fusion0389

Just thought I would poke my head back into this thread and note that I now have 87,000 miles on the 2012 Ford Fusion Sport AWD that i bought brand new. I have had a total of ZERO issues at all with this car. I have since swapped PTU oil out at every oil change (appx 8-10k) and every time i swap it, its just as nasty as the last time. I have continued to have UOA's completed on this oil whenever I get it swapped and its just as bad. Whatever you do, DONT abide by the fictional lifetime fill designation on anything! Swapping out this fluid is not that bad, even though its messy its still a fairly easy job. As the previous poster mentioned, the PTU uses 75W140 and the Rear Differential uses 80W90. I have been using Amsoil Severe Gear 75W140 in the PTU along with Amsoil Severe Gear 75W90 in the rear differential with no issues. To extract the oil i use the blackstone labs oil sample kit with refridgerator tubing. It makes it easy to get right into the sample container. I've also gotten in the habit of doing a yearly drain and fill of the transmission using Mobil 3309 ATF with excellent UOA results. Currently, Mobil 3309 is the only aftermarket ATF that explicity meets the Ford WSS-M2C924-A specification. This ATF is used exclusively by the Fusion SPORT and only the SPORT because we have different transmissions than the rest of the Fusion lineup. I am getting ready to do another drain and fill on the rear differential, its been a little over 40k since the last time i've changed that. I will report back when i can.

Good question, Ford's guidlines are inadequate and a minimum to-do list at best. Their goal is to get you in a NEW car every 3 years\100,000 miles which is their "lifetime." If you want your car to live longer than that, you'll need more maintenance. To make a long story short there are several things that should be done before well before 100k miles. Here is a list of important things to do, i may have missed a thing or two so this is not an exhaustive list. FWD: Engine Air Filter Cabin Air Filter Brake Fluid (Bleed\refill DOT3) Power Steering Fluid (Uses Mercon V ATF) Spark Plugs (motor craft platinum) Transmission fluid: (Use Ford XT-8-QAW or Mobil 3309) Sport model uses a different transmission and requires a unique transmission fluid formulation, drain and fill 3 times driving in between each drain. Coolant Exchange using Ford coolant. Optional: you could always do a B&G air induction service that removes carbon buildup from the intake manifold, completey optional though. AWD+ PTU Fluid (75W140) Requires fluid pump. Rear Differential Fluid (80W90 or 75W90) Requires fluid pump. feel free to browse this thread for more AWD maintenance data: http://www.fordfusionforum.com/topic/8525-fusion-sport-awd-maintenance/

Just thought I would update regarding some more maintenance data. I have two analysis reports below showing the analysis of the PTU and also the first drain/Fill on the transmission. The PTU Showed slight improvement in wear numbers, most notably iron. I had a conversation with Blackstone rearding the report and they think that it will be several intervals before everything starts to normalize. The clean fluid is having to go suspend all of the particulates/contaminated fluid thats been sitting there for 44k. I'll continue to report back on that. The transmission is another "lifetime fill" part from Ford if i'm not mistaken. In August of 2013 I had the local Ford dealer do a drain\fill while i was on vacation which evacuated 4qts out of an almost 8qt system. The report below is from a sample taken of the original fill. The report is not bad at all. Blackstone reported that there were a couple high points, but thats normal with a factory fill. Enjoy! PTU/Transfer Case OCI https://flic.kr/p/nY7pkR Transmission OCI https://flic.kr/p/nY7niV

I've stayed on top of my maintenance and fortunately the ONLY thing I had to go to the stealership for was a very slight braking vibration around 32k miles. They remedied the issue by resurfacing the front rotors. I argued for new ones, but Ford policy states that they are supposed to machine them down until it drops under a certain thickness before replacing. I am up to 51k now with no issues to date.

I do regular syntheic oil/filter changes every 7,500-10,000 miles. Sythetic is not required, but is known to support longer drain intervals along with temperature extremes. Since I am a slightly agressive driver, I go ahead and use synthetic. I had my transmission fluid drained/filled at 32,000 and sent off a sample to blackstone laboratories for analysis, their results showed typical break in wear. If your transmission fluid has never been serviced I would recommend 2-3 drain and fill procedures with a 5-10 minute drive in between each one. You can get the fluid from ford or use Mobil 3309. Those two fluids are the only ones wih Ford's stamp of approval that meet Ford WSS-M2C924-A. Aside from fluids, I like to say on top of my air filters and also the cabin air filters, they get gunked up pretty quick so I usually keep a couple on hand for replacement.

I stuck to 7,500-10,000 or OCI's after validating that my oil/filter combo would support it without any negaive effects on wear. So far everything has been ok. The rear diff fluid did test in a "normal" range according to blackstone, I was very surprised to see the restults. However, I will change it again on 40-50k intervals. When the fluid came out of the rear diff, the cold flow properties were horrendous compared to the fluid I pumped back in. I dont know why it was like that, maybe lower qualiy fluids? The differences between what came out (conventional 80w90) and what went in (synthetic 75w90) is obviously conventional vs synthetic and cold flow properties of 80 vs 75. Synthetics are known to do better at temperature extremes, maybe that coupled with the slightly lower cold flow weight of 75 are the reasons for the percieved flow differences? Regardless I think that a severe interval would be around 50k while a normal use interval would be around 75k in my opinion. The TAN wasnt out of line but that number gets higher with time/usage and I dont want the acidity of the fluid affecting the wear. I have a feeling that the Amsoil Severe Gear fluid that I used will be capable of geting 75-100k based upon its performance in truck applications. I will continue to do UOA's along the way to see Now the PTU was a whole different story, my only regret with this car is that I didnt pump out that nastiness at 10,000 miles... Blackstone says to leave it for 20k before I sample again, but I'm planning on cutting that reccomendation in half. I'll probably exchange the fluid in another couple months when it warms up a little. Im sure that the clean fluid i put in has helped suspend any residulal fluid/contaminants so I'd like to get that out of there ASAP. I put in Amsoil Severe Gear 75w140 which is a very stout oil that can withstand much more abuse that most gear oils, I am very curious to see the results! I'll be posting my findings within the next few months.

