I change my PTU oil every engine oil change on my 2014 Explorer , so far so good, heard some people drill in a drain plug, ford should have put this in all vehicles
Fishing a suction hose around the gears is too difficult and you don't get a good exchange of fluid. Do what I do, drill a hole and tap it for a new drain plug. I've done it three times. Works great.
2008 Ford EdgeAWD here, 140kMiles, original PTU with Oil changes made easy as follows: ~ Drill+Tap PTU bottom between ExhaustPipe & TranMt, installed Fumoto10mmDrainValve. ~ Replaced 1/2"*14 FillPlug on PTU side with 1/2"*14 to 3/8"HoseBarb90 pointed upward. ~ Removed PTU TopVentCap+Rubber1Way wIth 5/8"Socket+ScrewPick, reveals 3/8"HoseBarb. ~ Installed two 3/8"OilHoses from PTU HoseBarbs to FireWall between BattTray+FuseBox. ~ Installed FiberGlassInsulationWrap around ExhaustPipe under ear PTU. ~ Installed OilCatchCan with FIlteredVent on FireWallTopLip between BattTray+FuseBox. ~ Refilled PTU 1/2qt=16oz 75w140 HiTemp AmsOil thru above new OilCatchCan+Hoses. ~ Routinely Drain+Refill PTU at 5kMile\6Mth intervals, along with EngineOil+Filter changes.
@@jasonredepenning You should try being a Brain\HeartSurgeon or Gambling+PornSiteProgrammerOwner; the money is a lot better than being a Roofer or MasterTech?
On my 2008 MKZ I drilled and taped a 1/8" pipe thread, in the same location. Installed a [ HELP # 61105 ] drain cock which has a pipe bib. Can now drain at same intervals as engine oil. To fill use a [ LUBRI MATIC # 55-011 ], hand pump that allows filling from bottom from a quart bottle. with recommended oil. Can also remove side fill plug and fill from bottom until oil seeps out of plug hole.
Nicely done!!!! Very well articulated and great video on how to maintain the PTU! The SHO’s with the Performance Package has the drain plug on the bottom which is nice for sure. If you search around, you will see a lot of pictures of that bearing your missing completely disintegrated. Side note: They changed the design on the 2016+ MY PTU’s to prevent that bearing from being eaten. And thus far, you see a lot less PTU’s being replaced.
A lot of good information about PTUs that I didn’t know. Quick question, so when would you recommend I get my PTU fluid changed on my SHO? My wife has a 12 explorer with just under 100k on it and I honestly had no problems with the PTU or AWD system, but I’m getting it changed and I’ll see if the transmission shop can put in a drain plug. Great video, keep it up.
Just had to change mine after smelling the smell and then hearing a HORRIBLE metal on metal racket which I guess was the bearing singing its swan song. Mechanic told me that the part in there was not the original one and had marks of a used one so seems it was already changed before I got the car. I saw it opened up and it was just blued steel, sludge and charcoal along with the smell in overdrive. Glad I found this video, will keep an eye on this and do frequent changes to this since I can do it myself.
Wow. My 2014 Escape with 34K miles has never had the PTU fluid changed. I had no idea, but I just checked with my local repair facility and they suggest a change at 60K miles..
On car before a failure, after seeing ur video & another video on draining & filling thru vent hose the 15 or 16 oz with Red Line, absolutely best but costly, I'll drain gear oil into measuring cup and know how much, im doing this before a failure, Ive seen & hear about often, some PTU's have no drain plug so need to pump best as possible or drill a drain if ur mechanically inclined. Im going to drill 1/4 in hole in what looks like an aluminum soft casing, on very bottom sump, if no drain plug as u indicated, tap it & use 1/4 inch oil plug w Permatex sealer the best, used to be called aviation sealer, liquid or paste, no chance of leak, if used as directed. Remove top half of vent hose, hook to vent hose w bib & clear hose with skinny funnel, pour in the amout of red line i need, will take awhile, air will have to bubble up fill hose as gear oil enters casting. Ill heat oil to hasten the fill. No easy way to do this. Wat are Ford engineers thinking? The first PTU's out had no drain, lifetime oil and nobcooler, the newer ones do, still dont kool enuff w Cat, exhaust 1200 degrees of heat, even a electric fan might work, i may install a dash fan to blow air on unit.
2000 to 2013 as well That looks just like my 2008 escape PTU I bet there all most the same. My 2008 is on its 3rd PTU now I change it every time I change the engine oil it's easy with the drain plug
The loose parts are the bearing cage & the roller bearings, the bearing flew apart. Not much hassel to rebuild, all gears wer not damaged. On net any gear, bearing u want. The casting is costly may have to machine and use larger bearing race.
Another reason why I wouldn’t buy an 13-19 FPIU or FPIS. They are absolutely junk. I can’t believe that Ford went from a reliable Crown Victoria to a POS Taurus and Explorer. It’s so bad that many smaller police departments are switching to Chevrolet Tahoes and Dodge Chargers because they can’t keep a transmission beyond 70,000 miles on the Explorers and Tauruses. They also had one fatal flaw with the EPAS failing and when that happens, it will be more difficult to steer and leave cops stranded. These cars had so many problems and they are poorly engineered. Water pumps are known to destroy the engine regardless if it’s an Ecoboost or not because they idiots at Ford thought it was a good idea to have the water pump driven by the timing chain.
