'22 15k mile transmission fluid drain steps.

[billbillw]

Ok. I mean it's your truck so that's up to you. I wouldn't call driving up a mountain "Severe" conditions, though. I've been driving in the mountains of UT/CO my whole life and have always stuck to the normal intervals without any issues.

I'm not criticizing your decision, just trying to understand the logic.

Pretty much any driving other than mostly highway driving ends up pushing the maintenance to "severe duty." If you do short drives, city driving, any towing, etc. you should ere on the side of caution. OEM's tend to stretch the maintenance intervals excessively long to keep the perceived cost of ownership lower. If you plan to keep the vehicle 10+ years and want it to hit 200k miles, then you better keep up with the severe duty schedule.

I agree that 15k may be early, but it is good peace of mind to know that the fluid is fresh and to the correct fill. I plan to change all my drivetrain lubricants (not engine) around 20k initially, then every 30k after that. Engine oil will probably be every 5k due to potential fuel dilution (ecoboost). I will send out for analysis for the first few changes.

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[JP4AZ]

Pretty much any driving other than mostly highway driving ends up pushing the maintenance to "severe duty." If you do short drives, city driving, any towing, etc. you should ere on the side of caution. OEM's tend to stretch the maintenance intervals excessively long to keep the perceived cost of ownership lower. If you plan to keep the vehicle 10+ years and want it to hit 200k miles, then you better keep up with the severe duty schedule.

I agree that 15k may be early, but it is good peace of mind to know that the fluid is fresh and to the correct fill. I plan to change all my drivetrain lubricants (not engine) around 20k initially, then every 30k after that. Engine oil will probably be every 5k due to potential fuel dilution (ecoboost). I will send out for analysis for the first few changes.

Bill, Please post the results when you do the analysis. Thank You

 

[Tcm777]

I have just done my Ford Maverick 22 2.0 AWD transmission fluid drain at 15xxxmiles. I did my rear "diff" and front ptu at 13k. I HIGHLY recommend people doing the ptu and diff immediately. Both on my truck were low on fluid. (0.7qt vs 0.9-1qt to fill) and the rear diff drain bolt had a thick film of metallic debre from the magnetic catch. ( I drive respectful, and towed a small boat probably 1xxx miles of the 13xxx (1,000 pounds of people, boat, equipment).
I do not recommend buying parts from Ford. Cost more then double compared to rock auto.

The transmission fluid change is actually easy. The tranny takes ULV mercon.

1. Remove engine carpet/ undercarriage cover. T30 screws
2. Open up engine hood, remove air filter.
3. Find transmission cap. ( It will be a black rubberized cap with a red triangle on it.) *Location is just left of your battery* take cap off, it pulls right up.
4. Remove drain plug. (14 mm bolt)
5. Wait, take pride that you saved money doing yourself.
6. Re attach drain plug. (14mm)
7. Measure amount you removed. * I used a kitchen measuring cup (my cup could go to 3qt, so I measured, drained into a oil container, repeated till drain pot empty)
8. Add the amount you took out back in.
9. Start Maverick, 5 seconds in each gear. P,R,N,D. repeat going back to park. D,N,T,P. Go for a 15 minute drive, or enough to heat everything up for a bit. Keep Maverick on, in park after completion.
10. Find level plug on driver side by tire. Can get to by cranking wheel, or Remove tire. ( Remember to keep vehicle level if removing tire/ put back to level. Measure from floor to a trim line.)
11. Level bolt is a 10mm hex. It is about a foot into the wheel well. It will be next to a sticker that says "ULV mercon -_+2+'8+2w';#" (I can't speak engineer)
12. Remove bolt.
13. Allow excess to drain. *Keeping engine running while this is happening?* ( If someone disagrees, please verify.)
14. Once it is level fluid, re attach drain plug.
*Drain plug and transmission level plug are low torque. ~8# on level, not sure on drain specs. Don't uga duga them with a impact drill.
15. Post on a Maverick forum for others to say you did something completely wrong and then consider if you broke your truck.

