Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Are you saying that you went to the parts desk at a Ford house and they said that a replacement was not available?
Regular covers are easily available but it is difficult to find one with an oil fill plug. The only one I could find for a Ford 7.5" runs $200 on Amazon (update: a little cheaper on Ebay - $160).
Between this and the money I've spent on parts parts, that would cost more than it would have just taking it to the shop, not to mention the hours spent. Hence the title of the thread.
What does your local Ford dealer's parts counterman say about this part?
I did not ask. If I go to the dealer, they would likely charge $300 to get the original oil plug off and replace with one of their covers. The dealer is usually significantly more expensive than the local shop.
1) Remove and screw back in the oil fill plug bolt that I installed with teflon tape and apply JB Weld or the like. That should stop the leak but I am not sure this would keep the leak from returning.
2) Spend $200 on the above after market cover with a fill plug already on it. I looked all over and that is all I could find.
3) Cut my losses and take it to the shop, likely costing me $200 anyway. They would likely have the tools to remove the original oil fill plug.
#1 is a lot cheaper and less time consuming. I have invested enough time in this project already. I just don't want to end up stranded somewhere if the seal is not strong enough and breaks.
Last edited by Navage8214; 04-06-2021 at 01:18 PM..
I'm not asking you about the cost to have the dealer do the work. I'm asking you about the cost to buy the exact part from the local dealer. The parts department is very different from the service department. Have you ever followed the signs that say ”Parts” down to the parts department? I'm guessing an OEM diff cover would cost $50-75, and because you're buying a Ford part, it will fit.
I'm not asking you about the cost to have the dealer do the work. I'm asking you about the cost to buy the exact part from the local dealer. The parts department is very different from the service department. Have you ever followed the signs that say ”Parts” down to the parts department? I'm guessing an OEM diff cover would cost $50-75, and because you're buying a Ford part, it will fit.
I have no problem finding a new cover that fits, whether it is from Ford or otherwise. What I need is a cover with a fill plug already on it. For whatever reason, that is extremely hard to find for this model. Ford does not sell as there is already a full plug (on the other side of the differential). I am not able to remove the original fill plug which is why I am looking for a cover with a plug on it.
The second/smaller bolt that is screwed into the larger bolt is what I would remove to add the fluid.
Ah, now I get it.
Okay so the little bolt without gasket has pipe threads so that you should be able to just put a little blue loc-tite or similar on it. Even a dab of silicone on the threads will work. Just make sure the silicone has time to set up. You don't want to have silicone (i.e. silica) floating around in there. In fact I have seen people just peen the 2nd or 3rd thread up, thereby putting a dent in it.
OK finally we get the story. Original cover doesn't have a drain plug, you can't get the one in the cast housing out, so you want a sheet metal cover with drain plug, which is not original to the car.
Revert to what I said. You need a drain plug assembly that has an outer shell that goes through a hole in the cover, which can be sealed to the cover with JB Weld, other epoxy products, or brazing. Pipe threads are NOT going to seal in a 0.020" thick cover. Then the actual removable plug seals to the outer shell with pipe threads (or, possibly, a gasket) so it's readily removable.
Or, you could drill another hole in the cast housing, tap it with a pipe tap, and then carefully wash out all the chips.
Yes. I've seen it too many times where people think they can do the work themselves. They ended up getting it towed to my shop and it was expensive to fix their mistakes.
Ah, now I get it.
Okay so the little bolt without gasket has pipe threads so that you should be able to just put a little blue loc-tite or similar on it. Even a dab of silicone on the threads will work. Just make sure the silicone has time to set up. You don't want to have silicone (i.e. silica) floating around in there. In fact I have seen people just peen the 2nd or 3rd thread up, thereby putting a dent in it.
Is it necessary to put silicon on the small bolt? If I put silicone on the small bolt then I may not be able to get it back off if I need to add more fluid down the line.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