It cut costs and fuel consumptions ( 2 powerful variables ). The consumers ended up subsidizing the scheme. What were they thinking? They were calculating of course.
I’m glad you opened it up for us to see. I think the bearing may be bad on mine as well. When I drive especially up hill it feels like there are some damaged or chipped gear teeth. It feels like how you showed us the gears moving. I changed the fluid in it yesterday and it smelled horrible it gave me a headache. The drain plug had about half a inch of metal shavings on it and I could see metal in the fluid in the light. Not sure how much longer it will last.
It looks like a robust unit, that could last the life of the car IF you can keep the oil clean. What about drilling a hole at that low point, pipe threading it, and making your own drain plug? (No bigger than 1/4", 1/8" may be enough)
That is a common fix and I did it on my 2013 Edge. Several vids on YT explaining how to do it. Been changing the gear oil once per year. 119k miles so far.
I have a 08 Fusion AWD with 75,000 miles and the PTU also smells like propane at times (mostly when you stop at a light or something). One thing is the smell can happen in as little time as driving 1 mile from a cold start. To me this indicates the gears or bearings are generating the heat and not the Cat (in my case). Not that the Cat would not create enough heat , just not in 1 mile of driving.
Propane smell happens with oil is burned up, its thickenns up and gets puked out from vent hole out of pto, once engine warms up ant stops, so what I say is start looking in to replacement, its matter of time now.
I liked your video on the Ford PTU. I have a 2016 Ford Taurus SHO, I bought it with 30K miles and I put 4K on it since I’ve had it, (34k miles now). I’ve tried to review the car fax on it, but it seems that it only gives general info, on the VIN number search, i.e., only schedule factory maintenance recommendations, but no real time data showing anything was done to it by anyone, seems to me like money for nothing. So I want to start doing my own scheduled maintenance so I know. I would like to know what you think. I want to tune my SHO to run cooler, much cooler, as cool as I can and still have good long distance open highway performance. I want to build an original exhaust, fitted inside a larger ducting, which is then air cooled by a ram air system, located at the front of the car, or scoops on the hood. The idea being is to push all the heat out of the engine bay, off the turbos and down pipes, and blow it out the sides, ahead of the rear wheels for an original look as well. I understand the hot down pipes, trainee too, run close to the PTU; I want the whole exhaust enclosed in baffles like the old air cooled VW jugs. I want to build an original recirculation cooler and filtration system for my PTU that is easily serviceable from the engine bay under the hood. (Open system? closed system? don’t know yet) I’m thinking about a tubing with fitting, which fits in the drain plug hole then snakes down into the bottom, lowest point in the PTU and sucks, recirculation through a cooler and filtration system during normal operation. Also, are there better alloy performance gears for the PTU? Part numbers would be a help. I’m thinking about buying a new PTU modifying it powder coating it and then replacing the one I have in it now, I’m not having problems but I want to upgrade before any failures. I want to powder coat my modifications as well. I took my SHO in, a few days ago, for the 20k warranty check up, but didn’t feel good about the dealer doing the work. Took it to a shop I trust and asked for a 20k factory check. I asked for a sample of the fluid to be taken from my PTU, but the shop didn’t want to service it, factory warranty crap. The shop did a great job on the fluids and filter changes but that warranty crap is preventing me from improving my cars component life time and dependability. I would also like to log systems in real time on the cars computer and my cell phone. I don’t have tools or a clean place to work on the car but may be able to design the parts in CAD if I had good mechanical drawings. I'm just a hobbiest not looking to piss anyone off. I’ll keep in touch, so let me know.
Hey Pete I got my sho in March with 15,560 it was a 2010 I thought I got a gold nugget sho one owner old couple owned it 10 years but I found out my ptu has been blown for years now I’m replacing it with 30k miles really didn’t know that it was not working till I got into the snow 😅
I had the damn thing in my hands when I changed the transmission out. Turns out the noise is coming from the transfer case and not the transmission! Lesson learned I should have cracked it apart and had a peek.
Need help showing how to replace powertrani for Jeep Grand Cherokee 2017. Is stuck in 4x4 low and will not get back in to normal gear. Tried everything and no luck.
Please need another eposide to learn more how to change oil of PTU. I have Ford Edge 2008, my quesion the PTU is same in all Ford Edge for model 2007 to 2013
Year to year and model to model is different, look for drain hole on the bottom if you dont have one, its pain and some, I need to make a vid soon. thank you
Technically Ford isn't wrong about it being a lifetime fluid. It's good for the life of the PTU, exactly how long the PTU is good for Ford doesn't say. Just my 2 cents.
