Ford motorsport finned aluminum diff cover clone

[superj]

I wanted to upgrade my diff cover to something that looks cool but i didnt want to spend 200+ bucks. I like the ford motorsport cover but i don't like the price.

So, i ordered this diff cover from amazon. The ad said it fits my 04 ranger 8.8 but it needed some work to make it actually fit.

NEW Aluminum & Finned Rear 8.8" Axle Differential Cover Fit For Mustang DR3Z-4033-B https://a.co/d/ckuc9ga

But the mounting bolt holes didn't line up because the ranger gear set has a tone ring that the speedo or abs reads inside the diff.

See it? Its the thin toothed gear on the left of the large gear.

My amazon cover had cooling fin inside that hit that little gear. And i unfortunately don't have a pic of it before i started working it. I thought i did. So you guys will have to imagine it from this picture. I circled the fin in red that hits the gear. This pic is from the amazon ad.

Anyways, i ground and than test fit. Still no good

Then i ground and tested again. No go.

Then i ground and fit a few more times till it did fit.

And finally!!! It clears and nothing rubs

I filled it with 75/90 synthetic, 3.5 quarts and it needs a little more so i need to get another quart tomorrow but its good.

Now my cool guy 8.8 with 4.10 is happy

 

[superj]

after a few days of driving on it, there is no noticeable difference in how the truck drives or handles. just as we all suspected....... but it does look cool when i am walking to the truck.

one issue, which i thought about while filling and should have went with my gut feeling. the drain plug has a very slow weeping leak that puts a spot about hte size of a quarter under the diff after sitting for hours. i knew i should have put teflon on it and that is what my gut told me to do, but i failed to follow and just threaded it in and filled the diff.

sucks because its going to be hard to pull the plug, put teflon tape, and have my thumb over the hole at the same time so i am probably going to have to buy 4 more quarts of gear oil, which is not cheap anymore (obviously this could become a political rant about the cost of things since one group took office but that will do no good).

so, i have tightened the drain plug each day, thinking i had tightened it enough the day before but it somehow keeps turning a few turns more each day. i really think it just needs the teflon tape, though, each day, the drip gets less and less so who knows? maybe it will stop at a certain point (hopefully not when its empty, ha ha ha? i feel like its safer to just teflon it and not have to worry anymore though.

the mating surfaces of the cover are not leaking, which is cool. i wondered if they were going to be leak free since i had no way of checking how true the cover was. i figured the leak was coming from the mating surface at first, till i got under and wiped everything down. so thats good news for future people who also want a cool looking diff cover.


so, for future people, tape the threads on the threaded plugs so you aren't changing the diff oil twice in one week

 

[Uncle Gump]

I would just clean a drain pan... drain it... fix it... reuse the lube.

 

[superj]

i would have to buy a new drain pan. i probably should as its cheaper than new oil.

 

[Shran]

Put a cork or a rag or something in the hole. Or cut up an antifreeze jug or something about that size.

 

[superj]

a rag could work, for sure. good idea. hmm, outside the box thinking saves the day

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Grab another plug and put tape on it before removing the first plug. I bet you could have them swapped before losing more than a couple tablespoons of oil.

 

[superj]

thats what would be best but i would have to find another plug. i am not sure if its the same size as something off the wall the oriellys or autozone. the plugs are huge, i used a t50 torx to install them and the hole is probably an inch across

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Is the top plug the same as the bottom plug?

 

[superj]

Yes.

I ended up doing rhe thumb over the hole. I tried backing the plug out to just a thread or two holding it and putting teflon but that didnt work. So, i pulled the pluf and put my thimb over the hole and then rolled out some teflon tape and rolled the plug over it to wrap the plug. Than i put it back in and tightened it down. It seems like its holding but i wont find out till today.

The thumb over the hole worked so-so. Of course, oil drained a bit when putting my thymb on the hole and than some when putting the plug back in but it didnt seem lie much. Like not even half a quart would be mt guess but when pulled the fill plug and poured in another quart of oil, i still couldnt feel oil within the little tiny bit i could actually get my finger into the whole, even my pinkie.

So, i had 3.5 quarts in it with a very very tiny weeping drip that left a little spot about the size of a quarter, or a half dollar. Than i Maybe lost a half quart whenthreading the plug, so i figure i had, at least 2.5 quarts left in the diff. I added another full quart when i did the teflon and still cannot feel the oil.

I thought the 8.8 took only 3.2 quarts? Google says they seem to take 2-2.5? So than this cover adds more than another quart and since the fill plug is so high, do i need to worry about over filling snd maybe the axle seals start leaking?

I didn't consider that i would not get the fluid to the top hole with so much fluid, so i feel weird about it. I am worried its under filled, one one hand, and than over filled on the other.

And i hope the little dribble leak is finally stopped.

 

[sgtsandman]

If in doubt about the fill hole in the cover, the fill hole in the differetial housing will confirm a proper fluid level. If it drips out both holes at the same fill point, you'll know the one on the cover is good.

My ARB cover isn't like that. So, to confirm a proper fill, I have to use the factory fill hole. The one on the cover has a dip stick to check fluid level, which is about all it's good for. It would be too easy to over fill the differential using that.

 

[superj]

Turns out this one requires using the factory fill hole to get proper level, also. I pulled the factory fill plug and about a quart came out.

At least i no longer have that in the back of my mind.

And the weeping leak is fixed. No drips all night or after driving to the island and back this morning for breakfast.

Thanks guys, for helping me get straightened out