JoeliusZ28

I replaced the tensioner about 2-3 years ago too. The original sounded like a twin-screw supercharger. I was almost disappointed I had to fix it haha

I'll update again soon here, but my problem might not be trans after all. To answer your question I have serviced the trans fluid 6 times since the car was new. And prior to a weeks ago it was still driving like a brand new car, i was never even concerned about the trans going despite the 6F35's reputation. Mine always drove excellent. I completely agree that servicing the trans fluid is critical on these things, im sure mine would have been toast a long time ago if i followed the manuals recommendation of 150k miles. The first time i changed it at 60k miles i didnt realize there wasn't a serviceable filter, and the fluid came out pitch black. I know fluid discoloration is considered normal on these newer vehicles, but it only costs ~$25 and a few minutes to drain and refill on these things. Ive been changing it every 20k since then which im sure is overkill but id rather not take chances. If I was paying the dealer rate, that would be a different story.

Funny you mention all that sirtanon, I actually think the noise may be coming from my accessory drive now and this was a false alarm . Going to dig into it this weekend. I jumped to conclusion on the trans after replacing the passenger front wheel bearing and still having the noise present (it was in fact bad). The noise does seem to originate more from the passenger side. Changed the fluid in the 6F35 10k miles ago and it was fine, but this problem did come on rather suddenly. Hopefully I luck out, I think i have a new waterpump sitting on the shelf in my garage already.

2.5 with the manual. For the record, I have a 2.5 with an auto and i am having my first issues with the car at 151,000.

Figured I'd bump this up since my 6F35 might be biting the dust at 151k miles. Got a really bad grinding sound i cant pinpoint. Waldo, this is a really old conversation now but yes youre right about this. I've had conversations with powertrain engineers and I'm aware that calibrations of drive-by-wire systems incorporate lag for the purposes of meeting emission requirements, since sudden changes in engine conditions are the hardest to manage for emissions. However mitigating their own warranty cost is also a big reason they do it (throttle management is the easiest torque management) and yes akirby some of it is for drive-ability also especially in consumer models. I've driven a handful of drive-by-wire cars with performance calibrations that seemed to have no lag whatsoever. So i agree that it isn't inherently the technologies fault, however I can't help but view the system as a several hundred dollar cost to make the car drive worse and subject to higher repair costs (thankfully ford already ate the cost of my first throttle body replacement). More than once ive heard people say they like EV's because they respond better than gasoline engines... and while I appreciate EV's I can't help but shake my head at those kind of statements. It is useful for traction control and cruise control systems as well. All my own subjective opinions here though. I'm a car enthusiast for the driving experience above all else.

Thats what I was figuring, just didn't want to go through the work of a swap to find an electronic incompatibility. I think what you said is a pretty safe gamble though.

I think the 6F35 in my fusion is about to bite the dust at 150k miles. I have a 2010 with the 2.5L and I understand that ford used the 6F35 in quite a few vehicles. I'm wondering if I would have any trouble using a trans from a 2011-2013 fusion, or even from another vehicle entirely? Considering the book value of this vehicle, swapping a used trans for a couple hundred bucks is an attractive option but I don't know if i need to look for a 2010 transmission specifically or not. Thanks!

Well after 1 week plus of driving the reading of my dipstick still hadn't changed and shifts remained noticeably sloppier than they used to be. I added another 1/3 quart. The dipstick now shows full and its shifting better again. I guess my trans just wants 5.5 quarts

Mine developed this issue on cold starts around the 130k mile mark. It was occasionally really bad on cold starts to the point youd swear it was a rod knock but it would go away once you drove it and warmed it up. I read something on the forum here about these cars having a component that automatically adjusts the valve lash, and they can get stuck with poor oil change habits. (I religiously change my oil however). I'm not really sure of the details, and in fact i thought i hydraulic lifters had that functionality built in, but my dad suggested I try an additive called marvel mystery oil. It was something like $3.50 for a bottle at menards, and it cured the problem almost immediately. Its not a thick additive like motor honey (which compensates for low oil pressure), its very thin and meant to "unstick" problem components and break up sludge. There are still days where i hear a hint of the noise but its nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Only downside is that it seems like the additive wears out a little before my 5,000 mile oil change interval and the car starts making noise again. I might have to change to a 4k interval. Wish i had a more exact understanding of what is causing the problem but hope this helps.