Very informative, thank you. I have a 2011 fusion with 35k miles and started getting the propane smell at idle. Brought it to Ford they wouldn't change the fluid and also denied that it is leaking. It very clearly has a small oil spot in the cavity near the vent like you showed on yours. The leak is minor, no dripping down, but if you look from the top as you advised, it is visible by the vent . My question: is it too late ? Can I still change the fluid and expect the unit to last? Will changing it prevent further leaking from vent ?
I have a 2019 ford fusion titanium awd I'm changing the eng oil 2 times a year and the transmission and tpu every other I'd rather spend 50 dollars than thousands
Hi, Are there any other symptoms that indicate the PTU is failing. I have a 2014 Taurus police interceptor and have recently noticed what almost seems like a shifting issue from completely stopped through the first couple of shifts, kind of jerky and/or hesitating. Might the PTU be the problem. So far no leakage or propane smell yet. Thanks
I have a 2018 Ford Fusion Titanium AWD and I fought with the Ford dealer because my ptu doesn’t send power to the rear anymore under load. It doesn’t give a CEL so the dealer had no idea what to do! So frustrating!
Thanks for this Pete. Great insight into the workings. I just changed my 2015 Explorer sport PTU lube today. Canada. Bought new.125000 kilometers/77k miles on it. Never babied, tows in the summer. The fluid came out a little discolored, still transparent but not burnt in odor at all. A small amount of iron on the drain plug (mine has one, using the breather fill method). How is it that my fluid appears still decent, but others with low miles drain really dirty, black and metallic, and have failures? Is it our climate in the North? Is it the warmer southern states seeing this cooking? Cheers.
I would say little of the iron on the plug is normal, gears do mash and produce wear, now the aluminum shavings you have to watch for, that's when your bearing gets destroyed and gears grind the PTU case itself. thank you for your feedback
I noticed oil leak coming from my 2011 ford edge 2011 PTU on the top vent/filter side. Any suggestion if this part can be repair? Replacement kit?thanks
So at the top of the PTU there is a breather neck with rubber extension hose attached to it, at the end of the extension hose a filter, that filter gets clogged so the pressure of the ptu pushes hose off and starts puking oil out because hose is not there. Find that hose, get it out, remove the filter completely, trust me you dont need it, and put hose back on the ptu.
Hey brotha so im thinking my PTU just went out.... i had it in drive and heard a loud pop then the car would just barely move then it just stopped moving all together. I have also been smelling a gassy/propane smell while driving. I also have a 14 Taurus SHO non PP do you have the PTU part number by chance i just want to make sure i order the right part thanks for the video Brother!!!
I don't recall part number anymore, but what ever dealer order because they provide 2 year unlimited miles warranty on new PTI, so what ever they order is newest revision. Talk to your service man at ford, ask them what revision of the ptu you getting, they will explain you all, they know, trust me.
When you wrapped your exhaust and cats did that help at reducing heat for the dreaded PTU I have a 2016 Lincoln AWD 3.7L V6 I took it in to have the PTU gear oil sucked out and replaced they found that it was cracked and I couldn't drive it until they fixed it 29,000 miles on the piece of crap I'd trade it off but it's not worth anything I paid 25k for it in November 2018 it currently has 32,200 miles on it and I've lost 9 grand even though i maintain it once the oil percentage hits 50% remaining I change the oil this time it had been driven 1000 miles in 6 months. I zeroed out trip B when the PTU was done it has 50 hours on it and 1000 miles. When SHOULD I drain the PTU any ideas
I have a 13 flex limited ecoboost. 117k. I heard that they can fail around 145k. Just recently started hearing about the ptu so thank you for this video. Ill plan on taking it somewhere to have the oil changed. Is it recommended to add more than the 16-18 ounces of oil when you change it?
Thinking about buying a used Ptu for my 2008 Escape and then installing a rebuild kit into it. This so I can just swap the rebuilt with the existing. Any thought about difficulty in doing a rebuild kit, pros / cons? Can the case itself be worn so that a rebuild kit is not worth it?
If you're talking about replacing the seals, that is doable. Replacing the bearings and races would be much more difficult and require a hydraulic press.
How long does Ford warranty this PTU?My daughter just bought a 2014 with 97k on it . original owner had this PTU changed out at 42K mi . salesmen gave me a copy of all Ford service department work done on this vehicle.
I had dealer do it, its not easy task, from what I heard if you do it yourself you need ether lift and it takes day or so, or if its on the jack, and by yourself, couple of day. $1800 and I had it doe by the dealer and it comes with 2 year warranty unlimited miles
I recently changed the PTU on a 2011 Explorer. I installed the Dorman updated PTU, with heat shield and drain plug. Worst problem is removing the exhaust and rear catalytic converter without damaging the studs on it and the exhaust manifold. The nuts were exceptionally stubborn, requiring Kroil, a 1200 ft-lb impact gun, and for several of them, Irwin deep nut extractors. A 450 lb scissor style transmission jack was perfect for lifting the PTU into position, while the subframe was not dropped, the engine was raised about 2 inches to provide additional clearance. Working methodically, the entire job took three days at about 5 hrs/day.
