No transfer case drain plug?

A

AJB0009

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Feb 6, 2020
Messages
390
Location
Charlotte, NC
I did a quick search, but didn't see where anyone had talked about this.
I just purchased a 2011 Ford Escape AWD in SC (no rust) for my sister-in-law up in WI.
I'm doing some maintenance stuff on it before driving it up to WI for her. About 132k miles on it. 3.0L V-6.
I was going to change the transfer case fluid (only holds about 12 ounces, I guess). There is no drain plug!
There is a fill plug on the side, but no drain on the bottom.
There are YT videos of people changing the fluid in 2009's, etc. You can see on my case where the drain plug used to be (for example on the 2009 in the video), but they apparently made a production change and eliminated the drain plug.
Really, Ford engineers? Really?
(Side note: full syn 75W140 Motorcraft gear oil from a Ford dealer is $30.59 MSRP per quart! That is liquid gold!)
 
That's to bad for the DIYer.
With it being AWD, their is also a Differential (between rear wheels), correct ?
I believe the Transfer Case you mention is near Transmission and Engine.

I just bought a 2021 Escape FWD and believe the Transfer Case was redesigned 'with' a drain plug.
And YES, that's expensive fluid.

Their are some good You-Tube videos showing why you should change these fluids.
The 12 ounce of oil can get cooked into 12 ounce of grease.

Here is another post with the same issue.

Ford AWD PTU lubricant change - first time in 100K miles

This may have been posted, but I thought I would take a crack and see if I had anyone out there who can give me a solid answer. I am changing the PTU fluid in my new to me 2011 Ford Edge. For those not familiar this is a huge engineering error. They shrouded the AWD PTU in heat (exhaust...
bobistheoilguy.com
 
Last edited:
MasterSolenoid said:
That's to bad for the DIYer.
With it being AWD, their is also a Differential (between rear wheels), correct ?
I believe the Transfer Case you mention is near Transmission and Engine.

I just bought a 2021 Escape FWD and believe the Transfer Case was redesigned 'with' a drain plug.
And YES, that's expensive fluid.

Their are some good You-Tube videos showing why you should change these fluids.
The 12 ounce of oil can get cooked into 12 ounce of grease.

Here is another post with the same issue.

Ford AWD PTU lubricant change - first time in 100K miles

This may have been posted, but I thought I would take a crack and see if I had anyone out there who can give me a solid answer. I am changing the PTU fluid in my new to me 2011 Ford Edge. For those not familiar this is a huge engineering error. They shrouded the AWD PTU in heat (exhaust...
bobistheoilguy.com
Click to expand...
You are correct. There is a traditional rear diff (though it is independent rear suspension).
The transfer case is up front, right behind the engine.
I couldn't agree more; only 12 oz. of fluid can get destroyed pretty quickly.
 
AJB0009 said:
I did a quick search, but didn't see where anyone had talked about this.
I just purchased a 2011 Ford Escape AWD in SC (no rust) for my sister-in-law up in WI.
I'm doing some maintenance stuff on it before driving it up to WI for her. About 132k miles on it. 3.0L V-6.
I was going to change the transfer case fluid (only holds about 12 ounces, I guess). There is no drain plug!
There is a fill plug on the side, but no drain on the bottom.
There are YT videos of people changing the fluid in 2009's, etc. You can see on my case where the drain plug used to be (for example on the 2009 in the video), but they apparently made a production change and eliminated the drain plug.
Really, Ford engineers? Really?
(Side note: full syn 75W140 Motorcraft gear oil from a Ford dealer is $30.59 MSRP per quart! That is liquid gold!)
Click to expand...
FORD has a better idea.....................
 
You don't have a transfer case, you have a PTU. Use 75-140 fluid and suck the old fluid out via the fill plug, you'll have to adapt a pretty small diameter hose to the pump, go into the fill hole on a 4 o'clock down angle and rotate the drain hose as you are feeding it in, you have to get past the gear to reach to bottom of the PTU case.
 
wwillson said:
Remove as much of the old fluid with a vacuum extractor. The rear differential on my 2021 Chevy 3500 has no drain plug, grrrrr. I bought this extractor and to say it works well is a vast understatement.

SKF

www.skf.com www.skf.com
Click to expand...
This.

Bad design by Ford, that fluid in a small sump with no cooling gets cooked. Replace at least every 30k miles and cross your fingers. Lots of these units fail early, some catastrophically.
 
Kuato said:
This.

Bad design by Ford, that fluid in a small sump with no cooling gets cooked. Replace at least every 30k miles and cross your fingers. Lots of these units fail early, some catastrophically.
Click to expand...
I've got 140K on one in an 04 Escape(3L 4x4), original owner, it has been on a 30K service interval since new. Still has the original transmission as well.
 
Two dealers near me told me they've never changed that fluid and have never heard of anyone doing so. I'm not sure why there are a thousand Youtube vidoes about it then :rolleyes:
 
I wish my 2019 Nissan Pathfinder's T-case held 12oz of gear oil. I've never been able to get more than 8oz in it before it starts dribbling out the fill plug. Luckily it's got a drain plug. The fill plug is a pain to access though. I have to use between 2 and 3 feet of extensions to get at it, then you need a long piece of hose to snake around and into the fill plug for refilling.

"If towing a trailer, using a camper or car-top or driving on rough or muddy roads", Nissan recommends changing the transfer case fluid every 20K miles or 24 months. No normal change interval listed. Just "inspect" every 10K miles. There is no way to inspect other than to drain/fill.

Like most things Nissan, you hear of them failing in 45K miles, then there's folks who never touched them and they're at 200K+ miles.
 
I believe you just have to suck the fluid out with an extractor. Id look at the manual and see what it says. I know on my wife's '06 Escape, the transmission, for example, was sealed for life, had no drain or fill plugs and basically you replaced the fluid when the transmission failed.
FWIW, she drove that thing hard and it still make it 180K before the transmission started to fail. It slowly started to slip more and more over time and got to where it was almost undrivable. She took it in to get it looked at and they basically told her to trade it in because the repair cost was more than the vehicle was worth. LOL
 
Maybe if you're fluid is already pasty, extract, refill, drive around until it's hot, and extract & refill again. 12oz isn't a lot, & is quickly contaminated by leftovers.
 
Not so sure on the comments concerning 12oz fluid. BMW X drives are 16oz lockers. While lots of BMW issues, X drive is pretty robust through a long span of time.

So far, 103k on Outback and AWD is in good shape. Not a fan it shares a bath with CVT sump. But it works.

Agree, no drain plug is not ok!!
 
I'm getting my info from watch fordtechmoko on YouTube . He removed one and drilled and tapped the case . It was really a stinking mess .
 
Option 1 use a piece of aquarium tube and suck out as much fluid as you can . Do it twice. Kids are useful as they are suprised how bad the fluid tastes.

Opt 2. Drill a 3/8 hole in the bottom. And either duct tape or epoxy the hole shut. Then refill.

Opt 3. What fluid ?
 
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