Well, I finally got it all done. Fuel filter was cake, just gotta watch for the gas coming out of the filter.
Front differential was cake as well. The old fluid looked like chocolate milk! The drain plug had some silver gooey crap all over it too. I'm assuming it's fine particles due to wear in the front end. Replaced with 2 qts of Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-90.
Transfer case made a huge mess! Definitely a PITA with a frame cross member so close to the back side. Next time I'll use a narrow funnel to direct the draining ATF into an oil pan instead of letting it splash out on the frame cross member. Filling was equally a pain until I got a pump that screws onto the ATF bottle like a soap dispenser. Old fluid still looked really good, but replaced it anyway with 2 qts of Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF.
I anticipated the rear differential to be the most messy/time consuming but really it was the easiest. Old fluid still looked pretty good, but replaced it with 3 qts of Mobil 1 Synthetic 75W-140. I didn't add any friction modifier, as the Mobil 1 website claims you don't need it (but can add it if you want). So far after driving about 40 miles today, it's not making any unusual noises or chattering, so I think it'll probably be good. Cleaned up the differential housing and cover with brake cleaner and a razor blade to scrape the old RTV gasket off. I used the black Permatex RTV and let it set up for about 2 hrs before tightening the bolts (just hand tightened at first). So far no leaks!
Thanks for all the advice!