Thanks for your time guys n gals, I am a nursing student. I am no means a professional mechanic. I used YouTube and searched for 2020/2021 Ford escape videos of 8f35 procedures as well as for front PTU/ rear Diff procedure. I do not see any information on YouTube for a true Maverick transmission, so here y'all go. If you feel pretty enough to sit in front of a camera n do this procedure for views, more power to you. I for one, am not pretty enough. . The only difference I found, is Escape drain plug is a 7/16th and Maverick was a 14mm.
Cheers.

 

[Tcm777]

I also want to play it safe. I may not change mine as early as you but have experienced giving mileage and asking cost of fluid replacement and being told yes you need to do it now. After telling them I have a warranty oh that's not covered yet. Do it anyway I tell them. If your paying out of pocket they will tell you to do it. Since I "Try" to trust them I'll go with they may think it's a good idea but Ford won't pay for it. I want to keep my Maverick a long time.

 

[Chrysler]

I also want to play it safe. I may not change mine as early as you but have experienced giving mileage and asking cost of fluid replacement and being told yes you need to do it now. After telling them I have a warranty oh that's not covered yet. Do it anyway I tell them. If your paying out of pocket they will tell you to do it. Since I "Try" to trust them I'll go with they may think it's a good idea but Ford won't pay for it. I want to keep my Maverick a long time.

My PTU n rear diff definitely needed the change. Low n very dirty. Thankfully The transmission fluid looked good, but, for about $40 dollars to swap it out I don't have a problem doing it early. Fluid was dark red, compared to light red new. On the legendary paper towel soak, it looked just fine. I know it's a little early, just given what I saw on my ptu n rear diff I was not happy driving around not knowing how the transmission was doing fluid wise. Just wanted others to know what it takes to do yourself n save some money. Everyone can stare at a manual n determine what they want the truck maintenance to be.

 

[Montana]

I posted the step by step per the manual here:

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...eck-and-service-per-the-service-manual.34319/

 

[Exranger]

When you drain the transmission, you only get half. A flush is 99%, a drain is about 50%. Correct me if I'm wrong. But yes, I did a drain. Feel free to make a post showing how to do torque converter. I merely wanted to tell people how to do a drain on maverick as there is no info on the matter with "Maverick" specifically in the title.

Yes you did a drain and fill, common in the industry. Honda’s use this process. You may or not change the filter at the same time. Flushing uses a special machine and pumps all the fluid to exchange it. Many opinions on what is right.

 

[Montana]

Yes you did a drain and fill, common in the industry. Honda’s use this process. You may or not change the filter at the same time. Flushing uses a special machine and pumps all the fluid to exchange it. Many opinions on what is right.

Tbf, The service manual has a process for flushing.

Unrelated, I did some digging on servcing the transmission filter. I knew it was going to be bad but holy crap. Just go ahead and drop the whole transmission no biggie...

If you have the service manual (If not, PM me) you have to search for "Transmission Fluid Filter" to find the info on it. Starts on page 4269 and the part number is LC3Z-7G186-A.

The next mention of it is during the breakdown process for the pump assembly. I'd share pics but it would just confuse. I'm confused. If I'm being totally honest, this is likely one transmission I'll just be having a flush done on every 30-50k. Somewhere in there... depends on when I find the motivation to walk into a shop with my eyes on the floor asking for a flush and hoping nobody acknowledges my defeat... *Waves white flag to FORD's engineering.

Pretty crazy design. Not sure how I feel about this setup. I think "uncomfortable" describes it pretty well though.

 

[TacoTanium]

OP, did you feel a difference in ride/shifting smoothness or mpg improvement after change out your AFT and rear differential fluid?

 

[Chrysler]

OP, did you feel a difference in ride/shifting smoothness or mpg improvement after change out your AFT and rear differential fluid?

