2019 FFH SEL Transmission Fluid Change

[Winters]

Hi all,

 

I checked to see if anyone else has posted about this already but didn't find anything so I apologize of this has already been discussed.

 

My 2019 FFH has 36K miles on it and I wanted to check/change the transmission fluid since it already has so many miles on it in such a short period of time. We bought it used with 34K and I don't know the service history of the vehicle.

 

Has anyone changed the transmission fluid or have a guide on how to do it? The draining is pretty self explanatory and I know what fluid/quantity to use but I'm mostly concerned about finding the fillport. I looked around and couldn't find it. 

 

Thanks ahead of time.

[dogo88]

According to my owners manual the 2019 FFH transmission should be changed every 150k miles. 

Every 150,000 mi Change automatic transmission fluid.
(240,000 km)

The FFh uses a CVT. It's a sealed unit. 

Here's a link to get the manual:

https://owner.ford.com/tools/account/how-tos/owner-manuals.html?year=2019&make=Ford&model=Fusion

 

[drolds1]

I wouldn't wait until 150K on any fluid change, despite what the manual says.  The fill port on the CVT is accessed from underneath.  It's near the drain plug.  See this video for the procedure.  You may wish to jury-rig your own method of filling  but the basics are all there.

16 minutes ago, dogo88 said:

According to my owners manual the 2019 FFH transmission should be changed every 150k miles. 

Every 150,000 mi Change automatic transmission fluid.
(240,000 km)

The FFh uses a CVT. It's a sealed unit. 

Here's a link to get the manual:

https://owner.ford.com/tools/account/how-tos/owner-manuals.html?year=2019&make=Ford&model=Fusion

 

 What do you mean by "sealed unit?" It doesn't seem any different to me from any other Ford ATX in this context.

[Winters]

Thank you both for the responses.

 

I've had bad experiences with our old cars letting the transmission fluid go longer than ~70K or so and am at the point where I want to do it closer to the 50K mark just to keep things working properly. It's probably overkill but I figure it's cheaper than getting the transmission repaired or replaced. I'll check out that video, thanks for posting it.

[dogo88]

10 hours ago, drolds1 said:

I wouldn't wait until 150K on any fluid change, despite what the manual says.  The fill port on the CVT is accessed from underneath.  It's near the drain plug.  See this video for the procedure.  You may wish to jury-rig your own method of filling  but the basics are all there.

 What do you mean by "sealed unit?" It doesn't seem any different to me from any other Ford ATX in this context.

"Sealed" may be overkill. Sorry.

 

My understanding it's not like the old transmissions with the fill and check capability from a tube in the engine compartment. You need to get under the vehicle and drain, fil and check from a small fill hole. It's also my understanding that CVTs don't have the frequency of fluid changing like auto trans. And CVT fluid is much more expensive. 

 

I usually follow the manufacturers recommendations unless there is a good reason to deviate. And while 150k may be a bit too long for some,  36k seems overkill unless there are some symptoms. 

[drolds1]

OK. Gotcha.  The 6F series used with non-Hybrids are the same WRT lack of a dipstick/fill hole in the engine compartment.

 

The frequency of recommended fluid change intervals seems to vary with the different manufacturers.  Nissan has had issues with early failures in their CVTs.  They recommend more frequent fluid changes. 

 

Ford uses the same fluid for the CVT in the Hybrid, i.e.,  Mercon LV.  So the cost is the same.

 

36K probably is overkill for a CVT, but whatever makes the OP comfortable is what matters. When it comes to pre-owned, you never know how it was treated.  That's a lot of mileage for a 2019.

[WilliamChuang]

On 7/2/2020 at 5:34 PM, Winters said:

Hi all,

 

I checked to see if anyone else has posted about this already but didn't find anything so I apologize of this has already been discussed.

 

My 2019 FFH has 36K miles on it and I wanted to check/change the transmission fluid since it already has so many miles on it in such a short period of time. We bought it used with 34K and I don't know the service history of the vehicle.

 

Has anyone changed the transmission fluid or have a guide on how to do it? The draining is pretty self explanatory and I know what fluid/quantity to use but I'm mostly concerned about finding the fillport. I looked around and couldn't find it. 

 

Thanks ahead of time.

 

Not sure if this is still useful but the fill port is a 14 mm bolt to the left of the front driver's side axle. Don't confuse it for the smaller bolts holding the transmission together. The drain is under the fill port, and uses an Allen wrench. Lift your car and find both points. Only after you find and remove the fill port should you drain the transmission fluid. After you drain the fluid, replace the drain plug using high temperature thread sealant. Lower your car. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. You should be able to access the fill port with the vehicle on the ground. Pump the transmission fluid into the fill port until it starts to leak out. Replace the fill port plug. Run the engine for a minute. Shift through all the gears with your foot on the brake. Turn off the engine and wait five minutes. Remove the fill port plug. Excess fluid should leak out. If it doesn't, put more fluid in and do this again.

 

NOTE: the fill port plug and the drain port plug only requires 6 ft-lb of torque, which is not a lot. Do not go nuts with tightening it.