Drivetrain maintenance

[FracaSHO]

I have read that some of you change the PTU and rear diff fluids in your SHO's. I believe I read in the manual that they don't need to be changed. Kind of like the fuel filter, it lasts the life of the car. So 2 questions. 

- should I change mine and how often?  I have 35,000 miles and made 5 runs down the track. I plan on going to the track 3 to 5 times a year at the most.

- How do I change the fluids and what brand should I use?

Thanks.


Brad
2010 SHO with PP
170* T-Stat
NGK LTR7IX plugs, gap at 0.030
BOV VTA
MyCal LMS Stage 4+
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[curry67]

Yeah I also heard this and I asked my ford dealer to change it and they checked it and said it was good. I didnt really know what to say loĺ. Still dont know why they didnt do it anyways but ford techs seem conviced it doesnt need changing ever. Id love to ask a guy who deals with more sho's/ flexs though.

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[panther427]

If its a for life fluid i have come to think it means the life of the factory warenty. Not life of the car

[BiGMaC]

Brad ....Ford dealers dislike (and some have refused) doing it as it requires R&R of the PTU once the oil thickens so it can be cleaned..... there are several threads on this issue, including one on how to add a drain plug to the PTU... I think most feel 25-30K interval is good, several oils have been suggested, check your manual for specs.....  Search the forum a bit for better discussion.... My vote is do it... that's my plan.

[curry67]

now to find a shop that can do it.

[SHOdded]

If you are gentle on the car, I would say 50K miles would be ok to change the PTU fluid, otherwise 25-30K miles.  If you engage the AWD rarely, RDU fluid can go longer, but I'd definitely change that out by 100K miles.  Engage AWD often, I'd halve that to a 50K interval for the RDU fluid.

Drain the old fluid, flush a couple of times with parts cleaner/degreaser/motor oil/followed by a change of PTU fluid/RDU fluid, and when that drains out looking clear/good, put in the final PTU/RDU fluid as appropriate.

In short, the shortened intervals are particularly important the more tuned/aggressively driven your car is.