can’t tell if it’s the fill or drain hole?

 

[Johnbigdog]

It's a fill hole.

Go to harbor freight and get a suction gun and a gear oil pump that screws to the top of the gear oil bottle. Suck out the old oil, pump in the new until it comes out the fill hole.


Go drive it, do it again if your really OCD.

 

[Johnbigdog]

https://m.harborfreight.com/oil-suction-gun-95468.html


https://m.harborfreight.com/gear-oil-and-fluid-pump-61746.html

 

[The Gemini]

Wow! That’s the best Ford can do for AWD high performance cars? Suck out what you can? Ugh....

Thanks for the help. Any special tools for pulling the plug?

 

[The Gemini]

What about removing the differentials cover completely? Is that an option?

 

[SaveMelMac]

What about removing the differentials cover completely? Is that an option?

You can. More work

 

[Johnbigdog]

What about removing the differentials cover completely? Is that an option?

Dont do it. Way to much work.

A 3/8 ratchet is all you need to pull the fill plug.

 

[Jeff2017]

Can someone please provide me a link to thread(s) on how to change the 80W-90 fluid in my 2016 SHO w/ PP? Or videos? Or instructions? I have the car up in the air, but only see one bolt to remove, and can’t tell if it’s the fill or drain hole?

You should have a drain plug and a fill plug. On the PP I think you need to remove some items to get to the fill plug. The drain plug is obviously near the bottom of the PTU. Don't drain it until you have the fill plug removed.

 

[Johnbigdog]

You should have a drain plug and a fill plug. On the PP I think you need to remove some items to get to the fill plug. The drain plug is obviously near the bottom of the PTU. Don't drain it until you have the fill plug removed.

Yes a P.P. ptu will have a drain plug. The fill plug is a sensor that is masked by the cooler cover. However the O.P. is at the other end of the car with the rear diff unit (rdu)

 

[Jeff2017]

Yes a P.P. ptu will have a drain plug. The fill plug is a sensor that is masked by the cooler cover. However the O.P. is at the other end of the car with the rear diff unit (rdu)

Oh, your right. My bad.

 

[The Gemini]

All done...mostly. I don't know if it's a PP thing or what, but I was unable to fit any of my 3/8" tools into the fill plug with enough torque to break it loose. Stupid cross member and the unused exhaust hanger were all in the way. And to be honest, I'm extremely OCD anyway, and I was never overly excited about just sucking out what oil was available using a suction pump. So between the impossible-to-access fill plug and my OCD, off came the differential cover!

It really wasn't that bad. The ten 10mm bolts were all pretty easy to get to. I think less time was spent getting them off then was spent fussing with the fill plug. And there really wasn't any more oil spilled then what happens during an oil change. The biggest pain was trying to get the cover back in place with all the gasket sealer on it. I had to work it over top the axle and contort it into place, which caused the gasket material to get over EVERYTHING. So now I've got to let that sit overnight before I fill the differential back up with the Amsoil 80w-90 that's going in.

Thank you to everyone for your input. I agree that removing the differential cover takes more time and effort than taking out the fill plug and sucking out the old stuff, but it certainly isn't any more challenging, especially since I couldn't seem to get plug removed anyway. Once I fill up the differential tomorrow, tightening the plug shouldn't be as bad as trying to get it loose.

As a side note, my SHO has 34,000 miles on it, and the oil that came out actually looked really good. It still had some gold color to it, and the magnet wasn't even covered with much gunk.

 

[SaveMelMac]

Would be nice if someone made an aftermarket diff cover with a drain and fill plug. Nice aluminum one

 

[Eric Morris]

Thank you to everyone for your input. I agree that removing the differential cover takes more time and effort than taking out the fill plug and sucking out the old stuff, but it certainly isn't any more challenging, especially since I couldn't seem to get plug removed anyway. Once I fill up the differential tomorrow, tightening the plug shouldn't be as bad as trying to get it loose.

So you drained it without pulling the fill plug first? Not a good idea. If you can't get the fill plug out- you are screwed.
Always pull the fill plug first.

 

[The Gemini]

As mentioned earlier, plug was in too tight for me to have the space for the proper torque to loosen it. That was one of the factors in the decision to take off the entire cover. Once the cover was out, I safely secured it and gave the now-inserted 3/8” socket a few good wacks with a rubber mallet. Loosen the fill plug perfectly, and didn’t do a bit of damage. It all worked out quiet well actually.

 

[shaker281]

Good and timely thread. I plan to do this in the next month.

Any significant difference doing a 2010 without PP?
Easier/harder access to fill plug?

 

[SHOdded]

No diff literally.

 

[The Gemini]

shaker281,

One other thing I did that wasn't mentioned earlier but may be of help for those not wanting to remove the cover but just the fill plug for the suction method - there is that stupid extra exhaust hanger on the cross brace that is definitely in the way and hampered my efforts to get the fill plug out while the cover was still attached. I used a cut-off wheel to remove it as close to the cross brace member as possible. Then I smoothed it with a grinder and hit it with a splash of spray paint. Now, the next time I go to change the fluid, it will be easier to remove the fill plug only. Of course, this realization came to me AFTER I had already removed and reinstalled the cover.....

Just be aware that using the cut-off wheel and grinder makes a lot of sparks, and you are underneath where the fuel system is located.

 

[Johnbigdog]

Instead of tackling it from the bottom, insert your ratchet from the top. Lot more room.

 

[RonPorter]

Wow! That’s the best Ford can do for AWD high performance cars? Suck out what you can? Ugh....

Thanks for the help. Any special tools for pulling the plug?

That's typical for Ford and others with fluids that are supposed to be "lifetime". Plus, the addition of another plug, with the labor and parts involved, and the ongoing parts sourcing, adds cost to the vehicle.

Original MTX in the SHO never had a factory drain plug, so we got used to it early on! Sucking it out worked fine.

Same issues with the "lifetime" power steering fluid, but the "two bucket" method works fine.

 

[shaker281]

No diff literally.

Good one!