My 2025 ecoboost PTU might be underfilled - 11k update

[lostboykev]

I jacked the mav up to take off the splash guard and get to the PTU fill plug. I loosened it up in the air until I felt like It was less than hand tight. Then lowered it to the ground completely. My rib cage just cleared and I was able to unscrew it. No dripping out of the fill hole what so ever. The plug had oil on it at least. But I stuck my finger in and only felt some oil residue, nothing substantial. Thinking the very gradual grade of my cement driveway might be enough to skew a level ground, I lifted the rear up in the center a few inches and saw no difference in the fill hole.

I did my best to get a close up inside the fill hole and uploaded it on youtube. 820 miles driven so far. Do you think I should drain and fill soon? If so should I used the OEM recommended Motorcraft SAE 75W-85 SYNTHETIC REAR AXLE LUBRICANT(XY-75W85-QL)?

full screen the video


Update:

11.5 ounces drained and I refilled with 16 ounces.

Also:
RDU did not drip any oil. I'm waiting for some oil to be delivered and see how much was filled at the factory then replace it.

Update:

RDU drained out 16.5 ounces. I filled it backup, about 18.5 ounces. Drove it around for a bit and filled until it leaked again from the filler hole. I'm thinking about 20 ounces filled?

Update 11,000 miles:

Looks like I caught it in time. small amounts on the magnet and minimal sparkles in the oil. Check your PTU levels!

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[stevj]

Even with only 800 miles, I would drain and fill with new if you suspect factory underfilled it.
DO NOT put your warranty in jeopardy. Use OEM specified fluid.
If you take it to a dealership (probably best if you can spare the time) to document the condition and have them perform the work, they may just top it off rather than replacing the fluid.
For peace-of-mind, you want to know how low the fluid is.

Steve

 

[lostboykev]

Even with only 800 miles, I would drain and fill with new if you suspect factory underfilled it.
DO NOT put your warranty in jeopardy. Use OEM specified fluid.
If you take it to a dealership to document the condition and have them perform the work, they may just top it off rather than replacing the fluid.
For peace-of-mind, you want to know how low the fluid is.

Steve

Thanks for the reply! I had actually just ordered OEM specific fluid along with everything else i would need to do the drain in fill, including a measuring cup to see how much comes out. I plan to check the RDU while im under there and share my findings.

 

[lostboykev]

Original posted updated with pictures and oil level. TLDR 11.5 ounces drained and 16 ounces filled. I'll be doing the RDU once that oil comes in.

 

[stevj]

Good catch, @lostboykev.
Four ounces may not seem like much, but to me, having only 75% oil fill is significant, given the total amount required for fill.
In your pictures, there seems to be a fair bit of wear metal on the drain magnet and suspended in the drained oil, likely due to gears wearing in.
Consider a repeat drain and fill in another thousand miles or so just to keep tabs on condition of the oil and to verify that wear metal is lessened.

Steve

 

[710-oil-614]

Thanks for the reply! I had actually just ordered OEM specific fluid along with everything else i would need to do the drain in fill, including a measuring cup to see how much comes out. I plan to check the RDU while im under there and share my findings.

What is the specified fluid for PTU, and RDU?

I am scheduled to have my 2025 fluids swapped out at 5,500 this Thursday and want to make sure I am having them use the correct OEM fluid.

 

[Carlitos_92]

What is the specified fluid for PTU, and RDU?

I am scheduled to have my 2025 fluids swapped out at 5,500 this Thursday and want to make sure I am having them use the correct OEM fluid.

The part numbers are in this one, though they are for the 22-24 Ecoboosts...

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/another-ptu-rdu-oil-psa.67142/#post-1117048

 

[tkammen270]

It's definitely good to change all the fluids early to avoid ending up like me! Having a PTU go bad in 8600 miles is pretty crazy.

I'm planning on changing my RDU and new PTU fluid this week. I am only using OEM Ford fluids just in case anything happens.

 

[lostboykev]

Updated original post to show RDU drain and fill. 16.5 drained. About 20 ounces filled. Magnetic plug was caked with slug.

 

[MatthewPK]

Underfilling PTU/RDU have been commonly reported. In fact I'm not aware of a single post here where someone reported proper fill level.

 

[kcamp317]

I drained and filled the RDU and PTU fluid in my 2023 around 5k miles. It was fairly dirty and had the typical break in sludgy stuff on the plug magnets. I'll continue that method with my 2025. I think once the initial break in period fluid swap/fill is done about every 15-20k miles will be my schedule. It's not a hard job to do and even though the fluid is expensive you only have to buy a quart for each component.

 

[heady]

Same factory under fill PTU on my '25 hybrid AWD. Check your levels and top off or drain and fill as soon as you can on any AWD. Motorcraft SAE 75W-85 premium synthetic hypoid gear lubricant. XY-75W85-QL

 

[lostboykev]

I updated the post after a drain and fill at 11k. Things are looking a lot better. Minimal sparkles in the oil and significantly less on the magnet. Also I rebought Motorcraft SAE 75W-85 oil and the cap size is different and now says it improves your fuel economy on the bottle. Not sure what could be different or if this is marketing bs. Heres the difference. Also the harbor freight pump i bought today fit. theres no threads on the new top but it worked!

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