Well I did my 20k interval trans fluid change this weekend and you guys were right. I've never checked my fluid level *before* draining but this time I did, and it was reading well above the hash marks. I've always been very careful about filling the trans to precisely the "max fill" level, so clearly these transmissions must shift fluid around between various places that you get different readings. Here is the level before draining (hot idle) way above the operating range!: And here is the medical pan, indicating I drained just under 6 quarts as I usually do. When I refilled the trans, I initially started with 4.5 quarts. I then took it for a 10 mile drive with several stop/starts and some moderate throttle to make sure i got some heat in the trans. The fluid change didnt take more than an hour so it also never fully cooled. When i got back to the garage and checked the dipstick, the fluid level was barely registering on the dipstick: At this point I added another half quart (5 total now) and took it on another 10 mile drive. With 5 quarts and a total of 20 miles drive time, this is where my dipstick was reading... still underneath the operating range! At this point I added 1/4 to 1/3 more quarts of fluid, and after another quick drive and checking the fluid again I am reading barely within the hash marks on the dipstick. I stopped here for now (we'll call it 5.3 quarts) because I didn't want to overfill it again. So far I have been driving the car at this level for 3 days and plan on checking it again soon. The trans seems to be happy at just about any level, even when it was barely registerring on the dipstick. But my impression is that the trans actually shifted best when overfilled as I unknowingly had it for the last 80,000 miles. The majority of driving is the same but it seems like some moderate throttle shifts used to be quicker / more progessive than they are now. Will update again soon.

Interesting. I'm actually scheduled for another trans fluid change in 2k miles so I will document my findings, and I'll check the fluid level before I drain it. If I've been overfilling it - its been operating at that level for 80,000 miles and has worked perfectly the whole time. For the record, I always fill until the dipstick reads right at the top of the operating range on a warm idle. I check right after refilling, and again after a 10 mile drive. I also always change the fluid right after driving the car at least 10 miles so it drains out hot which might make a difference. or maybe my memory is just fading!

