I'm looking through the Ford Escape forum but can't find anything about maintenance. My daughter just bought one and I need to change the transmission fluid. It has 62,000 miles on it. I have a 6.0 Diesel and the forum has a whole section on maintenance. Would Vavoline or Castrol Mercon v from auto zone be the fluid to use. How much do you need when you drop the pan and change the filter. I read 10 quarts somewhere. Thands for any help.

 

It depends. What year? 2006 and older used Mercon. I think starting with 2007, Ford switched to Mercon V. The "older" version of Mercon V wasn't compatable with Mercon. Current Mercon V is compatable. Even though it's compatable, I would recommend doing a full fluid change. Capacity should be in owners manual - I don't recall.

Also, there isn't a filter. Because of that, I do a 30k dump and drain.

 

Sorry i forgot that the year and such is not in my signature. It is a 2008. So no fluid filter that is nice to know. The manuel says 10.2 quarts but is that the total it holds or just what you can drain out?

 

I just did it with my 07. It dropped almost exactly 6 quarts into a plastic bed pan brought home from a hospital stay. I let it drain for a while before replacing the drainplug, threads wrapped with teflon tape. I had to use a breaker bar to get the plug loose.

I figure a 60% change is good for now, and I'll repeat it 30k down the road. I bought Mercon V from NAPA. About $4/quart. My oh my have petroleum product prices gone through the roof. FoMoCo recommends Mercon V for all the CD4E transmissions now. Some posters want to stick with Mercon, but the V spec calls for synthetic base stock from what I can find out, which is just better suited. Make your own choice.
The drain plug has a built-in magnet which you should wipe clean. If you find a lot of stuff on the magnet, maybe you should do the double drain, where you do the above, and then repeat after circulating the fluid for a while, putting it in all gear ranges, etc. That would mean you need 12 quarts. I checked the fluid yesterday after driving ~15 miles and it was right at the top of the hash marks. I think I would leave just a bit{maybe 4oz} in the container if I were to do it again. It might be just a little high if I were to check the level after a good long run on a hot day. Guess we'll see.
tom

 

yeah the 6.0 forum has a lot of great stickys and useful info that has been put together. i sold my truck and got a new escape. was wondering if anyone has some good links or information to read about the engine and transmission. i found some on wikipedia about the Duratec 3.0 but it wasn't much and i was confused if the escape has the DOHC version or not.
Ford Duratec engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Well I finished changing the transmission fluid. It was very simple just remove the plug and drain the fluid. You cannot drop the pan without removing the transmission. The filter is internal and you cannot change it either. This is the 2008 2.3 engine. The system holds 10.2 quarts but I could only drain 4 quarts. I'll change it again in another 1000 miles to get a little more of the old fluid out.

 

Many people, including me, use this same method every 15 - 30k miles. It's your vehicle and call but 1k is probably too soon. IMO
If your concerned about dirty fluid, you could do the complete flush all at one. I think you'll end up using somewhere around 12-14 quarts but then your fluid will be completely exchanged.

 

The reason I plan to change the fluid again so soon is my daughter just drove from Boston to Boulder City, Nevada pulling a small trailer. The truck and trailer was about max gross weight. I feel this was probably hard on this small vehicle and the fluid has probably never been changed before. The truck has 58,600 miles on it. But can you flush the tranny withour heating the fluid. I'm used to my diesel and it has a temperture control valve. You have to keep tranny temperture at 170 to flush it.

 

I read in the shop manual that there is a temperature controlled valve that retains a portion of the fluid in the upper compartment, where the valve body and chain case are located, when the fluid gets hot. That could explain why I got 6 quarts out when I drained my transmission. The fluid was cold, so a minimal amount was in the upper compartment. I was in no hurry, so I didn't bother to warm it up before removing the drain plug. When I got 6 out I was surprised as everything here said I would get 4. Luckily the container held 6, I was starting to worry when it kept coming out and I was running out of room.
So, to maximize a partial change, do it cold would be my recommendation.
tom

 

This from another site:The prowler-patented 7-6-3

1. Remove drain plug and drain 3.9 quarts.
2. Install 7 quarts.
3. Pump out 6 quarts.
4. Top off with approx. 3 quarts.

Draining and replacing the 4 quarts from the pan before the flush is started is the key. The tranny will never run dry this way.

This is done by removing one of the trans lines. You'll need 1 person to hold the line under the truck and another to start and stop the engine.