I just bought a 2014 Edge, can you point me to any official Ford notices about this? My mechanic said he's only seen 1 PTU go bad, they are not a Ford shop, but service most all car types.
@@Pete717 I'm not looking for a dealer to do anything. I just bought a 14 with 45K miles, my mechanic believes PTUs are not a big problem, in their experience. That may be, I get it. If there's any from Ford information, I think you mentioned it, can you point me to it so I can show them?
I have just experienced my 2013 Edge PTU failure . I could sense some burning smell from the front side of car and decided to take for servicing. I had followed PTU oil replacement once in 20k kms since the car was bought new .Apparently as he rightly said, there are only 2 kinds of PTUs, one which has failed and ones which are about to fail. Oil replacement may extend the life of PTU for this particular model, but won’t prevent it.
Because there forgot to put real drain plug in it, design flaw, and to change it ourselves we go trough hell doing it. if you take it to the dealer now and ask them to change PTU oil, they will refuse.
Hi Pete, I have Ford Edge 2014 with 69K on it. I think my PTU is going bad. I am thinking to buy new OEM PTU on ebay $804 and drill and tap drain port before taking it to a mechanic and replacing it. Mayby even put somkind valve on it. Where do you think woud be good place to drill? Thank you in advance
Right when video starts, 5-6th second of it, you see PTU opened up, inside you see on the right lower area and higher on the left DONT drill the lower part on the right, gear comes too close to the bottom of the case and if your plug sticks out just hair out it will grind it, also your tap will not go in far enough to pat the threads. drill left side between two bolts you see on the bottom that are facing you, anywhere in there is good.
@@Pete717 Hi Pete, thank you very much for responding to my message and advice, I really appreciate. To be honest with you, I don't what to do. Whether should buy PTU online and do what mentioned or go to the dealer and install it (without the drill). I will have at least warranty (for the job, replacement, seals etc.) . Service later on, just sucking out through the fill port. I can not drill and tap by myself. The surface is thin, who knows, how someone will do it. I can have potential problems down the road.
@@questdental You wont have any issues, allot of people did it, my friend did it, it worked great for the service of the PTU, I have to do it soon also, its easy as specially when its on the desk and not full of fluid. go for it
@@Pete717 Thank you, I will service it (whether with drill or not every 25K) but I am worried about the drill. Someone has to do it for me. There will be only short thread, that's I am worried about. Removing it every 25K or so, can damage the thread. Don't know. Really apprecieate your advice.
My 14” TWIN-TURBO 3.5 ECOBOOST INTERCEPTOR took a shit today during reverse and drive. Grinding noise. PTU took a shit… Terrible set up. Shame on the design. Awesome cars but poor design.
Yes you need to pump it out through the same hole that you fillt up through unless you have a newer model then some of them have a drain plug and fill plug!
I change my PTU oil every engine oil change on my 2014 Explorer , so far so good, heard some people drill in a drain plug, ford should have put this in all vehicles
You can drill and tap a plug at the bottom so you can completely drain the oil.
Fishing a suction hose around the gears is too difficult and you don't get a good exchange of fluid. Do what I do, drill a hole and tap it for a new drain plug. I've done it three times. Works great.
THANKS PETE!
2008 Ford EdgeAWD here, 140kMiles, original PTU with Oil changes made easy as follows:
~ Drill+Tap PTU bottom between ExhaustPipe & TranMt, installed Fumoto10mmDrainValve.
~ Replaced 1/2"*14 FillPlug on PTU side with 1/2"*14 to 3/8"HoseBarb90 pointed upward.
~ Removed PTU TopVentCap+Rubber1Way wIth 5/8"Socket+ScrewPick, reveals 3/8"HoseBarb.
~ Installed two 3/8"OilHoses from PTU HoseBarbs to FireWall between BattTray+FuseBox.
~ Installed FiberGlassInsulationWrap around ExhaustPipe under
ear PTU.
~ Installed OilCatchCan with FIlteredVent on FireWallTopLip between BattTray+FuseBox.
~ Refilled PTU 1/2qt=16oz 75w140 HiTemp AmsOil thru above new OilCatchCan+Hoses.
~ Routinely Drain+Refill PTU at 5kMile\6Mth intervals, along with EngineOil+Filter changes.
Lol you make it sound like a chore bro. I'll pay you to do mine and I'm a master tech. So sick of working on cars that I'm now a roofer.
@@jasonredepenning You should try being a Brain\HeartSurgeon or Gambling+PornSiteProgrammerOwner; the money is a lot better than being a Roofer or MasterTech?
On my 2008 MKZ I drilled and taped a 1/8" pipe thread, in the same location. Installed a [ HELP # 61105 ] drain cock which has a pipe bib. Can now drain at same intervals as engine oil. To fill use a [ LUBRI MATIC # 55-011 ], hand pump that allows filling from bottom from a quart bottle. with recommended oil. Can also remove side fill plug and fill from bottom until oil seeps out of plug hole.
@@rdillard67 who would roof ?
@@jasonredepenning ?
