2013 - wet PTU

[DHG2496]

Here are a few pics.

Decided I didn't have the patience to be careful with draining, so crammed a funnel under the drain plug and threw the pic oil drain pan under that with some rags to catch and random bits that ran away.

The furry drain plug!

Managed to get the vent hose extended and add a clamp, there was nothing on the existing hose, and like @Rob_I I had no noticeable fluid around that, but the vent on the top of my hose had some very thick old oil on it.

Homemade IV drip for the Amsoil, I thought maybe a more open container might help it drain faster than a sealed bag.

A little darker than the fresh stuff. And more sparkly.

 

[DHG2496]

So here is the picture of concern related to the turbo or return line. Appears something up here (or maybe above this, like the valve cover is leaking. This is looking straight up from below the car at the bottom of the turbo.

 

[ecoboost_xsport]

Very cool!!!

FWIW, when I used the bag, I did cut an opening on the bottom to "open" it. I was just trying to minimize transferring good oil to different containers.

Good pics though!

 

[MattHoss]

Ugggh, reading all this makes my stomach churn..... I've asked my local shop about this and they have always said, the fluid is lifetime and no need to change it. They said if I really wanted it done, they would be happy to take my money, but it should be fine.... I've had my 2011 Limited since 2012 with no issues. Currently sitting at ~185,000. I'm now feeling like I need to run out to the garage now and do this... This job does not look like fun.

 

[Rob_I]

Based upon the recommendation of the amazing eccoboost_sport, my own research, and observations, I'm biting the bullet and getting a new PTU. I do not want to take any chances.

From here on, I am considering it a necessary 30k service. Maybe more often based upon these horror stories.

There are a number of posts here and youtube videos as to how to do it. The most important this is if you have a drain plug and vent. Check that first and then you'll know how horrible the job is. Fortunately I had both and drain and vent. Otherwise you need to suck it out of the fill plug which sounds painful. When you report back, then I think they collective 'we' can help with the process.

 

[ecoboost_xsport]

Yeah, just Google Ford PTU stuff and you'll get yourself sick. Ford won't typically don't it either as they will just remove and replace the PTU.

The problem really lies in, IMHO, the low amount of fluid inside of it. It takes alot of abuse and should really have more. You may be just fine, even at your high mileage, but it's hit or miss with these things. My gut instinct is telling me that it's very dependent on how you drive. I've got no science or data to back this theory, but my hunch is that when that oil exceeds a certain temperature, it begins to lose some of it's properties and that's the downward spiral...the weakest link inside that case is the idler gear bearing, hence why Ford added a cooler to the side where that bearing sits. It's helped some but once that oil goes bad, things go into a domino effect. And if you drive it hard, this is what likey accelerates the process. That PTU is just basically a gearbox directly connected to the transmission. It is always spinning when driving, regardless of how much power is being transferred to the rear wheels. It's the RDU that makes the adjustments as it is the component that has the clutch packs.

That's why I've always felt they need to add more capacity to it or get a legitimate oil cooler/heat exchanger on it.

So, short answer. Frequent oil changes will mitigate many of the failures, regardless of what a mechanic shop says...

 

[Rob_I]

An interesting thing to watch the other day was the transmission and PTU temp. I used Forscan to live monitor the PID values of the sensors. Didn't want to lug around my laptop with IDS. (Please no lectures about driving and observing my phone).

Depending on if I was actually driving or idling, the temps were in the 170 range if I recall. They did change but neither got cooking hot. I'm assuming both were actual readings and not dummy numbers since they were not both the same numbers all the time but did show very similar numbers at idle, meaning my PTU wasn't cooking hotter than the tranny in motion. Maybe something to monitor if you believe you are having PTU issues? Obviously leaking, in my case, is bad. Just an idea.

 

[DHG2496]

Very cool!!!

FWIW, when I used the bag, I did cut an opening on the bottom to "open" it. I was just trying to minimize transferring good oil to different containers.

Good pics though!

Thanks, I ended up grabbing some clean mason jars to do my measures into and also wanted to keep the extra fluid in the bag, otherwise I probably would have just lopped a corner off the bag too. One thing I didn't do at the time and now thinking I probably should have done was to throw a little locktite on that drain plug just to keep in place and sealed well. Maybe I'll just plan on doing another drain and refill once this fresh batch has had some time to float around and mix with all the old stuff that was still in there and then put some locktite on there during the next fluid change. Thanks again for all the help and answering all these questions the past few days.

 

[Rob_I]

Truth be told I forgot to put something on the threads but as ecoboost mentioned, use a Teflon tape vs thresd locking loctite. You want to seal the threads, not freeze the plug in place.

 

[Rob_I]

I tend to go overboard but I plan on getting a high temp oil safe tape of some flavor.

