Ford doesn't recognize this as a problem. The Power Transfer Unit is basically a fancy name for a transfer case on the Ford Explorer for this year model. They put a quarter of a quart of "lifetime" oil in the PTU without any drain plug in order to exchange the fluids. If you know anything about vehicle oils, there is no such thing as a "lifetime" oil, and thus, it needs to be changed. Around 55,000 miles, I began getting a really bad stutter in high RPM shifting, grinding noise at lower speeds, and inability to change "power" to the rear wheels. The oil gets so hot in the PTU that it eventually wears the gears down inside, leading to metal grinding away and mixing with the oil. It was a good thing this was caught before I was driving at highway speeds and had my entire differential lock-up.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Ford doesn't recognize this as a problem. The Power Transfer Unit is basically a fancy name for a transfer case on the Ford Explorer for this year model. They put a quarter of a quart of "lifetime" oil in the PTU without any drain plug in order to exchange the fluids. If you know anything about vehicle oils, there is no such thing as a "lifetime" oil, and thus, it needs to be changed. Around 55,000 miles, I began getting a really bad stutter in high RPM shifting, grinding noise at lower speeds, and inability to change "power" to the rear wheels. The oil gets so hot in the PTU that it eventually wears the gears down inside, leading to metal grinding away and mixing with the oil. It was a good thing this was caught before I was driving at highway speeds and had my entire differential lock-up.
- brnew, Houston, US