Very big like very big thanks
From ford fan , Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Nicely done!!!! Very well articulated and great video on how to maintain the PTU! The SHO’s with the Performance Package has the drain plug on the bottom which is nice for sure. If you search around, you will see a lot of pictures of that bearing your missing completely disintegrated.
Side note: They changed the design on the 2016+ MY PTU’s to prevent that bearing from being eaten. And thus far, you see a lot less PTU’s being replaced.
Where is the PP PTU drain plug supposed to be?
A lot of good information about PTUs that I didn’t know.
Quick question, so when would you recommend I get my PTU fluid changed on my SHO?
My wife has a 12 explorer with just under 100k on it and I honestly had no problems with the PTU or AWD system, but I’m getting it changed and I’ll see if the transmission shop can put in a drain plug.
Great video, keep it up.
Where are you located.?can you service my ptu. I am in PA.
Can u update the ptu do the revised design?
do you happen to have SKU number for the revised version ? I cannot find it anywhere :(
Just had to change mine after smelling the smell and then hearing a HORRIBLE metal on metal racket which I guess was the bearing singing its swan song. Mechanic told me that the part in there was not the original one and had marks of a used one so seems it was already changed before I got the car. I saw it opened up and it was just blued steel, sludge and charcoal along with the smell in overdrive. Glad I found this video, will keep an eye on this and do frequent changes to this since I can do it myself.
"There are two kinds of PTUs, the ones that have failed and the ones about to fail"
you are correct!
got 140K on mine in an 04 escape 3L...but i understand how to maintain gear boxes
Wow. My 2014 Escape with 34K miles has never had the PTU fluid changed. I had no idea, but I just checked with my local repair facility and they suggest a change at 60K miles..
Ours failed at 69K. Don't wait!
On car before a failure, after seeing ur video & another video on draining & filling thru vent hose the 15 or 16 oz with Red Line, absolutely best but costly, I'll drain gear oil into measuring cup and know how much, im doing this before a failure, Ive seen & hear about often, some PTU's have no drain plug so need to pump best as possible or drill a drain if ur mechanically inclined.
Im going to drill 1/4 in hole in what looks like an aluminum soft casing, on very bottom sump, if no drain plug as u indicated, tap it & use 1/4 inch oil plug w Permatex sealer the best, used to be called aviation sealer, liquid or paste, no chance of leak, if used as directed. Remove top half of vent hose, hook to vent hose w bib & clear hose with skinny funnel, pour in the amout of red line i need, will take awhile, air will have to bubble up fill hose as gear oil enters casting. Ill heat oil to hasten the fill. No easy way to do this. Wat are Ford engineers thinking? The first PTU's out had no drain, lifetime oil and nobcooler, the newer ones do, still dont kool enuff w Cat, exhaust 1200 degrees of heat, even a electric fan might work, i may install a dash fan to blow air on unit.
2000 to 2013 as well
That looks just like my 2008 escape PTU I bet there all most the same.
My 2008 is on its 3rd PTU
now I change it every time I change the engine oil it's easy with the drain plug
The loose parts are the bearing cage & the roller bearings, the bearing flew apart. Not much hassel to rebuild, all gears wer not damaged. On net any gear, bearing u want. The casting is costly may have to machine and use larger bearing race.
Another reason why I wouldn’t buy an 13-19 FPIU or FPIS. They are absolutely junk. I can’t believe that Ford went from a reliable Crown Victoria to a POS Taurus and Explorer. It’s so bad that many smaller police departments are switching to Chevrolet Tahoes and Dodge Chargers because they can’t keep a transmission beyond 70,000 miles on the Explorers and Tauruses. They also had one fatal flaw with the EPAS failing and when that happens, it will be more difficult to steer and leave cops stranded. These cars had so many problems and they are poorly engineered. Water pumps are known to destroy the engine regardless if it’s an Ecoboost or not because they idiots at Ford thought it was a good idea to have the water pump driven by the timing chain.
It cut costs and fuel consumptions ( 2 powerful variables ). The consumers ended up subsidizing the scheme. What were they thinking? They were calculating of course.
@@tocrob I'm sure you are right. They calculated with the Pinto, too.
question: is that birch or maple holding up the PTU?
I’m glad you opened it up for us to see. I think the bearing may be bad on mine as well. When I drive especially up hill it feels like there are some damaged or chipped gear teeth. It feels like how you showed us the gears moving. I changed the fluid in it yesterday and it smelled horrible it gave me a headache. The drain plug had about half a inch of metal shavings on it and I could see metal in the fluid in the light. Not sure how much longer it will last.
Yep, its pretty much on the way out, start looking in to replacement
I just did one in a 13 ford explorer and it was smoked hardly any bearings left and no fluid at oil
It looks like a robust unit, that could last the life of the car IF you can keep the oil clean. What about drilling a hole at that low point, pipe threading it, and making your own drain plug? (No bigger than 1/4", 1/8" may be enough)
That is a common fix and I did it on my 2013 Edge. Several vids on YT explaining how to do it. Been changing the gear oil once per year. 119k miles so far.
Thanks. I'm just going to get a another FWD Model.
