Once you break the fill plug loose, find the drain plug right next to the engine oil plug. It takes the same T50 Torx.

 

The oil that came out didn't look too bad but there was a good glob of goop on the magnetic plug

 

Here's the oil:

 

I used Redline gear oil and you'll need some thread sealer for the plugs.

 

The new oil looks much nicer. I put 16ozs. in which is slightly more than listed capacity(15.8) but none overflowed. I used vinyl tubing snaked down to the fill plug from above.

 

Is this something the dealer will do if requested?

 

Here is a picture of the drain plug after I cleaned off the goop:

 

Thanks for the info and the clear pictures!!

 

I had the dealer swap mine out to Amsoil Sever Gear 75w140 just past the 700 mile mark as they were in there fixing a leaking seal. I too will plan a more routine swap, every 30k or so as I consider it cheap insurance on a somewhat weak design.

 

I consider it cheap insurance on a somewhat weak design.

Yeah it only cost me $30 and that's enough for two changes.

 

So, I'm new to Fordlandia with this car but why are we changing what I thought Ford considered a "lifetime" fluid? I'll have this car for 5 years and probably about 135k miles. I have the Ford prepaid maintenance package through 100k miles. Should I ask them to do this at some point? TIA!

 

Nice details and clear pictures.

The next time to change it how about another picture of the drain plug and the oil.
I'm curious as what type of sludge Ford put in there - since Ford does not manufacture oil product.

 

http://www.fusionsportforums.com/fo....com/forum/377-engine-technical-discussion/12305-ptu-oil-change.html#post202577DRAIN PLUG

OIL

 

I first encountered this PTU design on my 2009 Ford Flex and it has a few weaknesses, namely lack of cooling and a gear design that puts a fair bit of stress on the mating surfaces, not to mention plastic bushings. I think in many instances the system would survive light to moderate driving for the warranty period without issue, but if you tow like I did in my Flex or put a fair bit of power through the system like the Fusion Sport, the system required a bit of routine maintenance.

I know that Ford now specs a synthetic and heavier weight oil then what was on my Flex's original factory fill. They replaced mine due to a seal leak a year into ownership in 2010 with the updated lubricant. Because I towed at times, I elected to replace the oil around every 30k miles and found that it was still in decent shape but definitely showed some signs of heat stress. I figure that my Sport will do well to have similar maintenance performed as the part is still packaged tightly within the drive-train and lacks sufficient cooling, in my opinion. Mine was leaking right from purchase and has now had the seal replaced and Amsoil Severe Gear 75w140 put in it. I just feel better about doing this out of a preponderance of caution. There are a fair number of stories of what the factory oil looks like after 60k+ miles, and it isn't great.

I plan on keeping this car for 8 - 10 years and given I drive 15K+ a year, need it to last with minimal issues. My Flex's drivetrain was going strong when I traded her in at 8 years.

 

Hope you don't mind but this guy does a great job explaining the PTU, possible issue and we need to service them every 30K or sooner.

 

No I'm wondering what the plug and the oil will look like on you next change.

 

The PTU on my 15 Explorer Sport had a cooler. You had to pull the cat, then PTU temperature sensor to fill it. So I take it, ours doesn't have the cooled PTU?

 

Yes there are coolant lines going to it. If you look in the picture showing the drain plug they are those two hoses that have the braided covering.

 

And "PTU" stands for? (never mind, got it, "Power Transfer Unit", whatever that is...)

I have the first oil change scheduled for next month (they scheduled it before I drove the car off the lot, lol), and was wondering if this should be done at the same time? I'm thinking if they're going to change the engine oil, might as well change any other drivetrain related fluid, like diffs, while they're at it...

 

The power transfer unit is what controls all-wheel-drive. It's what transfers power from front to rear.

First oil change shouldn't be at 30k miles, so... No, you shouldn't have it changed unless it's leaking, in which case they'll change it when they replace the bushings. As for the rest of the fluids, don't. The only thing you should need to change for a long while is the oil.

 

After the gunk on the drain plug and color of oil that came out of my 15 AWD @ 28K, I'm doing it
@ 1000 miles and at least every 10K after that. It's not even a quart and pretty easy
(well might be a quart since I assume Sport PTU is bigger).

 

The Sport has a completely new PTU design. But yeah I'd assume it's built to handle more power (like the 6F35 vs 6F55 trans).

 

Changed mine today at 23k miles. Pretty black and some sludge on the magnet. Talked to my friend who is a service writer for a big Lincoln dealership and asked him to look up what the oil capacity is for the PTU. He called back later and said the service manual didnt show a capacity and all his Techs said to add oil until it comes out the fill hole. So thats what I did, and I actually feel much better knowing it took almost 28 oz .

 

 

@darkstar I would be concerned that over filling would cause a seal problem. Actually now that we are talking about it maybe that is actually what is causing the random seal issues people are having?

 

Yes I considered that. In all my experience working on 100s of cars/trucks, I've never seen a differential, manual transmission, or transfer case that didn't take fluid up to the fill hole. Seals are made to get wet and not leak. We will find out soon if I have any issues. Luckily it's still under warranty. Lol

 

Are these PTU vented?

 

Definitely. When it heats up, that expansion has to go somewhere.

 

Im just not sure I trust what it says in the manual for fluid levels. Heres some proof, it says my oil capacity is 5.7 L =6 quarts. My oil wasnt even on the dipstick with 6 quarts. It took more than 8 quarts to get to the full level on my dipstick. Notice also there is an asterisk next to the ptu level and it says : Contact an authorized dealer for fluid level checking and filling. I just know the dealer fills them up till it comes out the hole. If they were having issues with leaks they wouldnt fill it up that high.

 

It takes over 15 minutes for oil to flow from the top of the engine to the pan. This engine holds oil in the block, as it's designed with start-stop technology in mind. You overfilled the oil.

Was a big issue with the F150 guys when this engine came out.

I've done 4 oil changes, 6qts is perfect on the dipstick once it drains to the pan.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

Ouch. Check your oil again darkstar. You're way overfilled. Could do serious damage.

 

You're correct, it is overfilled. Would be nice if they mentioned that in manual.

 

It's on page 261.

 

Yeah I've heard(here probably) that in the F150 there is a sticker under the hood stating to wait ??min until checking oil level. I know my car does not have this for sure.