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Does my car have Traclok + Differential leaking

2K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  Hawkstang 
#1 · (Edited)
How do I know if my 2012 V6 Mustang has Traclok? My differential case is leaking so I'm going to go ahead and change out the gear to the 3.55 and rebuilding anything else in there.

Here is what I ordered, did I miss anything?

3.55 Gear Kit- https://www.americanmuscle.com/355-gear-oil-kit-1014.html
Traction Lok Rebuild Kit- https://www.americanmuscle.com/ford-88-traclok-kit.html
Rear Axle Bearing & Seal Kit- https://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-rear-bearing-kit-0514.html
Ford Performance Dif. Cover- https://www.americanmuscle.com/frpp-88-diff-cover.html
 
#2 ·
Yes. Your car came equipped with a traclock differential.
If you are ever unsure if you have a posi, or an "open" differential, the easiest way to check is to jack up one of the rear wheels and try to spin it. If it spins very easily, you have an open differential. If there is a lot of resistance while trying to turn the wheel, you have a posi-traction differential of some sort.
Your parts list looks complete for rebuilding the differential on your car.
 
#4 ·
It appears to be leaking, but it may only be the differential cover which is leaking. Or possibly the vent located on the axle tube is the source of the leak. I believe that there was a TSB regarding a malfunctioning axle vent tube causing oil to leak from various places of the rear end. I think that Ford redesigned a replacement vent tube to remedy the problem.
 
#5 · (Edited)
TSB regarding a malfunctioning axle vent tube causing oil to leak from various places of the rear end. I think that Ford redesigned a replacement vent tube to remedy the problem.
I'm taking it to the Ford dealer to have the job done, I wonder if they will address the TSB leaking while I am there? I found the TSB
 

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#7 ·
The vent is on the driver's side axle tube on top. The original, small vent would tend to burp fluid, which then attracted dirt, which then plugged up, leading to a buildup of pressure inside the diff and ultimately would cause the pinion seal to leak. Ford came out with two different revisions of the vent; the first was the so-called "turkey-baster" (yep, that's what it looked like) and the second was a proper vent tube that extended nearly to the top of the diff housing. On my '14, I had problems with the original vent, so I installed the turkey-baster as soon as it was available. It was better but not perfect, so I ordered the last vent-tube revision for it... but traded the car off before I got it installed. It is still sitting here on my desk.

The original vent burping would result in a wet spot on the driver's side axle tube. Since your leak is on the diff housing, I would suspect that it is either the pinion seal or the cover gasket... and if I am looking at the pic correctly, the pinion shaft is toward the top, and the that part of the housing appears to be dry, so I would suspect the cover gasket as straybullitt said.

Let us know how it turns out!
 
#8 ·
I guess they don’t have to pull the axles all the way but for the cost I’d think about replacing the bearings on the diff and at the axles. Maybe that’s what you meant?
 
#11 ·
I'm also looking at 3.55's. Any regrets not getting 3.73's? This is my son's DD and I still want some fuel milage out of it. Can you tell if there is any noticeable difference in milage?
 
#12 ·
I have a manual transmission, I'm happy with the 3.55s. The fuel mileage difference is negligible IMHO. Driving the car hard has more impact than anything. I got the 3.55 because the 3.73 kits were sold out on American muscle, but i started reading a lot of feedback from people who thought the 3.55 had less or no whine. I even read someone who went from a 3.73 to a 3.55. Now all the kits are back ordered 5 weeks!
 
#13 ·
One more thing, did you install an aluminum driveshaft when you did the gears? I'm a little hesitant to do both at the same time as all the supporting gear adds up to around $1,600 if you also include a driveshaft safety loop too.
 
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