Power Transfer Unit

[Padre]

Need your wisdom and insights. I have a 2013 Explorer Power Transfer Unit. What are the tell tale signs of a PTU going bad?

 

[Michael Blackburn]

Crunchy noise while driving. Propane gas smell. Big bang and oil and transmission parts under car.

Fritz

 

[mguy13sport]

You may feel a shimmy or clunkys shifts as mentioned. They usually grenade without warning for what its worth. The best advice is maintain the fluid properly.

 

[Padre]

Grateful

 

[peterk9]

Grateful

Welcome to the Forum.

Peter

 

[56_F100]

Need your wisdom and insights. I have a 2013 Explorer Power Transfer Unit. What are the tell tale signs of a PTU going bad?

As Peter said, welcome to the Forum. There is an immense amount of valuable data and photos on the PTU unit in this forum. Digest that info and make your decision on how you choose to maintain what you have.
My experience has been positive. I bought a certified pre-owned 2015 Sport from a local dealer at 43,000 miles. After reading the info available in the forum and not knowing what had been done re: changing PTU fluid, I made the first drain & fill at 49,500. Coming out, the grease was thick, coal black and contained lots of metal fuzz on the magnetic drain plug. I replaced the OEM vent line with a piece of 5/16" fuel line with worm hose clamp at the PTU. Not a fun task but it was worth the effort for making an easier refill. A subsequent fluid change at 12,000 interval shows the fluid to be dark but not black, equivalent viscosity as when it went in, but less fuzz on the magnet. The PTU has developed a slight leak but I'm unable to find the source and it is difficult to tell if the fluid is grease or trans fluid. But - the PTU is performing as it should and I feel confident that I'm doing all I can to maintain its longevity.

 

[patkelly1336]

i bought my 13 explorer used with 130k on it. i had the propane smell and it turned out the ptu was dripping mercon lv on the exhaust. they replaced the ptu for free, but sadly it appears i might be needing a new one soon. bad shifting, shuddering, hesitation, and jerking during acceleration sometimes mean the ptu is going bad. i would also look for any leaks on the ptu itself.

 

[peterk9]

i bought my 13 explorer used with 130k on it. i had the propane smell and it turned out the ptu was dripping mercon lv on the exhaust. they replaced the ptu for free, but sadly it appears i might be needing a new one soon. bad shifting, shuddering, hesitation, and jerking during acceleration sometimes mean the ptu is going bad. i would also look for any leaks on the ptu itself.

Welcome to the Forum Pat.

Peter

 

[Hans S]

I have a 2016 Explorer Sport and was getting a nasty natural gas smell outside the vehicle everytime I got out of it. 1st dealership had 3 different mechanics look at it and they couldn't smell anything. I picked it up the next day and smelled it right away after parking in my garage. 2nd dealership knew exactly what it was. PTU fluid bad. Recommend getting it changed every 30K miles, Cost around $150 I believe. It is dangerous if you don't get that fluid replaced.

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2016 Explorer Sport and was getting a nasty natural gas smell outside the vehicle everytime I got out of it. 1st dealership had 3 different mechanics look at it and they couldn't smell anything. I picked it up the next day and smelled it right away after parking in my garage. 2nd dealership knew exactly what it was. PTU fluid bad. Recommend getting it changed every 30K miles, Cost around $150 I believe. It is dangerous if you don't get that fluid replaced.

A propane-type smell is usually associated with a bad/failing PTU. Many members have begun changing PTU fluid at 30k miles. I don't believe that old PTU fluid itself gives off that smell.

Peter