Oil change (BL) with pics of undercarriage

VirtualJMills

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That would be for the FE & BL's only , correct , the others have air cooled , but do they have any fluid in them ?
Yes. All PTUs have fluid in them.

The FE/BL added cooling is achieved via fluid-to-fluid heat-exchanger, so the PTU lube still never leaves the PTU.
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BoxerBronco

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Has anyone tried to fit the FL-400-S? I've got a Badlands coming, but the wife has an Escape with a 2.0L. The manual for her car also calls for the 910-S with 5.5 qts of oil, but I found that the 400-S fits her car just fine. The 910-S and 400-S are exactly the same, except the 400-S is a bit longer. I don't believe it filters any better, but the volume difference allows you to add 6 qts without overfilling the sump. It's a lot easier to just dump in six than trying to measure out a half quart.
The last thing you want to have attached to your engine for (in anyway) related warranty issues is an improper oil filter...go by the book...(at least until a new engine is on your dime).

My local dealer rejected a claim on a GT350 5.2 Voodoo when it was realized the original factory oil filter was on it still @ 15,000ish miles. The result was a $25k replacement engine out of pocket of the owner...
 

Mark S.

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The last thing you want to have attached to your engine for (in anyway) related warranty issues is an improper oil filter...go by the book...(at least until a new engine is on your dime).
Usually I would agree with this; getting a warranty claim denied would be catastrophic if it involved an entire engine. That said, I'm not talking about using the filter beyond the recommended interval. There is absolutely no difference between these two filters other than length. If you tell me there is an interference issue that precludes fitting a longer filter I'm with you. But if this filter fits in the space I can't see any way possible it could cause engine damage. It's an oil filter.
 

Glamdring70

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Usually I would agree with this; getting a warranty claim denied would be catastrophic if it involved an entire engine. That said, I'm not talking about using the filter beyond the recommended interval. There is absolutely no difference between these two filters other than length. If you tell me there is an interference issue that precludes fitting a longer filter I'm with you. But if this filter fits in the space I can't see any way possible it could cause engine damage. It's an oil filter.
In almost every case, more filter material is a better thing than less, so the bigger filter should give better service. The only other thing that would be a factor is the bypass. Filters have an oil bypass so that even if the filter gets completely caked, some oil can still get through, albeit unfiltered oil. It's unlikely but possible that the different filter has different pressure specs for the bypass that could affect the operation. The only way to test would be to try both and have an analysis like Blackstone and see if there is any benefit. I think you'd do best with the right fit, best built filter. Places like bobistheoilguy might have a filter teardown for our size filters. Some use a paper filter material and some use synthetics that are regarded better even though they're the same application.

Edit: Here's a discussion regarding the 400 vs. the 910 on a FocusST. Oil filters are a really, really deep hole you can dive down and never get back out. The other filter does have a different bypass, according to someone in this thread:
https://www.focusst.org/threads/oil-filter-motocraft-fl910s-or-fl400s.89521/
 
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Ridn Dirty

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That would be for the FE & BL's only , correct , the others have air cooled , but do they have any fluid in them ?
My understanding is that the cooler on the new PTU's was a band-aid fix for the older PTU issues. The PTU is surrounded by hot components, such as the engine, exhaust and cats, that cooks what little gear lube it holds (1 Qt.). To make matters worse, the old PTU's weren't designed for oil changes during their "lifetime". Of course, our definition of lifetime is different from the manufacturer.
The input and output shaft seals tend to fail due to the cooked lubricating oil not providing much lubrication. It's not so bad if the output shaft seal fails, but if the input shaft seal (on the transmission side) leaks the whole PTU must be dropped down to replace it or all your gear oil will leak out into the transmission and your PTU will not have lubrication for the internal bearings or gears.
I highly recommend that the gear oil is changed much more often than every 30,000 miles. If you drain it at 30,000 miles and look at the oil you will probably see that the small amount of oil the PTU holds is cooked to death. If you want a trouble free PTU, then changing the gear oil at 15,000 to 20,000 is damn near mandatory.
The video link I provided above shows an easy method for changing the fluid as the breather port on top of the PTU will be used as your fill port. If you changed the PTU gear oil after every two or three engine oil changes you should have a trouble free PTU.
I'm surprised nobody has designed an external oil cooler for Ford's PTU's. Not only would a cooler extend the life of the oil, but it would also increase the PTU's oil capacity. The integrated coolers on the new PTU's for the Badlands aren't the answer as they are still not very good at keeping temps in check.
 
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bjbena

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Has anyone tried to fit the FL-400-S? I've got a Badlands coming, but the wife has an Escape with a 2.0L. The manual for her car also calls for the 910-S with 5.5 qts of oil, but I found that the 400-S fits her car just fine. The 910-S and 400-S are exactly the same, except the 400-S is a bit longer. I don't believe it filters any better, but the volume difference allows you to add 6 qts without overfilling the sump. It's a lot easier to just dump in six than trying to measure out a half quart.
I wouldn't use that. That's an older model that doesn't have the bypass valve that the Fl-910S has. Supposed to help with cold starts.
 

rdc17

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Thanks for posting this. I’m going to do my oil change here in a few weeks. No point in taking it to the dealer since I just got new tires and dont need a rotation.
 


RSH

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I took my Badlands to the dealer this past Saturday and did the works oil change package, there is currently a coupon for the service that's good until the end of December. In the end the price was $73.00 + tax and they enter the info into Ford Pass.
 

rdc17

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I attempted the oil change, but Amazon taking forever to deliver the oil on Sunday meant I had to abort. I removed the skid plate. Didn’t use a jack or ramps. Its tight but not too difficult to remove. The bolts have a lot of loc-tite on them. Getting it back on is pretty easy.
 

Whitenight

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Not true. The "s" designates a bypass valve.
Actually, the "S" designates the type of anti-drain back valve - in this case "Silicone"
 
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rdc17

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Did the change today. Not sure it’s posted anywhere but the skid plate is held on using 13mm bolts and a few T30 screws. The oil drain plug is 15mm.
 
 




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