As promised here at the Blackstone Labs reports for both the PTU and the Rear Differential. The values for the PTU were completely out of line, as I suspected wear was off the charts. Approximately 10 times the amount of wear metals than what is expected for a transfer case. In any case, take a look at the pictures of what the fluid looked like and look at the reports below. You can come to your own conclusions, but in my opinion, the lifetime fill designation is bogus. Take a look at the rear differential link below to read Blackstone's opinion on the rear diff fluid (did much better than PTU, only needs change every 40k or so) and their comments regarding a "lifetime fill" designation. I hope this has been useful and shed light on the maintenance our vehicles need if you plan on driving it past 50,000 miles, think twice before any manufacturer claims a life time fill! PTU http://www.flickr.com/photos/39579852@N06/12102229586/ Rear Differential http://www.flickr.com/photos/39579852@N06/12102226186/

I know I am reviving an old thread, but I held to my assumptions and decided to change the fluid. My 2012 Ford Fusion Sport AWD now has 44,370 miles on the odometer. Here are links to the before\afters of the PTU & Rear Diff Fluids. I have samples of each that are en route to Blackstone Laboratories for analysis. Rear Differential http://www.flickr.com/photos/39579852@N06/11998323235/ PTU http://www.flickr.com/photos/39579852@N06/11998618093/ PTU Plug http://www.flickr.com/photos/39579852@N06/11999136996/ You can come to your own conclusions regarding the results of lifetime use but, the fluids were exhausted. Before changing the fluids I drove for about 45 minutes to warm up the PTU\Diff fluid to help with extraction. Both fluids had the consistency\flow properties of cold honey, and this is after they warmed up. I replaced both units with Amsoil Severe Gear, 75W90 was used for the rear differential, 75W140 was used for the PTU. Both of the Amsoil fluids were left outside in the shed overnight and even in their ice cold state flowed better than what came out of my car. I will be attaching links to the oil analysis from Blackstone next week when I get them.

The engine cover looks incredible, great job!

I bought a 2012 Sport AWD in april and the gas mileage has increased since I first bought it. I got 27.5mpg on my last 400 mile trip, imo thats prety darn good for an AWD Sport car.

My 2012 is the exact same way, I just wipe it off every once in a while. Also, I think the rubber on the inside of the cap is supposed to expand with use to minimize the amount of air that makes contact with the fluid. I saw this on youtube, if you search ericthecarguy he has a video that shows you how to change your brake fluid and explained this.

My only disagreement with anything on this post is the reference to synthetic lubricants being a waste and not being able to protect any better than conventional lubricants. If one was to study the chemical makeup of conventional vs synthetic you would see that synthetic resists breakdown much better than the typical conventional oil and stays in grade much better an longer than its equivalent conventional counterpart. Bottom line is sythetics are better and at the price sythetic oil is going for nowadays with sales and rebates why not pay an extra dollar a quart to give your vehicle the best protection? If you are looking for something that you can find off the shelf I would recommend Pennzoil Ultra 5W20 or Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-20 in the Full Sythetic Category. Their prices are very competitive with sythetic blends and imo is worth the extra couple bucks. As far as filters, the oem motorcraft is rated pretty well. However if you are looking for something better or off the shelf I would look into filters that use fully sythetic media (Napa platinum, Purolator sythetic, or Royal Purple) as opposed to the cellulose media. If the extra cost of a synthetic media filter doesnt appeal to you, rest assured that the motorcraft, wix, pure one, or napa gold filter will do the trick. If you dont care about API certs or Ford specifications you can go with a higher priced "boutique oil" like amsoil or red line and stretch your oil change intervals out to about 15-20k if thats your thing. They are very high quality lubricants and oil analysis has shown them to be effective at long drain intervals. My last two oil changes I used Royal Purple 5W20 and according to my UOA it held up very well and had more life left in it than the factory fill did at the same interval. Currently I've got Amsoil Signature Series 5W20 & Synthetic EaO filter in my 2012 Sport and love it, curious to see what my next UOA shows. Bottom Line: Any on sale off the shelf brand name API synthetic and a quality filter will give you adequate protection!

I havent seen any forced induction kits out for this vehicle and honestly im really not surprised. Aside from aesthetics, wheels, suspension, and tune with CAI there isnt much else to do for performance short of having a shop custom R&D a forced induction kit for you. Even then, you are looking at way more money than the car is even worth if you can find someone to take the project. Good Luck

I hate intermittent problems... I experienced similar situation with my previous vehicle and it can definitely be frustrating. I think I read somehwere on these forums that there is a fuse you can pull that disables the AWD system which forces the car to run in FWD only. This may prove useful in determining if the issue you are experiencing is related to the AWD system or something from the transmission forward. If it still clunks or shudders with the AWD system disabled you know that its most likely not related to that. Also, a fluid change for the "lifetime" PTU\Rear Diff fluid would not be a bad idea, especially if you can do it yourself. If it were me I would check with a knowedgable Ford mechanic for advice, before proceeding.

That picture of the clay bar was surprising, lots of grime.