Change your PTU (Power Transfer Unit) / RDU (Rear Drive Unit) OIL!

[Montana]

Honda wants $150 for transmission, $180 for rear dif, $150 for brake fluid, $120 for coolant (2015 CRV and 2016 HRV) They are all simple to do.
I haven't asked my Ford dealer yet but their hourly rate is $215 on hybrids so I will be doing my own maintenance.

Yea that is how I got my family started on doing their own maintenance for their RAM 2500... oil changes and fuel filter changes came out to about $600. Ridiculous.

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[A.Bursell]

Thanks for the all the info shared!

I changed my PTU and RDU fluids this weekend at 3k miles. My RDU fluid looked ok, the magnet looked similar to the OP's, replaced with Ford 75w fluid. My PTU magnet did not look nearly as bad as the OP - fluid looked ok, but there was definitely material on the magnet. Replaced with Amsoil 75w90 severe gear oil. Changes were pretty straightforward, as usual access was the hardest part, but the pictures and videos linked on here helped.

The only "issue" that I ran into is the fill plug on the PTU. The service manual I have says to torque to 133 in lb then 360 degrees. I torqued to spec, but then went for the extra turn and by the time I was about 270 degrees around I felt it was too tight, so I left it. Not sure if that procedure changed or I read it wrong, but I'm not going any tighter and it's definitely not leaking! I did NOT want to strip that plug. Thoughts?

 

[Packer Bill]

My Ford charges $400 to change the PTU and RDU oil.

 

[bgn]

My Ford charges $400 to change the PTU and RDU oil.

That is insane.

 

[Montana]

Thanks for the all the info shared!

I changed my PTU and RDU fluids this weekend at 3k miles. My RDU fluid looked ok, the magnet looked similar to the OP's, replaced with Ford 75w fluid. My PTU magnet did not look nearly as bad as the OP - fluid looked ok, but there was definitely material on the magnet. Replaced with Amsoil 75w90 severe gear oil. Changes were pretty straightforward, as usual access was the hardest part, but the pictures and videos linked on here helped.

The only "issue" that I ran into is the fill plug on the PTU. The service manual I have says to torque to 133 in lb then 360 degrees. I torqued to spec, but then went for the extra turn and by the time I was about 270 degrees around I felt it was too tight, so I left it. Not sure if that procedure changed or I read it wrong, but I'm not going any tighter and it's definitely not leaking! I did NOT want to strip that plug. Thoughts?

Let the thread sealer do its job. I think I went another quarter turn and called it good. No leaks, no issues.

My Ford charges $400 to change the PTU and RDU oil.

I truly believe these places charge so much in the hopes that you avoid it and leave the fluid in for long periods so when the warranty is up they can just bill you for a replacement part. Too many mechanics take those "lifetime fluid" intervals as gospel now days.

 

[Packer Bill]

I truly believe these places charge so much in the hopes that you avoid it and leave the fluid in for long periods so when the warranty is up they can just bill you for a replacement part. Too many mechanics take those "lifetime fluid" intervals as gospel now days.

I think you are correct...they should charge $200 at the most. They claimed the PTU was sealed by the factory and the oil did not need to be changed.

 

[bgn]

I think you are correct...they should charge $200 at the most. They claimed the PTU was sealed by the factory and the oil did not need to be changed.

That's concerning, given the Bronco Sports and the Escapes (with AWD) have the same type of setup and the same type of failures in high mileage units.

 

[bckrupps]

I paid $300 plus tax for PTU and RDU fluid change and tire rotation. It was worth it to me because not only do I not have a garage or the tools now but they also picked it up and brought it back 4 hours later and I never had to leave the apartment. Much better than sitting at the dealer half a day or more. I have 10k miles on my 22. I will definitely double the mileage at least the second time I do it but I know it’s full and they also did a full inspection while on the lift to check for anything else while it’s under warranty.

 

[nunucello]

Hey MTC,

There are a number of posts on here about the poor PTU/RDU fluids & wear from the factory and I wanted to add some fuel to the flame. I changed mine at ~13,000 miles and it was not in good shape (see pictures below). The PTU definitely seemed underfilled, had metallic debris, and a ton of sludge on the magnetic drain plug. The process was pretty simple, and definitely something you should do as part of your break-in fluid changes or with your first oil change (ideally before 5k miles).

You can also see some examples of higher mileage Mavericks that are already hitting transmission trouble. Daniel Deliverz has a great YouTube channel on the Mav (check it out here) and his blew at ~85,000 miles! (turns out this may not have been a blown transmission, but there is still a ton of gunk in these units.) He ran what I'd call "medium" duty, and hadn't swapped any trans fluids.

