PTU oil change after 30k miles… how is this supposed to be lifetime fluid?



Because Ford says so, but we all know better lol

Valentina said:
Because Ford says so, but we all know better lol

PTU fluid lasts about 80k miles… if you don’t change it.

Dashiell said:

Valentina said:
Because Ford says so, but we all know better lol

PTU fluid lasts about 80k miles… if you don’t change it.

Yeah, my first PTU made it to 80k even though I changed the fluid at 60k… still failed. Bought my Explorer at 46k, and it had a whine from the PTU area the whole time. Ford dealership in Yukon, OK was useless. They couldn’t fix anything. It finally got replaced along with the torque converter around 80k. The Ford dealer in El Reno was way better.

The PTU in the 3.5 engines is known for failing. Low fluid and too much heat destroy the bearings. Changing it every 30k is smart. I’ve replaced a lot of these.

Drill and tap a drain plug. Makes life easier. I use the ones from a 6F transmission. Change it once a year. 75w140 is a good choice.

BellaCruiser said:
Drill and tap a drain plug. Makes life easier. I use the ones from a 6F transmission. Change it once a year. 75w140 is a good choice.

Wait, so people actually use different oil weights in these PTUs? I had some RP stuff left over but picked up some 75w140 full synthetic from Atwoods for next time. Also got 75w90 for the rear diff. The old fluid looked nasty. Got a full quart in before it started flowing out the fill plug. That hand pump was a pain.

@Leah
Pretty sure they came factory filled with 80w90… gross.

BellaCruiser said:
@Leah
Pretty sure they came factory filled with 80w90… gross.

I meant 75w90 for the diff, not 80w90 (typo). But wait, they really put 90w oil next to a catalytic converter and thought it wouldn’t cook itself in 30k miles? That barely lasts in a rear diff.

@Leah
80w90 is cheap. Cars aren’t designed by engineers… they’re designed by accountants.

BellaCruiser said:
@Leah
80w90 is cheap. Cars aren’t designed by engineers… they’re designed by accountants.

Ahhh makes sense. At least I’m not driving a Chevy.

Yeah, definitely not lifetime fluid. I change mine every 20-25k.

Bellamy said:
Yeah, definitely not lifetime fluid. I change mine every 20-25k.

That’s pretty often, but if it keeps it running longer, makes sense.

Leah said:

Bellamy said:
Yeah, definitely not lifetime fluid. I change mine every 20-25k.

That’s pretty often, but if it keeps it running longer, makes sense.

I have the 3.5, and with how little fluid it holds and how close it is to the catalytic converter, I just prefer changing it often. These things are a nightmare to replace.

@Bellamy
I should probably look into adding a drain plug someday…

Leah said:
@Bellamy
I should probably look into adding a drain plug someday…

I saw a video years ago where a guy drilled a hole in the bottom of a Ford Edge PTU case, tapped threads into it, and flushed it before refilling with synthetic fluid. Anyone know if the Explorer PTU is the same as the Edge?

@Dashiell
It’s the same process.