2017 Ford F53- Dana M80-Mobil 1 75W-140 3175 miles!

Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
615
Location
USA
Code:
Miles on unit 20500 23673
Miles on lube 20500 3175
Fe 112 584
Ch 0 6
Ni 1 13
Al 2 19
Cu 3 1
Pb 0 0
Sn 0 0
Cd 0 0
Ag 0 0
V 0 0
Si 75 22
Na 2 1
K 1 2
Ti 0 1
Mo 5 3
Sb 0 0
Mn 1 6
Li 18 19
B 30 148
Mg 0 2
Ca 9 14
Ba 0 1
P 1064 1438
Zn 15 20
Water  Visc 100c 24.8 26.5
[/CODE}
 
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I changed the factory fill to get the usual manufacturing gunk out of the differential. I refilled the rear end with Mobil 1 because it's a readily available synthetic. Looking at the packaging I noticed that there was NO reference to GL-5 or any manufacturers' spec but these rears are tolerant of a wide range of products. After one trip I checked the level and the new lube was BLACK. I pulled this sample and the wear metals are worse than the factory fill. I drained and refilled with Motorcraft 75W-140 and will get another sample in about 5,000 miles. Lesson learned.
 
Please post clear and in focus pictures front and back of the empty Mobil 1 bottle. Perhaps we can identify it as counterfeit. The bottle should have a spec on it, such as GL-5.
 
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Please post clear and in focus pictures front and back of the empty Mobil 1 bottle. Perhaps we can identify it as counterfeit. The bottle should have a spec on it, such as GL-5.
Done by PM. DougR opines that the bottle is in fact authentic.
 
This is a great example of the value of oil analysis. Without it, the color change was the only hint that something wasn't right.
 
F53...is it a motorhome? I once got my F53 motorhome rear end so hot it melted the anti sway bar rubbers which are bolted to the housing, and the housing turned dark. The Amsoil 85W-140 still looked new. In my F250 towing a 5th wheel, I had put on a cooler cover and filled with royal purple. Looked fine for about 25,000 miles then suddenly turned black, I assumed I overheated it too, which was possible.
 
strange how the elemental analysis is actually a little better, and viscosity is slightly higher on the M1 yet it performed poorly.

What was your method of changing the fluids?
 
strange how the elemental analysis is actually a little better, and viscosity is slightly higher on the M1 yet it performed poorly.

What was your method of changing the fluids?
I pulled the cover and re-siliconed it. I only use a suction gun as a last resort.
 
Could you have possibly introduced dirt into the gear set while cleaning the mating surfaces on the carrier?
 
Could you have possibly introduced dirt into the gear set while cleaning the mating surfaces on the carrier?
Anything is possible but I'm careful to avoid using "cookies" in my die grinder to clean the cover mounting surface unless I can cover the ring gear with a clean shop rag and scoop out as much of the trapped lube as I can. I also try to be sure that any debris thrown off the wheel is aimed away from the open diff. Then, the cover mating surfaces get cleaned with Brake Clean. The chassis is run on paved roads and never run in winter so there isn't a lot of dirt under there.
 
Here's a follow up sample, taken with a suction gun (MightyVac). This is Motorcraft 75W-140.
Code:
Miles on unit 20500 23673 28830
Miles on lube 20500 3175 5157
Fe 112 584 486
Ch 0 6 4
Ni 1 13 12
Al 2 19 12
Cu 3 1 1
Pb 0 0 0
Sn 0 0 0
Cd 0 0 0
Ag 0 0 0
V 0 0 0
Si 75 22 14
Na 2 1 0
K 1 2 0
Ti 0 1 0
Mo 5 3 1
Sb 0 0 0
Mn 1 6 3
Li 18 19 9
B 30 148 200
Mg 0 2 2
Ca 9 14 8
Ba 0 1 0
P 1064 1438 1498
Zn 15 20 17
Water  Visc 100c 24.8 26.5 25.2
[/CODE}

Things are improved but I will get another sample in 5000 miles to see where I'm at.
 
Slowly trending down, probably worth making sure it continues that way. How did the fluid appear this time?
 
Slowly trending down, probably worth making sure it continues that way. How did the fluid appear this time?
Very dark. I have come to the conclusion that nobody advertises like ExxonMobil. Without UOA, people are buying advertising. The RV forums are full of people who swear by Mobil1 products without one shred of actual information to support their loyalty.
I wish I'd never seen the stuff.
 
If the lube was truly the issue I would think it still wouldn’t turn black that quickly? It’s possible you have something else going on, possible excessive heat cooking the lube from a bearing issue

Haven’t been impressed with the late Dana axles. Lots of issues with the M300 and M275. I know the M275 in my super duty isn’t set up correctly (from factory). It’s been noisy on decel in certain ranges, noisy (whine) in other ranges (speed/accel). By the look of the pattern of wear on the ring gear the pinion is too close to the toe of the gear when I recently changed the fluid. There is no play felt in outer pinion bearing at this point. Good luck with yours and keep us informed.
 
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Very dark. I have come to the conclusion that nobody advertises like ExxonMobil. Without UOA, people are buying advertising. The RV forums are full of people who swear by Mobil1 products without one shred of actual information to support their loyalty.
I wish I'd never seen the stuff.
I doubt you are done with this differential

35D3E456-8840-4D09-B48D-9A4323D4389C.jpg
 
Although the wear metals seem relatively high for the mileage, they are far from the typical condemnation limits for a gear lubricant. I would resample the current lubricant after 15,000 miles of service and go from there. If the differential really has a mechanical issue, that should be self announcing pretty quickly.
 
I suspect the darkening of the fluid is a result of an anti-wear/anti-scuff coating for break-in and is not a result of any fluid degradation.
 
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