I have a 2018 2.5L that’s almost at 70k miles. So far, no real problems (knock on wood), just a hard shift in the mornings when it’s cold.
I haven’t done a drain and fill yet, and I’m worried it might mess things up this late. Am I overthinking this or should I plan one with my next oil change?
I think a drain and fill will be just fine. Just avoid doing a flush.
I’d say go for a drain and fill. I plan to do that every other oil change. Money doesn’t matter if it keeps my transmission happy. I have a 2016 S 2.5L with 71,000 miles.
Tavi said:
I’d say go for a drain and fill. I plan to do that every other oil change. Money doesn’t matter if it keeps my transmission happy. I have a 2016 S 2.5L with 71,000 miles.
I have a 2018 Ford Ecosport that I bought used with 38,000 miles. I do drain and fill on the transmission every other oil change. I believe it keeps the transmission happy too.
There are many forums and websites discussing this. The general idea is if it’s not acting up, a fluid change (drain and fill) won’t harm it, especially at 70K miles. I have a 2016 that we did at 150K with no issues. But if the transmission is having problems, a drain and fill won’t fix that.
Another point is to check the fluid color. If it’s red, a change is recommended; if it’s brown or smells burnt, don’t change it, and be ready for issues.
My wife’s Fusion has 160k miles. She had it before we got married. I did a drain and fill at 135k because it was never done.
It was totally fine and even smoothed out a hard shift from 1st to 2nd.
Don’t do a flush; you should really never do that anyway.
I bought my 2017 used with 150k miles. Did a drain and fill with no problems.
My 2018 needed a new transmission at 80,000 miles. I’ve put 12,000 miles on the new one and already did a drain and fill just to be safe.
It’s never too late. I’m almost at 70K miles too, and as soon as spring comes, I’m doing mine.
I’d recommend doing a drain and fill using Motorcraft original Mercon LV and adding one container of lube guard synthetic protectant.
@Tyler
I’ve done this with four Fusions (2.0T, 2.5, and a 3.0) and they all shifted much better afterward.
I’m at 130k asking the same thing lol. No issues, just the hard shift in cold mornings like you. I want to do a drain and fill but I’m a bit scared.
My shifting issues disappeared once I turned off the adaptive learning on the transmission using Forscan.
Avery said:
My shifting issues disappeared once I turned off the adaptive learning on the transmission using Forscan.
How do you turn off adaptive learning? I feel like it shifts fine in 1-2 but it stays in 2nd too long before shifting to 3rd, and the 3-4 shift isn’t smooth either.
@Darby
You’ll need a laptop that runs Microsoft. I got my MacBook to work, then I got a Forscan adapter and downloaded Forscan; you get a month free with it. Then in Forscan, you can turn it off.
Avery said:
@Darby
You’ll need a laptop that runs Microsoft. I got my MacBook to work, then I got a Forscan adapter and downloaded Forscan; you get a month free with it. Then in Forscan, you can turn it off.
Thanks a lot!
You’ll be fine. I just did mine at 95k for what’s probably the first time and the torque converter response is so much better. The shifts are smoother too. It still shifts hard when cold, but that’s common with dual-clutch transmissions. It takes less time to warm up now and shifts well, with no jerky shifts in 5th and 6th like at first.
You should definitely do a drain and fill for the transmission. I didn’t get mine done until 80k because I was moving but I wished I had done it sooner.
A drain and fill should be totally fine. Just make sure you never do a flush and fill. You want to take out a maximum of 5 quarts.
Noor said:
A drain and fill should be totally fine. Just make sure you never do a flush and fill. You want to take out a maximum of 5 quarts.
Why is a flush and fill a bad idea? I just bought an 18 with 70k miles and want to learn what I should do or avoid.