I have a 08 Fusion AWD with 75,000 miles and the PTU also smells like propane at times (mostly when you stop at a light or something). One thing is the smell can happen in as little time as driving 1 mile from a cold start. To me this indicates the gears or bearings are generating the heat and not the Cat (in my case). Not that the Cat would not create enough heat , just not in 1 mile of driving.
Propane smell happens with oil is burned up, its thickenns up and gets puked out from vent hole out of pto, once engine warms up ant stops, so what I say is start looking in to replacement, its matter of time now.
I liked your video on the Ford PTU. I have a 2016 Ford Taurus SHO, I bought it with 30K miles and I put 4K on it since I’ve had it, (34k miles now). I’ve tried to review the car fax on it, but it seems that it only gives general info, on the VIN number search, i.e., only schedule factory maintenance recommendations, but no real time data showing anything was done to it by anyone, seems to me like money for nothing. So I want to start doing my own scheduled maintenance so I know.
I would like to know what you think.
I want to tune my SHO to run cooler, much cooler, as cool as I can and still have good long distance open highway performance.
I want to build an original exhaust, fitted inside a larger ducting, which is then air cooled by a ram air system, located at the front of the car, or scoops on the hood. The idea being is to push all the heat out of the engine bay, off the turbos and down pipes, and blow it out the sides, ahead of the rear wheels for an original look as well. I understand the hot down pipes, trainee too, run close to the PTU; I want the whole exhaust enclosed in baffles like the old air cooled VW jugs.
I want to build an original recirculation cooler and filtration system for my PTU that is easily serviceable from the engine bay under the hood. (Open system? closed system? don’t know yet) I’m thinking about a tubing with fitting, which fits in the drain plug hole then snakes down into the bottom, lowest point in the PTU and sucks, recirculation through a cooler and filtration system during normal operation.
Also, are there better alloy performance gears for the PTU? Part numbers would be a help. I’m thinking about buying a new PTU modifying it powder coating it and then replacing the one I have in it now, I’m not having problems but I want to upgrade before any failures.
I want to powder coat my modifications as well. I took my SHO in, a few days ago, for the 20k warranty check up, but didn’t feel good about the dealer doing the work. Took it to a shop I trust and asked for a 20k factory check. I asked for a sample of the fluid to be taken from my PTU, but the shop didn’t want to service it, factory warranty crap. The shop did a great job on the fluids and filter changes but that warranty crap is preventing me from improving my cars component life time and dependability.
I would also like to log systems in real time on the cars computer and my cell phone. I don’t have tools or a clean place to work on the car but may be able to design the parts in CAD if I had good mechanical drawings.
I'm just a hobbiest not looking to piss anyone off.
I’ll keep in touch, so let me know.
Excellent video and explanation! Thank you.
I change mine every 10K starting at 20K. I've got 38K now and I'll change it when my PPE downpipes go on.
Hey Pete I got my sho in March with 15,560 it was a 2010 I thought I got a gold nugget sho one owner old couple owned it 10 years but I found out my ptu has been blown for years now I’m replacing it with 30k miles really didn’t know that it was not working till I got into the snow 😅
I had the damn thing in my hands when I changed the transmission out. Turns out the noise is coming from the transfer case and not the transmission! Lesson learned I should have cracked it apart and had a peek.
Thank you for that thorough information. I wish you showed how to remove the PTU though.
Thats no easy task, I had ford dealer do it.
I have a 2012 Mazda CX9. They suffer the same issues.
Correct, they are actually same PTU.
Need help showing how to replace powertrani for Jeep Grand Cherokee 2017. Is stuck in 4x4 low and will not get back in to normal gear. Tried everything and no luck.
I don't know much about GC powertrains, sorry
Realy very informative vlog this channel should have over 6M subscraiber
Please need another eposide to learn more how to change oil of PTU.
I have Ford Edge 2008, my quesion the PTU is same in all Ford Edge for model 2007 to 2013
Year to year and model to model is different, look for drain hole on the bottom if you dont have one, its pain and some, I need to make a vid soon. thank you
Technically Ford isn't wrong about it being a lifetime fluid. It's good for the life of the PTU, exactly how long the PTU is good for Ford doesn't say. Just my 2 cents.
LOL, PTU life expectancy 2 years, haha. Good point
Yes lol. Every Ford I've owned I have blown diffs. Just be ready
Life of the warranty
Good video.This video you say it takes 16 ounces.The video you say 18?Guess I will look it up.
Thank you for posting this informative video!!
Yes Sir!
Very informative, thank you. I have a 2011 fusion with 35k miles and started getting the propane smell at idle. Brought it to Ford they wouldn't change the fluid and also denied that it is leaking. It very clearly has a small oil spot in the cavity near the vent like you showed on yours. The leak is minor, no dripping down, but if you look from the top as you advised, it is visible by the vent . My question: is it too late ? Can I still change the fluid and expect the unit to last? Will changing it prevent further leaking from vent ?
I have a 2019 ford fusion titanium awd
I'm changing the eng oil 2 times a year and the transmission and tpu every other
I'd rather spend 50 dollars than thousands
What's funny is I blew many differentials in my 90 and 91 SHOs as well. Dam you Ford wtf.
