2011 Focus MT - Change fluid at 20k?

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SwampSurvivor

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I'm closing in on 20k miles on my 2011 Focus ... currently at 19500, will be probably at 20,100 by the end of next week.

I'm used to trucks and Jeeps (sans the car NSG-370 manual) that use gear oil forever.

Ford doesn't specify the need to change the fluid on this, well, forever.

I have heard of people getting better shifts by swapping out the FF transmission fluid and putting in the motorcraft transmission fluid.

I have been having shifting problems with this car (going into 2nd gear) so anything that isn't in the owner's manual isn't going to fly.

Would it be worth it or a waste of money to swap out the transmission fluid at 20k? I figure it would get a lot of the manufacturing stuff out.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I'm closing in on 20k miles on my 2011 Focus ... currently at 19500, will be probably at 20,100 by the end of next week.

I'm used to trucks and Jeeps (sans the car NSG-370 manual) that use gear oil forever.

Ford doesn't specify the need to change the fluid on this, well, forever.

I have heard of people getting better shifts by swapping out the FF transmission fluid and putting in the motorcraft transmission fluid.

I have been having shifting problems with this car (going into 2nd gear) so anything that isn't in the owner's manual isn't going to fly.

Would it be worth it or a waste of money to swap out the transmission fluid at 20k? I figure it would get a lot of the manufacturing stuff out.


It should be under warranty still. Bring it to the dealer to determine. They might change it for you for free if there is a mechanical issue.
 
I'm about 95% sure that takes motorcraft Manual trans fluid, XT-M5-QS. The stuff is not cheap but it is the bees knees for a gearbox that requires a fluid that it specs for.
 
I'd personally change it, esp if the gears feel notchy. Getting the FF as well as all the metallic bits outta there will only be a plus at this point.

With the new fluid in there, you can then proceed to follow your own OCI based on how the transmission feels. (If you start having the same issue as you're having now, replace the fluid to help eliminate the issue.

When i had my 07 Civic Si (known to have gear synchronizer problems) i'd replace the manual transmission fluid with Amsoil MTF every 15-20k city miles. It would instantly improve gear feel and allow everything to engage MUCH smoother and easier.

I kept this up until 110k when i got rid of the car for other reasons. The transmission was performing perfectly with fresh fluid in there at all times.

Some cars just can't handle long OCIs.

Just my
49.gif
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: tig1
Mobil 1 ATF should work well.


Negative, this manual gearbox does not take an ATF, it takes a 75w90 based MTF.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: tig1
Mobil 1 ATF should work well.


Negative, this manual gearbox does not take an ATF, it takes a 75w90 based MTF.


Sorry, DPARM first posted ATF but then changed it. I just noticed that.
 
Some Fords came with the good stuff, and some not.
This fluid is not cheap, but I'd go with it and change it out now.
Give it up to 500 miles to get in the pores of the metals before passing judgment..
It should be a step up.
And no harm could be done.
 
I changed my FF of gear oil at about 500 miles on my Civic.
I put in Amsoil MTF and never looked back. Shift quality is perfect and cold weather shifting is seamless. I'll probably change it again this summer sometime as it will have about 70K KMs on it by then.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: tig1
Mobil 1 ATF should work well.


Negative, this manual gearbox does not take an ATF, it takes a 75w90 based MTF.
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: tig1
Mobil 1 ATF should work well.


Negative, this manual gearbox does not take an ATF, it takes a 75w90 based MTF.


Sorry, DPARM first posted ATF but then changed it. I just noticed that.


cheers3.gif
all is well.
 
Ford calls for only their "special" fluid - everything I've read says it really is the bees knees for this transmission ... even the folks who build them up for the aftermarket.

I'm looking at $40 for a transmission drain and fill - and that's only for 2 quarts! I can drain and fill the transmission on my cherokee for only $10!

I already have a pump to do this so next time I'm at the parents place I'll pump it out and replace the fluid and see how it goes.

Originally Posted By: Artem
I'd personally change it, esp if the gears feel notchy. Getting the FF as well as all the metallic bits outta there will only be a plus at this point.

With the new fluid in there, you can then proceed to follow your own OCI based on how the transmission feels. (If you start having the same issue as you're having now, replace the fluid to help eliminate the issue.

When i had my 07 Civic Si (known to have gear synchronizer problems) i'd replace the manual transmission fluid with Amsoil MTF every 15-20k city miles. It would instantly improve gear feel and allow everything to engage MUCH smoother and easier.

I kept this up until 110k when i got rid of the car for other reasons. The transmission was performing perfectly with fresh fluid in there at all times.

Some cars just can't handle long OCIs.

Just my
49.gif



I have some issues getting into 2nd gear. I am pretty sure it's a sychro as the MTX75 doesn't have the strongest synchros and I did a lot of stop and go when I got the car. However, the dealer replaced the shifter cables and called it a day.

I had it to the dealer once but they didn't change the fluid.

The transmission is under warranty until 50k ... I'm going to keep bringing it back until they rebuild / replace the transmission if I continue to have issues shifting into 2nd gear.
 
Last edited:
I had a 2007 focus zx3 MT that came with the reject MTF in it..

I changed it to redline MTL? and I liked it better.. than FF

after 20000miles I changed it to the MC fluid thats 16$/pt(I think I might misremember)

and it was even better than the redline for that application.

the expensive FORD MTF was 100% worth it and an upgrade even over the redline I used.

I dont think you need a pump..
it should have fill and drain plugs unless they changed something.

what I did was drained it.. then took 3ft of tubing with a funnel on it and had my "helper" add fluid till I saw it was full. their listed quantity was accurate within .1qt or so.
 
Last edited:
FWIW I have the Ford MTF in my Volvo's M66 76 speed gearbox and it feels great. I am super picky about manual gearboxes and how they feel and shift. I am planning on changing it out when I hit 120K along with the rest of the fluids.
 
I'll have to head up to the local dealer and buy some to put in.

There are some times where this car will *not* go into second gear. I refuse to shift with anything less than fingertip pressure.
 
I had similar problem with my Accord. Every now and then, it just won't shift into 3rd gear. Looked in several web dedicated to Honda or specifically to Accord, lots of people reccomends the GM synchromesh and the next best thing is the Pennzoil MTF Synchromesh. Sure, there are some other brand that may work well, too.

After the change, I felt the car like a brand new again.
 
Have you even talked to the dealer about this ? Messing with it yourself might void your warranty . Get it looked at first , that is what your warranty is for .
 
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