I have added to the collection a 2001 E150 XL. 4.6, 2WD, 85K on the clock. I paid $2500 for it. I am the 3rd owner. The van originally belonged to Lehigh County Corrections, has bars on all the windows, no door handles in the back, and was likely a prisoner transport vehicle. I've got a bunch of Ford stuff, a few Rangers, a Grand Marquis, Bronco, F150, but this is the first van that I've pulled the trigger on. Brought it home, and I'm currently running through the maintenance on it. Fresh filters and fluids, plugs, grease job, all that fun stuff. Just had a few questions about things that I'm not real familiar with.
1st, when I drained the coolant, the stuff that came out was not the color I was expecting. My Haynes book says it takes regular green stuff in the recommended fluids section. That definitely isn't what came out. Should I just switch it to green stuff or does this need special coolant for some reason?
2nd, for the rear diff, the Haynes book calls for 80W-90 in the 8.8, but the tag on the diff says to use 75W-140. Why the discrepancy? Also, at the bottom of the page, it says," *For Traction-Lok axles add friction modifier when lubricant is changed. ... Ford 8.8 and 9.75 inch add 4 oz."
How do I tell if I need to do this or not, and where do I find it if I do need it?
Forgive me if these are dumb questions, but I've never had any of my old junk call for additives in the diff, and they all just used regular green coolant.
Any other tips or tricks are always helpful, and as always, any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Art