Hey All, I just figured I would provide a write-up on how to do this, since prior to doing this job I wasn't able to find a detailed write-up for the 4-cylinder fusions. Initially i was concerned about doing this myself since I've read a lot of horror stories of getting the air bubbles out of these systems, but it actually turned out to be really easy. Here's how I did it. Please use this information at your own risk! 1. Start by elevating the front of the car (safely on jackstands, the more jackstands the better). Make sure the engine is COLD before going any further. Do not begin with a hot engine. 2. Open the hood and open the Coolant cap on the passenger side of the engine bay. 3. Remove the plastic valences beneath the radiator and get them out of the way. What you are looking for is the radiator drain petcock on the driver side. It has a red cap. You may want to soak this with a penetrating agent like PB blaster if it hasn't been used in a while, so that it doesn't crack when you try to open it. (do not force it!!). If the petcock is stuck, it may be better to disconnect the lower radiator hose instead. Its a little more work and messier but will be less of a headache than replacing a radiator. 4. Drain the coolant from the petcock valve. I use a medical drain pain so i can measure exactly how much coolant I drain out of the car. It will drain very slowly, but at least this part isn't messy like it is on some other types of vehicles. 5. Once the radiator is fully drained, close the petcock valve and lower the car. (you may want to wait to replace the plastic valence until later if there are any issues). It is important that the car is level when refilling this finicky 2.3/2.5L coolant system. 6. Locate the bleeder valve (the users manual has an image to show where it is) and open it. It is located on the driver side of the intake manifold and is attached with a short piece of small hose. You open it with a screw driver. Again, a penetrating agent might be a good idea if it hasnt been opened in a long time. It may appear to only open a quarter turn, but it can opened much further. When you refill the radiator next, be prepared for some new coolant to spill from this valve beneath the car. 7. Refill the coolant with the correct coolant. You will use at least the same amount you drained in the refill procedure, likely more. Refill until you reach the "cold level" fill line on the reservoir. Some coolant may spill out of the bleeder valve as you do this. This is not necessarily a bad thing because the coolant spilling out seems to be bring out air bubbles with it. Let the car settle a minute, and refill again if the reservoir level drops any. 8. Close the bleeder valve and the cap. 9. take the car for a drive. (IF THIS IS THE FIRST TEST DRIVE READ THIS, IF NOT SKIP TO STEP 10) It is very likely you will hear the dreaded gurgling sound these cars are known for when you start the car. Don't panic, you're not done yet. While on the test drive stay very close to your garage / driveway / work space and *WATCH YOUR TEMP GAUGE!* Most likely the car will eventually reach proper operating temperature and remain there. If so, you can trust it to drive anywhere at this point and you can reinstall the lower bumper valence. if the car begins to read hotter than normal, shut it off! let it cool a while, and then return to your garage. if this happens that means there is a large air bubble trapped in the coolant system and its blocking flow. its only a big deal if you continue driving and let the car overheat. 10. Park the car on a LEVEL surface and let it cool off completely. (recommend at least 12 hours). 11. Now that the engine is cold again, open the reservoir cap, and open the bleeder valve to burp remaining air in the system. With the bleeder valve still open, add coolant to return the reservoir to the correct cold fill level. Due to the position of the bleeder valve in relation to the reservoir, topping off even a small amount can make the difference in getting air bubbles out. Close the bleeder valve and reservoir cap and the car is ready to drive again. 12. If at this point you still hear gurgling noise, repeat steps 9 - 11 until you no longer hear gurgling noise after startup. It may also be helpful to give the car full throttle on the test drive since the waterpump is driven by the engine and high RPMs may help work some air bubbles through the system. What I've learned about the cooling system on these cars is that they are not *difficult* to bleed, they are just time consuming to bleed. In other words, they take a few burps and full cold/hot cycles of the engine to get all the air out. So having done this, I can imagine why this is a pain for shops and dealerships that are expected to complete this job in short time. I had to bleed mine 4 times (including the initial fillup) before the gurgling noise went away. And now that the gurgling noise is gone it hasn't returned. (did this job about 3 weeks ago now). Any questions let me know, and hopefully you find this helpful!

Not saying you are incorrect, but I'm quite sure i typically get 5.5-6 quarts out of mine. You may be correct in the sense that it is 4 quarts on a quick drain however, since after the first few quarts come out it becomes a pretty slow drain.

I changed mine for the first time at 60k miles thinking i was doing it a favor (based on the 150k recommended interval in the manual) and it came out nearly pitch black. I've been changing it every 20k ever since. 137k miles on the trans now, and it drives and shifts better now than it did back then at 60k. I think its cheap insurance for the $20-25 it costs in fluid. I drain it into a medical pan so I can see exactly how much drains out, and then i refill it with the same amount I removed (usually in the area of 6 quarts IIRC) and then check the level at idle and add any if necessary. I personally do not trust the Ford recommended interval. I've read about a lot of failures of this transmission and considering the black/almost burnt condition of came out of mine at 60k miles i think they're setting people up for a bad experience. That and the fact there is no replaceable filter (without opening the case), I'm going to keep the transmission as clean as possible. The trans is the least of my worries on my car at 137k, it works flawlessly. I don't abuse my car but i do drive it pretty hard.

My car had a problem at around 100k miles where it would randomly bog and not accelerate. I believe the culprit ended up being a faulty EVAP purge valve. Prior to that diagnosis i told the dealer i thought it was the throttle body. They said it wasnt, but they replaced it for me anyway.