FYI, about Ford escape Auto Transmissions

[EddieS'04]

I learned something yesterday. Was going to do a pan drop. To change the trans fluid and filter on a freinds '08 escape.

You cant change the filter. You can pull the trans-axle plug, and drain 4 qts of Mercon5.



I pulled the pan. It is verticle, in front of the trans. The only thing there is the metronic valve body, No filter.



After some web research I found that the filter is internal in the trans-axle. The only time a filter is installed, is. When It is built and rebuilt. Had to take the filter back the Advance. It is made just like most auto-trans filters you have seen.



So I have a question. What is the point in replacing the filter on any transmission?? Ford doesnt seem to think it is necesary. Or it would be servicable?? Without pulling the trans and doing a teardown.



I just found this very odd.....I would think the parts stores wouldnot even sell the filter. Except in a rebuild kit. That is the only way to replace it. To pull the trans-axle and take it apart.

 

[Bill Koonce]

Front wheel drive cars are only good for the auto makers and dealers. They're cheap to make that way, but really expensive to repair.



The #1 reason why I'm a (manual transmission) Mustang guy is because the Mustang is RWD, and if something needs to be fixed, it can be done far more easily and inexpensively than on a comparable FWD car.



If you are stuck with a FWD car, do your best to get a good extended warranty. You'll be glad you did!

 

[Kevin Lang]

So what about those of us who want to have the fun of AWD?



I'm still not sure why people would want a FWD SUV, it's really just a "SV" at that point.



RWD is fun, as long as it isn't raining, snowing, or the road isn't 100% dry. Unintentional oversteer is overrated.



I wasn't planning on doing self-maintenance on my 2012 Escape, but this is good intel for me. I really don't like the idea of a transmission that seems to me to have "planned obsolescence". That filter can't unclog itself, not in any good way. :sad:

 

[scott degroot]

Eddie,



There are a few other trannies out there that are the same way, about the best we can do is flush them. Typically I find that the filters aren't really dirty as most of the contaminants build up in the bottom of the pan so I believe that overall fluid condition is more important than the condition of the filter and if you do have a filter that is heavily contaminated something is going on inside the trans that needs attention. What I don't like is the increasing number of vehicles that don't have dipsticks for checking vital fluids, that to me is alot worse than a non serviceable trans filter.



Mustang Guy,



I can't say that I agree with your theory on FWD vs RWD. There are some repairs that are easier on fwd cars than on rwd cars and vice versa and from a manufacturing standpoint I don't think any one is cheaper to build than the other.

 

[EddieS'04]

Scott,

What I found is the pan holds no fluid. Maybe a few ounces. The 4 qaurts I drained from the plug. On the trans-axle part of the transmission.

It appears the only fluid in the pan area is what seeps from the valve body.

Im just glad the gasket was a formed reusable. That pan was a pain in the but, to remove and re-install.

I had to remove the battery, tray and mounting bracket from the frame. Also the plastic skid plate.

She couldnt' afford the cost of a flush. So after a few hundred miles. I will dump the trans-axle again. For 4 more fresh qaurts. Better than doing nothing.



Your right about the trans filters not being dirty. Just for my own knowledge. I have cut trans filters open, at 50k miles. Flush them backwards with a cleaner. Very little clutch and band material came out.



M Guy,

I bet the R&D and build cost on front drivers is just as much. Especialy a trans-axle vs a rwd trans.

 

[Bill Koonce]

KL, with all due respect, if you can't control a car on anything but a perfect road, there's something lacking in your driving skills. Sorry, but the myth of FWD superiority is no substitute for knowing how to drive. Motor vehicles have the power to kill, and training should take that into consideration. Cars are NOT toys!



I'll be happy to take anybody's money if they want to wager that FWD isn't cheaper for manufacturers. That's automotive engineering 101.



Isn't this the Sport Trac message board?

 

[mike burns 3]

I'm looking at moving to a Ridgeline because of the handling and ride. The only reason I need 4wd is snow and we have been towing snowmobiles with my brothers Ridgeline the last two years and it does handle the conditions better than my Gen1. Just wish it wasnt so odd looking.



My Gen1 has and continues to be a solid truck. I'm just ready for a change and I'm not sure about the Gen2.

 

[Kevin Lang]

KL, with all due respect, if you can't control a car on anything but a perfect road, there's something lacking in your driving skills. Sorry, but the myth of FWD superiority is no substitute for knowing how to drive. Motor vehicles have the power to kill, and training should take that into consideration. Cars are NOT toys!

Cars aren't toys? Not according to all enthusiasts I've met.



What "training" are you talking about? We all know that state-mandated drivers' ed is just one long running practical joke that someone is pulling on the rest of the populace. When did I say that I couldn't "control" a car on roads that weren't "perfect"?



Who said FWD was superior? That post was addressed to me, but considering the beatdown it is giving to that poor straw man it should be addressed to him. What'd he do to you? :grin: AWD is just more for me, as it gets me away from the annoyances of dealing with unwanted massive oversteer when cornering at speed on roads that aren't 100% dry, without being almost completely unfun like an FWD ride. Though both FWD and AWD eliminate many of the problems that my RWD ST, or really any RWD pickup, have in wet/low traction conditions. If I had a car I could drive just "to drive", then it would be RWD. Since I don't have that luxury, and all of my vehicles have to be practical and fun, I need another power delivery solution (and sadly, a vehicle more versatile than something like a Mustang).

 

[Roger Batts]

Ford does offer an add-on inline trans filter for some vehicles. It was introduced for the Torqueshift transmission in the SuperDuty. When I had the transmission in my Sport Trac gone through, they put one on it. It goes in the trans cooler line and has a replaceable element. The kit (Ford p/n XC3Z7B155F) is about $83, and the element (Ford p/n XC3Z7B155G) is about $44. It is not listed for the Escape, but it may work for you if you are concerned with the fluid not getting filtered enough. Just make sure to have the element replaced when you have the system flushed to prevent cooling restriction!

 

[EddieS'04]

Roger,

I put an external filter on my '04 trac. It is after the radiator lines, and before the air cooler. I use the FL-1A filters every 6k.

I have cut 2 of them open. They are definitly catching clutch and band wear material. That the pan screen doensnt. Havent found any metal. I had an old 3" cylindrical magnet. I broke it up and placed peices on the outer of the can.

Below is my project.

 

[EddieS'04]

oops double post. please remove