2017 Ford Escape Transmission Service question - drain/fill or full swap?

[OnTheRocks]

Originally Posted by Garman
Crap! No more yellow top cap on fill port!


The vent cap is easy to access and lifts out with zero effort. And if you trust the service instructions, then you can do this the next time you change oil.

First, find the vent cap. Pull it up so that you know you can easily refill the transmission. Now make sure that whichever funnel you want to use will work.

Then plan on how you will lift and support your car. Will your jack get all the wheels off the ground and raise the car high enough for you to get under? A little more planning than just raising the front end for an oil change. You may need extra jack stands, as a lot of people don't have 4. You may need a new jack if your little jack only goes to 12" or 14". Maybe a jack which lifts up to 21".

A little more work to get the entire car up, leveled, and the tires off the ground so that they can spin freely as you shift through the gears.

Don't laugh. You may need a step stool. When jack stands are holding your car 20" off the ground; how are you going to climb up in there to start the engine and shift through the gears?

 

[DoubleNickels]

At the dealership today. Service advisor said that 6F35 transmission should be serviced every 30,000 miles. Complete fluid exchange with the machine or triple drain and fill. But not just a drain and fill. He said that it makes no sense to change less than half of any fluid. Would you drain 2 quarts of oil, and add 2 quarts, then drive around with oil that is still dirty?

 

[mrdctaylor]

Recommendations really run the gamut. I got my son's changed (full swap) at around 45K miles. I'm telling him to just do it every 50K. 30K miles is great, but I'm wondering if that is a little overkill for a full fluid swap. The manual says do it at 150K miles, so I feel like 50K miles is pretty safe, although I have no data to back it up.

 

[DoubleNickels]

In real world conditions, 150,000 miles may be too high. Whereas what a service writer recommends, 30,000 miles, may be a bit low. Some will recall that Mercon V & Mercon LV are also suppose to be "lifetime fluid". Or so they advertise that; and still recommend service intervals.

Although, FordTechMakULoco on his YouTube video also recommends 30,000 miles. Reading other internet forums, some very proactive owners are servicing at 25,000 miles.

Hard to dial in a generic number of miles, as each vehicle is different, driven by different people, in different climates, and has different operating conditions. You certainly will not hurt the transmission with ATF change at 30,000 miles.

My fluid did not look pretty coming out at 25,000 miles.

 

[DoubleWasp]

$60+fluid for a full exchange by a mechanic you trust?

I'd never bother getting under that thing again.

Sounds like you have the E-ticket right there.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted by DoubleNickels
I
My fluid did not look pretty coming out at 25,000 miles.


Was that the factory fill at 25,000 miles? I did a drain and fill of the factory fill in our 6F35 Explorer at 12,000 miles and it was REAL black. Did another D&F 10,000 miles later at 22,000 miles and it was "dark" grey this time. Did another D&F again ~10,000 miles later at 32,700 miles. This time it actually had some reddish tint to it. I used Mercon LV for the D&F's. Don't know how far I'll go next time yet. It's so easy to change the ATF cold and measure and cheap at $5/qt/$20 total for Mercon LV or Castrol Synthetic LV Ford licensed ATF. If you plan to keep your vehicle for 200,000 miles, $20 ATF changes are cheap every 15,000-30,000 miles compared to a new transmission.

Whimsey

 

[DoubleNickels]

That was the factory fill. Black like tar. I did the triple drain & fill. No reason not to. I can understand if there's no drain plug. Then you are not dropping the pan 3 times. I can't wait to see what it looks like at 50,000 miles.