Hi,
Are there any other symptoms that indicate the PTU is failing. I have a 2014 Taurus police interceptor and have recently noticed what almost seems like a shifting issue from completely stopped through the first couple of shifts, kind of jerky and/or hesitating. Might the PTU be the problem.
So far no leakage or propane smell yet.
Thanks
MY SECOND SOLENOID FAILED AND IT SUCKS YOU HAVE TO BUY THE WHOLE CLUSTER ALREADY GOT THE NEW ONE NOW I HAVE TO GET PROGRAMMED DAM FORDS LOL
Hi, if i'll be using the Red Line fully synthetic, will my PTU oil change interval be extended? by how much longer. thanks and stay safe!
Still change every 30k. It's only 30$
Very informative. Good job.
I have a 2018 Ford Fusion Titanium AWD and I fought with the Ford dealer because my ptu doesn’t send power to the rear anymore under load. It doesn’t give a CEL so the dealer had no idea what to do! So frustrating!
The ptu is covered under the powertrain warranty.
Why you think its not sending power to rear, explain
Thanks for this Pete. Great insight into the workings. I just changed my 2015 Explorer sport PTU lube today. Canada. Bought new.125000 kilometers/77k miles on it. Never babied, tows in the summer. The fluid came out a little discolored, still transparent but not burnt in odor at all. A small amount of iron on the drain plug (mine has one, using the breather fill method). How is it that my fluid appears still decent, but others with low miles drain really dirty, black and metallic, and have failures? Is it our climate in the North? Is it the warmer southern states seeing this cooking? Cheers.
I would say little of the iron on the plug is normal, gears do mash and produce wear, now the aluminum shavings you have to watch for, that's when your bearing gets destroyed and gears grind the PTU case itself. thank you for your feedback
@@Pete717 Turns out the reason my fluid was still good at 77K miles...I now know the PTU has a cooler. Towing package 15 Sport.
Changed mine at 55k 2015 SHO. I'm up here in Wisconsin and the fluid was not terrible either.
Thanks!
I noticed oil leak coming from my 2011 ford edge 2011 PTU on the top vent/filter side. Any suggestion if this part can be repair? Replacement kit?thanks
So at the top of the PTU there is a breather neck with rubber extension hose attached to it, at the end of the extension hose a filter, that filter gets clogged so the pressure of the ptu pushes hose off and starts puking oil out because hose is not there.
Find that hose, get it out, remove the filter completely, trust me you dont need it, and put hose back on the ptu.
Great video. New subscriber thank you!!
Hey brotha so im thinking my PTU just went out.... i had it in drive and heard a loud pop then the car would just barely move then it just stopped moving all together. I have also been smelling a gassy/propane smell while driving. I also have a 14 Taurus SHO non PP do you have the PTU part number by chance i just want to make sure i order the right part thanks for the video Brother!!!
I don't recall part number anymore, but what ever dealer order because they provide 2 year unlimited miles warranty on new PTI, so what ever they order is newest revision. Talk to your service man at ford, ask them what revision of the ptu you getting, they will explain you all, they know, trust me.
Good video, I didn’t know about that, so which gear oil did you use, the Mobile 1 or the other one?
2007 Was the first year, I have one I'm replacing right now. Ford Edge
When you wrapped your exhaust and cats did that help at reducing heat for the dreaded PTU I have a 2016 Lincoln AWD 3.7L V6 I took it in to have the PTU gear oil sucked out and replaced they found that it was cracked and I couldn't drive it until they fixed it 29,000 miles on the piece of crap I'd trade it off but it's not worth anything I paid 25k for it in November 2018 it currently has 32,200 miles on it and I've lost 9 grand even though i maintain it once the oil percentage hits 50% remaining I change the oil this time it had been driven 1000 miles in 6 months. I zeroed out trip B when the PTU was done it has 50 hours on it and 1000 miles. When SHOULD I drain the PTU any ideas
Thanks
I have a 13 flex limited ecoboost. 117k. I heard that they can fail around 145k. Just recently started hearing about the ptu so thank you for this video. Ill plan on taking it somewhere to have the oil changed. Is it recommended to add more than the 16-18 ounces of oil when you change it?
Fill until it starts to come out fill hole.
Thinking about buying a used Ptu for my 2008 Escape and then installing a rebuild kit into it. This so I can just swap the rebuilt with the existing. Any thought about difficulty in doing a rebuild kit, pros / cons? Can the case itself be worn so that a rebuild kit is not worth it?
If you're talking about replacing the seals, that is doable. Replacing the bearings and races would be much more difficult and require a hydraulic press.
How long does Ford warranty this PTU?My daughter just bought a 2014 with 97k on it . original owner had this PTU changed out at 42K mi . salesmen gave me a copy of all Ford service department work done on this vehicle.
call your dealer give them your vin they will look it up, some years have warranty recalls others dont, its very specific to your vin
How hard was it to remove the ptu ? I'm looking into getting a brand new ptu but want to save some money to DIY.