Simple explanation: a PTU (Power Transfer Unit) and RDU (Rear Drive Unit) are what transfer the engine & axial rotation that runs along the car, out sideways to power both wheels. Only the AWD version will have an RDU as they power all 4 wheels.

The Problem: In the Mav, the PTU is in a spot that sees a lot of heat from the engine/exhaust (causing oil to break down faster) and a lot of owners are reporting their trucks are coming from the factory with lower levers of oil. Both PTU & RDU systems are also always spinning, even if they aren't being powered. Meaning, they constantly need oil to stay lubricated, no matter if you're only running the front wheels, just doing normal driving, or idling (I think) . Plus, I saw a good amount of fine metallic debris/sludge that will create increased wear over time since there really isn't a filter in either unit (just a magnet). This is even more critical if you plan on towing or doing lots of "truck" stuff.

If you want your truck to last, change these oils ASAP!

How-to: There is already a great YouTube video on this by Dad's Garage that covers all the steps. This 1 is for the PTU and this 1 for the RDU. I don't have a lift, but was still able to do it with a jack & jack stands. Main difference is keeping the truck more-or-less level; so try not to jack it up too high. Also, make sure to pick-up an oil pump (something like this) as it will be near impossible to get the new oil in without it. I used OEM Motorcraft 75W Disconnect Rear Drive Unit Fluid (XY75WQL) for the RDU and Red Line 50104 75W85 GL-5 (Amazon) for the PTU. A lot of people recommend sticking with OEM for both, but I've had a lot of success in high heat applications using Red Line oil on my 2-stroke. Ultimately it's your call, but these fluids are OEM for good reason. You shouldn't need any additives as both motorcraft and red line already include the "friction modifiers" and such. Additionally, I wouldn't change to any other weight oil as these are very low volume systems that are engineered to perform a very specific way.

1. Remove the Fill Plugs: After you jack up the car, remove the FILL plug first. This prevents you being stranded if you can't get it off after draining. You'll need an 8 mm hex for the PTU plug and a pretty long ~10" extender. The RTU is the 3/8 drive right from the ratchet.
2. Drain the Oil: Remove the drain plug with the 3/8" ratchet drive and catch the oil. Take a look at it, the volume, and what's collected on the magnet of the drain plug.
3. OPTIONAL- Flush: I used pump to flush the system with a little bit of oil as you don't need a full quart for the refill.
4. Fill with Oil: After thoroughly cleaning the drain plug, screw it back in. The PTU has a rubber gasket on the plug, but I used some teflon tape for the RTU as I didn't have any sealing compound. Make sure to keep the teflon off the magnet and out of the system as much as possible. I don't know the torque specs of this drain plug, but it should be 1/4-1/2 turn over snug. Don't crank it down as it's a nightmare if stripped.
Fill both until the oil starts to come out (fill to spill) as there is no dipstick. It took ~2/3 of a quart to fill each unit.
5. Install Fill Plug: Same as the drain plug, I added some teflon tape (only at the top) to make a better seal, but you can use a sealing compound as well.

Done! should only take about 30 min once the truck is jacked up.

PTU Pictures:
Drain plug had a healthy amount of build up (smudged with my thumb to show the depth), metallic particles in the oil (the "swirls" in the 2nd photo), and a considerably lower quantity than what I added back. This concerned me the most as it's the one that gets the hottest and powers the primary wheels. I'm glad I changed this and wish I had done it closer to 5k miles.

RDU Pictures:
Drain plug had a good amount of build up and the oil had a metallic color from fine particles (hard to capture without a video). Also saw some sludge at the bottom of the oil bucket. Fluid volume seemed to match what I added.

Thanks for reading!

Outstanding. Thank you for making this post and video. Much appreciated.

 

[nunucello]

Do you need a lift to change the PTU oil ? Can it be done just on a level driveway ? Thank You.

 

[Montana]

Do you need a lift to change the PTU oil ? Can it be done just on a level driveway ? Thank You.

Ramps or on jackstands would certainly help. The RDU can be reached easily enough without the need for a lift. Personally I had to lift the front and same for when I do oil changes.

 

[nunucello]

Ramps or on jackstands would certainly help. The RDU can be reached easily enough without the need for a lift. Personally I had to lift the front and same for when I do oil changes.

Thank You. I have ramps for the two front tires. Is it ok that I am not level for PTU ?

 

[Montana]

Thank You. I have ramps for the two front tires. Is it ok that I am not level for PTU ?

You'll be fine.

 

[BirdDog]

Called a Ford dealer today and asked about changing the PTU and RDU oil on an AWD Maverick and you would think I was speaking a foreign language. After lots of explaining, at some point they quoted me $250 for the front and $250 for the rear. Got the feeling this is the price they quote when something is not on the menu.

 

[nunucello]

You'll be fine.

Thank You Montana

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