What to buy, then how much it takes. Capacities are community-standard — confirm against your year.
ATF — Dexron III / Mercon (DEX/MERC)
The cheap bottle is the right bottle. Buy Valvoline DEX/MERC in the gallon — it's on the shelf anywhere they sell auto fluids. That is Dexron-III / Mercon, the spec for the E4OD, AOD, M5OD, ZF5, BW1356 transfer case, and power steering. A gallon is 4 qt; an E4OD pan drop is ~5 qt, so one gallon is a quart short. Two gallons (8 qt) covers the pan drop with enough left for the transfer case or a power-steering top-off. A dry fill (~14–16 qt) is four gallons. Do not buy Motorcraft Mercon V by the quart for a stock OBS service: it costs several times more and these trucks did not ship with V. Original Motorcraft Mercon (the red quart) is discontinued; DEX/MERC is the replacement, not a compromise. Any Dex/Merc gallon is the same idea if Valvoline isn't on the shelf.
| System | Capacity |
|---|---|
| E4OD transmission | 13.9 qt trans-only dry / ~16 qt w/ cooler / ~5 qt pan drop |
| AOD transmission | ~11 qt dry / ~4 qt pan drop |
| M5OD manual | 4.5 qt |
| ZF5 manual | 4.7 qt |
| Transfer case BW1356 | 2.2 qt |
| Power steering | ~2.5 qt |
Engine oil — gas (10W-30 / 5W-30)
The jug in the photo is Valvoline Restore & Protect 5W-30 (gold cap, 5 qt). Factory fill was 10W-30; Valvoline does not bottle Restore & Protect in 10W-30, and 5W-30 is in spec. The 5-qt jug matches a V8 change; the I6 and 460 take 6 qt. Any name-brand 10W-30 or 5W-30 is also fine. These engines do not need synthetic; they do need the oil changed.
| System | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Engine oil — 4.9 I6 | 6 qt w/ filter |
| Engine oil — 5.0/5.8 V8 | 5 qt w/ filter |
| Engine oil — 7.5 V8 | 6 qt w/ filter |
Engine oil — diesel (15W-40)
Shell Rotella T4 15W-40, CK-4. White jug, blue T4 stripe — that's the one. T5/T6 if you want synthetic; Delo 400 and Delvac are the same idea. A gallon is 4 qt. The 7.3 IDI takes 10 qt (three gallons); the Power Stroke takes 14 qt (four gallons). Don't buy quarts.
| System | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Engine oil — 7.3 IDI | 10 qt w/ filter |
| Engine oil — 7.3 Power Stroke | 14 qt w/ filter |
Coolant — green silicate (IAT)
Green conventional IAT (inorganic additive) ethylene glycol. Grab PEAK Full Strength Concentrate — blue jug, green cap, Ford 2000 & earlier on the label. Mix 50/50 with distilled water; this jug is not pre-diluted. Zerex Original Green and Motorcraft VC-4 are the same idea. Do not put orange Dex-Cool / OAT in these trucks, and skip PEAK yellow Universal and PEAK Asian Green — those are different formulas.
| System | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Coolant — 4.9/5.0/5.8 | ~16-19 qt (w/ heater) |
| Coolant — 7.3 IDI | ~27 qt |
Gear oil — 80W-90 GL-5
Any GL-5 80W-90 — the quart squeeze bottle is the right size for an 8.8 (2 qt). If the axle is limited-slip (door-sticker axle code with an LS letter, common H9), add a 4 oz bottle of friction modifier (Ford/Motorcraft XL-3 or any Ford/GM LS additive). Skip the modifier on an open diff.
| System | Capacity |
|---|---|
| 8.8 rear diff | 2.0 qt (+ 4 oz friction modifier if LS) |
| 10.25 rear diff | 3.5 qt (+ modifier if LS) |
| Dana 60 rear diff | 3.75 qt |
community-standard · verify