I had dealer do it, its not easy task, from what I heard if you do it yourself you need ether lift and it takes day or so, or if its on the jack, and by yourself, couple of day.
$1800 and I had it doe by the dealer and it comes with 2 year warranty unlimited miles
I recently changed the PTU on a 2011 Explorer. I installed the Dorman updated PTU, with heat shield and drain plug. Worst problem is removing the exhaust and rear catalytic converter without damaging the studs on it and the exhaust manifold. The nuts were exceptionally stubborn, requiring Kroil, a 1200 ft-lb impact gun, and for several of them, Irwin deep nut extractors. A 450 lb scissor style transmission jack was perfect for lifting the PTU into position, while the subframe was not dropped, the engine was raised about 2 inches to provide additional clearance. Working methodically, the entire job took three days at about 5 hrs/day.
Super‼️
👍😉😀
It appears as if not all models have a drain plug (The lowest area to drain) I do not have a drain plug, only a fill.
buy a 12v oil transfer pump and suck the old oil out of the fill hole
I just bought a 2014 Edge, can you point me to any official Ford notices about this? My mechanic said he's only seen 1 PTU go bad, they are not a Ford shop, but service most all car types.
ford ignores this issue and will not even do the oil change on PTO, you can ask your local dealer and good luck.
@@Pete717 I'm not looking for a dealer to do anything. I just bought a 14 with 45K miles, my mechanic believes PTUs are not a big problem, in their experience. That may be, I get it. If there's any from Ford information, I think you mentioned it, can you point me to it so I can show them?
I have just experienced my 2013 Edge PTU failure . I could sense some burning smell from the front side of car and decided to take for servicing. I had followed PTU oil replacement once in 20k kms since the car was bought new .Apparently as he rightly said, there are only 2 kinds of PTUs, one which has failed and ones which are about to fail. Oil replacement may extend the life of PTU for this particular model, but won’t prevent it.
@@jopputharappel3498 What did your shop charge for PTU fluid flush and fill?
So why does ford recommend you change the oil 30k miles, but you're having a ptu issue at 26k? Im confused
Because there forgot to put real drain plug in it, design flaw, and to change it ourselves we go trough hell doing it. if you take it to the dealer now and ask them to change PTU oil, they will refuse.
Probably depends on how you drive it. The more/longer heat cycles will break down the oil. I bet a lot of idle time will kill it faster.
@@saleens330Specially if you live in a hot weather state like Florida or Texas. Definitely a big issue.
Great video buddy.
Thank you sir! Subscribe for more
@@Pete717 You already got me bud!
Hi" if you have your axel out, can you take the oil from there?
Let me look tonight and get back to you on that
Actually after refreshing my mind with pictures I had on my phone, you can't, axels going inside the gears, can't get to the oil from there
Thanks for the info, and have a great day..
Hi Pete, I have Ford Edge 2014 with 69K on it. I think my PTU is going bad. I am thinking to buy new OEM PTU on ebay $804 and drill and tap drain port before taking it to a mechanic and replacing it. Mayby even put somkind valve on it. Where do you think woud be good place to drill? Thank you in advance
There is a good spot on the bottom where to drill, I need to do same thing to my PTO, let me figure out how to share that with you.
Right when video starts, 5-6th second of it, you see PTU opened up, inside you see on the right lower area and higher on the left
DONT drill the lower part on the right, gear comes too close to the bottom of the case and if your plug sticks out just hair out it will grind it, also your tap will not go in far enough to pat the threads. drill left side between two bolts you see on the bottom that are facing you, anywhere in there is good.
@@Pete717 Hi Pete, thank you very much for responding to my message and advice, I really appreciate. To be honest with you, I don't what to do. Whether should buy PTU online and do what mentioned or go to the dealer and install it (without the drill). I will have at least warranty (for the job, replacement, seals etc.) . Service later on, just sucking out through the fill port. I can not drill and tap by myself. The surface is thin, who knows, how someone will do it. I can have potential problems down the road.
@@questdental You wont have any issues, allot of people did it, my friend did it, it worked great for the service of the PTU, I have to do it soon also, its easy as specially when its on the desk and not full of fluid. go for it
@@Pete717 Thank you, I will service it (whether with drill or not every 25K) but I am worried about the drill. Someone has to do it for me. There will be only short thread, that's I am worried about. Removing it every 25K or so, can damage the thread. Don't know. Really apprecieate your advice.
thank you
Good bro
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
My 14” TWIN-TURBO 3.5 ECOBOOST INTERCEPTOR took a shit today during reverse and drive. Grinding noise. PTU took a shit… Terrible set up. Shame on the design. Awesome cars but poor design.
Taurus interceptor?
@@154g that’s correct.
Cat delete fixes the heat problems
@@marinusdedreu3833Yes is the only solution to the heating issue.
@@154g
The interceptors are Ecoboost AWD.
that's not a drain plug it's a fill plug. You can't drain through that plug.
I did using suction pump.
Yes you need to pump it out through the same hole that you fillt up through unless you have a newer model then some of them have a drain plug and fill plug!