I have a 2018 2.5L with almost 70k miles, and everything seems fine, except for the hard shift in the mornings when it’s cold. I haven’t done a drain and fill yet, and I’m worried that doing it now might cause issues. Should I be concerned, or is it okay to schedule it with my next oil change?
I think a drain and fill should be fine. Just avoid doing a full flush.
I plan on doing mine every other oil change, regardless of the cost. It’s important to keep the transmission in good shape. I have a 2016 S 2.5L with 71,000 miles.
Christian said:
I plan on doing mine every other oil change, regardless of the cost. It’s important to keep the transmission in good shape. I have a 2016 S 2.5L with 71,000 miles.
I also do a drain and fill every other oil change. I have a 2018 Ford Ecosport that I bought used with 38,000 miles on it, and I think it helps keep the transmission running smoothly.
There are lots of forums discussing this, and the general consensus is that if your transmission isn’t acting up, a drain and fill won’t cause harm, even at 70k miles. I did mine at 150k without any issues. However, if you’re having transmission problems, a drain and fill won’t fix them. Check the fluid’s color—if it’s red, it’s good to change it; if it’s brown and smells burnt, don’t change it and expect issues soon.
I did a drain and fill on my wife’s Fusion at 135k miles, as it had never been done before. It was just fine and even helped smooth out a hard shift from 1st to 2nd. Don’t do a flush though, and you should never do one anyway.
I bought my 2017 used with 150k miles. I did a drain and fill with no issues.
My 2018 needed a new transmission at 80,000 miles. After getting the new one, I drained and filled it after just 12,000 miles, just because.
It’s never too late. I’m almost at 70k miles and will do mine as soon as spring comes.
Do a drain and fill using Motorcraft Original Mercon LV, and add a container of Lube Guard Synthetic Protectant. It works great.
@Damon
I’ve done this with four Fusions (2.0T, 2.5L, and 3.0L engines), and they all shifted much better after.
I’m at 130k miles and I’m wondering the same thing. I have the same hard shift in the mornings when it’s cold. I want to do a drain and fill, but I’m a little scared.
My shifting issues disappeared when I turned off the adaptive learning on the transmission using Forscan.
esleystanley said:
My shifting issues disappeared when I turned off the adaptive learning on the transmission using Forscan.
How do you turn off adaptive learning? I feel like 1-2 shifts are fine, but it stays in 2nd for too long before shifting to 3rd, and 3-4 isn’t smooth either. I think it’s just a poorly timed shift.
@Ari
You’ll need a laptop running Windows and a Forscan adapter. I use my MacBook with Forscan, and you get a free month of it. You can turn off adaptive learning in the Forscan software.
esleystanley said:
@Ari
You’ll need a laptop running Windows and a Forscan adapter. I use my MacBook with Forscan, and you get a free month of it. You can turn off adaptive learning in the Forscan software.
Thank you!
I did mine at 95k miles, probably for the first time, and it made a huge difference. The torque converter response is much better and the shifts are smoother. It’s still a bit harsh when cold, but it warms up faster and shifts better. I also don’t get the jerky 5/6 shifts like I did before.
I didn’t do mine until 80k, but I wish I had done it earlier.
Drain and fill should be fine. Just avoid doing a flush and fill. Only take out 5 quarts at most.
Carlos said:
Drain and fill should be fine. Just avoid doing a flush and fill. Only take out 5 quarts at most.
Why should I avoid a flush and fill? I just bought an 18 with 70k miles and I’m trying to figure out what I should and shouldn’t do.