I sold my maverick at 19k miles. As far as any improvements... I felt better about the vehicle. Really only difference, and that is not measurable. When it was new, Say 3 miles-> 3,000 miles I would have occasion rough shifting when towing or when starting up a hill. Very rare. One instance and then fine the rest of the day, not " wow this is terrible all the time". I drove it very soft, 30mpg all day long. I believe the system was breaking in / learning. And all I did was remove the metal flakes n old stuff. Vehicle didn't drive any better after. Transmission shifting was MAYBE smoother, but drove fine before. I thought I was keeping it forever, wanted it to be perfect, found a deal on a dodge 1500 n they REALLY wanted the maverick so I traded. Hope this helps. The differential definitely needed a fluid change. The fluid was god awful, the tranny was not bad. Just changed after feeling worried on the differential. This will be my last post. Removing account.

 

[TacoTanium]

I sold my maverick at 19k miles. As far as any improvements... I felt better about the vehicle. Really only difference, and that is not measurable. When it was new, Say 3 miles-> 3,000 miles I would have occasion rough shifting when towing or when starting up a hill. Very rare. One instance and then fine the rest of the day, not " wow this is terrible all the time". I drove it very soft, 30mpg all day long. I believe the system was breaking in / learning. And all I did was remove the metal flakes n old stuff. Vehicle didn't drive any better after. Transmission shifting was MAYBE smoother, but drove fine before. I thought I was keeping it forever, wanted it to be perfect, found a deal on a dodge 1500 n they REALLY wanted the maverick so I traded. Hope this helps. The differential definitely needed a fluid change. The fluid was god awful, the tranny was not bad. Just changed after feeling worried on the differential. This will be my last post. Removing account.

I would expect more smoother and a bit better mpg since the new oil will help produce less friction and wear, but thanks! I also plan to change my oils early as I do with all my vehicles. This one is a ford so you gotta be even more careful, lol.

 

[Barracuda340]

I am going to do this as soon as I can. Glad I found this thread. I have those ford points, may have them do a transmission machine flush this go around. On the front and rear diffs, I will do them myself on my buddies 2 post lift within the next couple weeks. I have been doing engine oil and filter changes every 3-4K and using full synthetic oil and factory ford filters. I have 16K on it. Mostly highway with a 3500 mile road trip, and 900 mile road trip. Rest is local highway, and surface streets in town about 50/50

 

[NJBob]

Great idea these transmissions do a lot of shifting.

Had an S10 where the trans went out at about 110k. Told the tech it's only a 4 cylinder. He told me it shifts alot more then a 6. Never thought of that.

 

[gp1200x]

Good thread. I had a 2013 Escape before the Maverick and the Maverick is very similar in design and parts. The PTU is one component that caused a lot of Escape failures around 80K due to heat. There was no drain plug on early ones since Ford had them as "fluid for life" ---big mistake. The gear oil overheats in these units and that causes seal failures and eventually PTU destruction.

I plan on changing PTU, rear and tranny at 30K. Do it yourself - it is cheap. For tranny I simply flush it 3 times after driving it around after each flush. Notice that this fluid usually turns black almost immediately after filling so don't expect it to get any cleaner looking after each additional flush (There are Youtube videos that talked about this.). Just do 3 total flushes and be done with it. That does a pretty good job of flushing everything in the tranny. I don't use a dealer for things I can do myself and I don't trust mechanics any more to do things correctly.

For more clearance underneath get a set of 2 piece aluminum stands with long runs for low cars. These allow the ramps to be removed for easier access underneath. You can also place 2x6 wood under the front wheel stands of the ramps to increase the height of the car or truck. I get an additional 13" of height which makes it easy to work under most vehicles. I paid $200 for these ramps but that was about 4 years ago - $500 now but there are still some good cheaper ones still out there for $200....even cheaper plastic ones at HF too. You really need ramps if you plan on doing this yourself. Jackstands are more of a hassle and you need to know where to properly place them.

 

[Sjurgen]

Ok. I mean it's your truck so that's up to you. I wouldn't call driving up a mountain "Severe" conditions, though. I've been driving in the mountains of UT/CO my whole life and have always stuck to the normal intervals without any issues.

I'm not criticizing your decision, just trying to understand the logic.

When I found the PTU oil low and lots of debris on the magnetic plug from the factory (5400 miles). And the RDU magnetic drain plug with even more debris. I also see a alarming trend & am also worried about the condition of the trans fluid level & quality. I am going to be changing it this month!

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