Transmission oil life question...

[baja_bob]

Hi all,

I was looking for a maintenance schedule for the essential fluids on the Bronco Sport, I found one on the forum but it was from Ford Canada. All the mileages listed were in kilometers and it said to change trans fluid at 80,000 Km, which translates to almost 50,000 miles (49,709 actually). I thought the trans oil life was good for 100,000 miles, maybe not, I had mine changed at 60,000 miles thinking I'd be ahead of the game since it is driven a lot, also no transmission oil filter is used.

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[Bucko]

I'd go with what the owners manual tells you.

 

[Blue oval fan]

My book and online says for normal operation change trans fluid at 150k miles. I'm planning on every 50k for the trans. I just don't buy into the lifetime fill stuff personally. It's such a cheap maintenance item why not do it early? Same with the all-wheel drive PTU (power transfer unit) that's mounted to the trans, which will also get new fluid at around 30k-40k miles.

Every 20,000 mi Replace the cabin air filter.

(32,000 km) Every 30,000 mi Replace the engine air filter.

(48,000 km) Replace the spark plugs. Every 100,000 mi

(160,000 km) Inspect the accessory drive belt(s).2 Change the automatic transmission fluid.

Every 150,000 mi (240,000 km) Replace the accessory drive belt(s).3

Change the engine coolant. At 200,000 mi 4 (322,000 km)

 

[jkeaton]

Go by the owners manual.

 

[baja_bob]

(48,000 km) Replace the spark plugs. Every 100,000 mi

Would you take the original spark plugs to 100,000 miles? That's one thing i wouldn't mind changing a little early, around 75K miles. Definitely wouldn't go past on the timing belt, if I keep it that long.

 

[Bucko]

Would you take the original spark plugs to 100,000 miles? That's one thing i wouldn't mind changing a little early, around 75K miles. Definitely wouldn't go past on the timing belt, if I keep it that long.

(Note: the 2018 redesigned 1.5L 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine is now equipped with a timing chain.)Feb 4, 2023

As to auto transmission fluid, I too would consider a more frequent change if I tow.

 

[Barry S.]

Go by the owners manual.

And call your Ford Service Advisor if your still unsure.

 

[baja_bob]

The suggestions in the manual seem far fetched on time between maintenance, 150,000 miles in between oil changes on anautomatic transmission with no changeable filter, there's no where for metal shavings and clutch debris to go but out of the drain plug. Will these transmissions even last that long? I guess we'll all find out.

 

[Blue oval fan]

Would you take the original spark plugs to 100,000 miles? That's one thing i wouldn't mind changing a little early, around 75K miles. Definitely wouldn't go past on the timing belt, if I keep it that long.

Again can't hurt anything. I just pulled the plugs on my Focus RS yesterday at 65k miles, they look good. But will be changing them on the next oil change. One of the guys went to 100k miles and even his looked good. Granted being in the head that long things can get crusty the sound they make coming out is painful.

 

[baja_bob]

At least the plugs on the Sport should be easy to change, 3 or 4 cylinders, would you change the coil packs along with the plugs?

 

[Blue oval fan]

At least the plugs on the Sport should be easy to change, 3 or 4 cylinders, would you change the coil packs along with the plugs?

I only change them if there is a failure or issue. But if one coil pack fails, then I'll change all of them.

I'm sure there are lots of opinions out there, but these are things I have always done and worked fine for me. Some people take maintenance to the next level with 3k oil changes, 12k spark plug changes, I'm more in the middle of the road. Modern engines are pretty efficient and can and probably will be just fine following the crazy long factory-recommended intervals.

 

[Mark S.]

Would you take the original spark plugs to 100,000 miles? That's one thing i wouldn't mind changing a little early, around 75K miles. Definitely wouldn't go past on the timing belt, if I keep it that long.

100,000 mile intervals for spark plugs is common with modern engines using electronic ignition and fuel injection. Electrode quality is far better than in the past, and the computer has so much better control over the combustion event that plug fouling is extremely unlikely.

Is it just the plug interval you disagree with, or all of the recommended service intervals?

 

[SgtT11B]

Hi all,

I was looking for a maintenance schedule for the essential fluids on the Bronco Sport, I found one on the forum but it was from Ford Canada. All the mileages listed were in kilometers and it said to change trans fluid at 80,000 Km, which translates to almost 50,000 miles (49,709 actually). I thought the trans oil life was good for 100,000 miles, maybe not, I had mine changed at 60,000 miles thinking I'd be ahead of the game since it is driven a lot, also no transmission oil filter is used.

To be frank I would change out the tranny fluid at 30k miles, I would also do the PTU fluid change as well. Ford extended these intervals out not for longevity of the vehicle but for sales. There are quite a few videos my Ford Techs even saying as much.

 

[baja_bob]

Is it just the plug interval you disagree with, or all of the recommended service intervals?

I think that some of Ford's recommended service intervals are too long/too many miles in between. Even with advanced lubricants and fluids there is still wear and tear from every day driving, and there is nowhere for debris to go but back into the bearings and tight tolerances, a filter can only catch so much. It is never a bad idea to get these services done before the recommended mileage.

 

[Mark S.]

I think that some of Ford's recommended service intervals are too long/too many miles in between.

Based on what data? Presumably, Ford bases its recommendations of all the data it collects from the millions of test miles driven during vehicle development. Do you have any evidence that Ford's recommendations are wrong? Some suggest that Ford sets its service intervals based on planned failure to encourage new car purchasing, but I haven't seen any evidence to back up such claims.

Even with advanced lubricants and fluids there is still wear and tear from every day driving, and there is nowhere for debris to go but back into the bearings and tight tolerances, a filter can only catch so much. It is never a bad idea to get these services done before the recommended mileage.

These are the common arguments for increased service intervals: If changes at 150K are good then changes at 75K (or 60K, or 30K) must be better! What these arguments don't account for is the danger of mistakes made during the servicing process and the negative impact on the environment.

In WWII the brits commissioned C.H. Waddington—a biologist, paleontologist, geneticist, and embryologist of all things—to study (among other things) the data regarding maintenance intervals for combat aircraft. He found that the overwhelming majority of unscheduled repairs occurred in the first 20 hours of operation following scheduled maintenance. He the concluded that the pattern of unscheduled repairs—dubbed “the Waddington effect”— demonstrated that the scheduled 50-hour maintenance interval was actually doing more harm than good. He recommended increasing the interval, and eliminating maintenance tasks that had no demonstrable benefit.

This research still informs designers and engineers who test and develop recommended maintenance intervals for modern mechanical equipment. These recommendations are also informed by the reality of humanity's impact on our environment.

To me, unnecessary fluid replacement increases the possibility of creating a maintenance problem where none previously existed, and negatively impacts the environment. Throw into the mix that by the time the average owner gets to 150K miles they're 7-10 years into ownership, and the vehicle is worth so little at that point most will be traded off anyway.

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