This seems to fit the bill

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075KLK4LK/?tag=serious-20

 

[DHG2496]

Ugggh, reading all this makes my stomach churn..... I've asked my local shop about this and they have always said, the fluid is lifetime and no need to change it. They said if I really wanted it done, they would be happy to take my money, but it should be fine.... I've had my 2011 Limited since 2012 with no issues. Currently sitting at ~185,000. I'm now feeling like I need to run out to the garage now and do this... This job does not look like fun.

I was a little apprehensive of doing this myself but also reading the many threads on this PTU issue, I decided it had to be done and with so many people saying dealers/shops wouldn't as it was lifetime fluid, outrageous prices, and also the great write ups here, I decided I could do this myself.

The hole process cost me $30 ($20 for Amsoil, $10 in hose and hose clamps from Napa) and took about 3-4hrs to drain and refill. I just took care of adding the new hose while the PTU drained, which is hard to reach and took 30 minutes of me maneuvering around, dropping wrenches and screwdrivers on my face (amazing I still have all my teeth), ate some lunch, hooked up the container to fill, waited, had a drink, closed everything up. It wasn't really that bad, really most of it was just waiting on the fluid to come out and go in.

 

[Rob_I]

Soooo...

In my search for a new PTU, I called Tasca. (Best price for a new PTU at $843.55 + shipping, unless another dealer on here has one handy *wink*) The very helpful rep mentioned that the updated stronger better PN eccoboost gave me, DG1Z-7251-F, doesn't show as the 'correct' PTU factory for my vehicle and referenced the original as-built one, DB5Z-7251-G, which shockingly is still in stock and sold. I mentioned the backward compatibility that it is supposed to be and the rep couldn't comment. Not that I expected confirmation of that, but be mindful if you do need a new PTU they will probably try to put the old design in.

Delivery is delayed due to massive delays from Ford since this is a special order item. A week and a half to Tasca in RI, then about 1 day to me in NH.

Insert many more NSFW emojis:

 

[peterk9]

Soooo......................................................
In my search for a new PTU, I called Tasca. (Best price for a new PTU at $843.55 + shipping, unless another dealer on here has one handy *wink*)
........................................

AutoNation Ford has it for $112.76 less at $730.79. They are usually the lowest cost on parts.

2013-2019 Ford Transfer Case Assembly DB5Z-7251-G | Auto Nation Ford White Bear Lake

2013-2019 Ford part # DB5Z-7251-G - Transfer Case Assembly

parts.autonationfordwhitebearlake.com

Peter

 

[Rob_I]

Fk. Tasca already had my money. For future reference then. However shipping times from RI to NH is 1 day vs from MN which would be, I dunno. I'm trying to minimize downtime which is already considerable

 

[ecoboost_xsport]

Yeah, it kind of varies on different parts. For me I bounce between 5 or 6 different retailers. Sometimes price is cheaper but shipping is more or vice versa. I just build a few different shopping carts and see which one is cheapest out the door. Rock Auto is generally pretty cheap too.

 

[ecoboost_xsport]

Fk. Tasca already had my money. For future reference then. However shipping times from RI to NH is 1 day vs from MN which would be, I dunno. I'm trying to minimize downtime which is already considerable

So did you end up going with the new one or old one?

 

[Rob_I]

I went with the "new" one DG1Z-7251-F.

 

[DHG2496]

I tend to go overboard but I plan on getting a high temp oil safe tape of some flavor.

This seems to fit the bill

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075KLK4LK/?tag=serious-20

I'm assuming regular teflon tape is probably not rated for the kind temps that the PTU and surrounding area near the exhaust will get, Just wondering as I have a bunch of the regular teflon tape from plumbing projects and thought about using that for now, but I think the high temp stuff makes a lot more sense and do it right the first time.

 

[Rob_I]

That was my thought too. White = meh. But compared to NO teflon, something is better than nothing IMO. Since my PTU is being replaced, I'll be mindful during my YEARLY maintenance.

Made a thread about it in case you or anyone else following this thread missed it.

PTU differences - turbo vs N.A.

LONG story short, I'm replacing my PTU due to a semi significant leak. The amazing ecoboost_xsport and I have been going back and forth with this. I have a 2013 PIU 3.7L non-turbo - my PTU has a cooler and drain plug. The major question is, what is the difference in PTU's for Explorers WITH a...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[peterk9]

I'm assuming regular teflon tape is probably not rated for the kind temps that the PTU and surrounding area near the exhaust will get, Just wondering as I have a bunch of the regular teflon tape from plumbing projects and thought about using that for now, but I think the high temp stuff makes a lot more sense and do it right the first time.

Plumber's Teflon tape seems to be good to 500 F according to what I've found. Melting point is shown as 620 F. I have no idea how hot the PTU actually gets though.

can plumbers teflon tape take heat - Google Search

Peter