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

[sanpablo]

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

I believe the Mav should be level when doing the PTU, RDU, transmission. If you are on ramps in the front I would have jack stands in the back to make it as level as possible.

Sponsored

 

[A.Bursell]

I believe the Mav should be level when doing the PTU, RDU, transmission. If you are on ramps in the front I would have jack stands in the back to make it as level as possible.

I actually have 2 sets of ramps and when I did mine I used all four to keep it level. That's not that exciting. But I was impressed because I was able to climb up all four at the same time! Neat little truck. I also thought it was important to be level. With how little fluid the PTU and RDU take, I wanted to get it right.

 

[gp1200x]

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.

Yeh...way overpriced for a fairly easy change for anyone that does some work on cars. Fiqure 2 hours for a home owner with a $10 HF oil pump. Once set of jack stands to be able to raise it so you can get under it. Front PTU harder than rear (very easy to do) since fill access is more of a challenge and should not have been if Ford had designed it better.

 

[gp1200x]

I actually have 2 sets of ramps and when I did mine I used all four to keep it level. That's not that exciting. But I was impressed because I was able to climb up all four at the same time! Neat little truck. I also thought it was important to be level. With how little fluid the PTU and RDU take, I wanted to get it right.

I noticed that even with the front up or rear up the PTU and RDU did not hardly lose any additional fluid when leveled back down....much less than I would have thought. If is it jacked up to where you think you may be overfilling it I would not worry...you are not putting in that much more to make any difference. Just make sure you fill them slowly to that you really are at the full level and then wait and add a little more to verify it does not take anymore. And you are right....they do not take anywhere near the amount you would think they have in them. Ford should have upped the capacities to keep the fluid cooler possibly esp in the PTU.

 

[pmav23]

The manual explicitly states that this oil does not need to be serviced except for specific circumstances. Yet some on these forums recommend doing it at 20-30k miles. Would love some clarity from @Ford Motor Company

 

[TacoTanium]

The manual explicitly states that this oil does not need to be serviced except for specific circumstances. Yet some on these forums recommend doing it at 20-30k miles. Would love some clarity from @Ford Motor Company

Some have experiense sludge (even before 30k) and not do any extreme/severe duty cycle driving. Meaning the manual is wrong in this case and ford isnt going warrant this outside of warranty because the manual is wrong.

 

[Tscottok]

Following up here.

This is definitely NOT REQUIRED maintenance and is not going to be something listed in the manual. If you follow the Ford spec and do normal driving with your car, you'll probably have no issues for the first 75-100k miles.

However, changing your fluids/oils is PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE. These trucks are precision parts that need proper lubrication, cooling, etc. to run. Issues aren't going to show up right away, but you're shortening the life of the components that will fail down the road. Adding in fresh fluids is the best way to keep your vehicle running for 100s of thousands of miles and clear out any material/build up that causes increased wear. Don't trust a lot of the "recommendations" as they are designed around cost/benefit for that company (ex: never wait the "recommended" 20k miles to change an oil filter).
Ford picks a middle ground based on how well they think the parts and fluids will do under normal driving. For example, if you change your engine oil every 1k miles, the car will run better and last longer. But, that's an extreme amount of maintenance/cost that neither Ford nor any owner wants. However, Ford's main (but not only) concern is making sure cars survive the warranty. They aren't trying to make vehicles last to 300k miles (see "planned obsolescence" practices from the early 2000s), and are picking maintenance schedules that don't burden owners, but still provide decent lifetimes.
Basically, Ford maintenance is a good base line. If you want your car to last, the best thing you can do is increased fluid/oil changes.


For the Maverick in particular, the main concern I had was with the amount of metal debris and lower quantity of the oil after only 13k miles (side note: the black/discoloration or fluids is perfectly normal). These systems will wear much faster if the oil volume is low and/or full of debris. This probably won't be a problem for a long time (likely no issues under warranty), but you're taking a risk, stressing your parts and increasing the speed at which parts wear. This lessens their overall life, and could create premature failures of specific components.


Bottom line: change your fluids to extend the life of your parts. Oil is cheap, engines are expensive.

 

[Nw_adventure]

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

What's the OTD costs of DIY ? Just curious - Thx

 

[Packer Bill]

What's the OTD costs of DIY ? Just curious - Thx

I think the oil costs around $90-$100 when I did some price checking on Amazon (Ford's OEM oil).

 

[bgn]

The manual explicitly states that this oil does not need to be serviced except for specific circumstances. Yet some on these forums recommend doing it at 20-30k miles. Would love some clarity from @Ford Motor Company

Their account is here to take customer issues off the forum as quickly as possible and create a case number for customer service, not answering customer questions, especially those which are technical.

I think the oil costs around $90-$100 when I did some price checking on Amazon (Ford's OEM oil).

Rockauto is another great option. I think they're $10-20 cheaper there.

 

[JennyJoannSuebeeMcNash]

Just to clarify a few misunderstandings here. AWD Fords have both a PTU and RDU. FWD vehicles do not. The PTU Transfers power from the transmission to the RDU to power the rear wheels. There is no need for a PTU on a FWD vehicle.

Also you are correct that they are always spinning while the vehicle is in motion. But not while idling. When the vehicle is stopped the only thing spinning is the engine and the front half of the torque converter. Everything after that will not move unless the vehicle is in motion.

Thank you. This answers my question.

 

[nunucello]

I wanted to check which oil should be used for the Maverick Hybrid PTU (Power Transfer Unit).

Is it the Motorcraft SAE 75W-85 ?

Thank You

 

[nunucello]

Thank you. This answers my question.

So the Hybrid FWD does not have a PTU ? Is that correct ? Thank You.

 

[bgn]

So the Hybrid FWD does not have a PTU ? Is that correct ? Thank You.

Correct. It's only on Mavericks with AWD.

 

[nunucello]

Correct. It's only on Mavericks with AWD.

Thank You !

Sponsored