Problem:
So I did a search here but the results weren't very helpful (only a non-PP PTU thread came up). I watched two YouTube videos where the mechanics attached a length of 5/16" hose to extend the factory PTU vent-hose in the engine-bay, to enable filling through the vent-port as an easier way to fill the PTU. I have the hose, barbs, etc.
However, with the car either up on ramps, or looking from above the engine-bay with engine cover and intake off, I cannot find the relief-tube. I do have a manual pump. Can I just add fluid from the lower drain-plug (since clearing the actual fill-port is next to impossible due to clearance)? This is a PP, so the PTU has a drain-plug; however, since it's near the bottom of the unit, doesn't that prevent you from completely filling up the PTU?
Backstory:
I believe I am the third owner (formally a lease) with 17,698 miles now on the odometer. The car once lived in Chicago, and then moved to Arizona (where it shipped from), so the car has seen extreme temperatures, both hot and cold. I'm in Los Angeles and have only put about 1,000 miles on the vehicle since buying it in early 2023 (a portion of those miles in hot-idle in stop-and-go, heavy L.A. freeway traffic).
We're about to embark on a road trip through the California and Arizona desert, so the vehicle will be subject to lots of heat as we enter June. I thought it prudent to change the PTU fluid before the trip. (I changed engine oil soon after purchase in mid-2023, and just yesterday, with Mobil 1 5W30 Extended Performance, SN-plus rated).
So with just under 18K miles, on a PP-equipped vehicle which presumably has the PTU with a built-in oil-cooler, I may just go on the trip unabated and resolve this when we return.
So I did a search here but the results weren't very helpful (only a non-PP PTU thread came up). I watched two YouTube videos where the mechanics attached a length of 5/16" hose to extend the factory PTU vent-hose in the engine-bay, to enable filling through the vent-port as an easier way to fill the PTU. I have the hose, barbs, etc.
However, with the car either up on ramps, or looking from above the engine-bay with engine cover and intake off, I cannot find the relief-tube. I do have a manual pump. Can I just add fluid from the lower drain-plug (since clearing the actual fill-port is next to impossible due to clearance)? This is a PP, so the PTU has a drain-plug; however, since it's near the bottom of the unit, doesn't that prevent you from completely filling up the PTU?
Backstory:
I believe I am the third owner (formally a lease) with 17,698 miles now on the odometer. The car once lived in Chicago, and then moved to Arizona (where it shipped from), so the car has seen extreme temperatures, both hot and cold. I'm in Los Angeles and have only put about 1,000 miles on the vehicle since buying it in early 2023 (a portion of those miles in hot-idle in stop-and-go, heavy L.A. freeway traffic).
We're about to embark on a road trip through the California and Arizona desert, so the vehicle will be subject to lots of heat as we enter June. I thought it prudent to change the PTU fluid before the trip. (I changed engine oil soon after purchase in mid-2023, and just yesterday, with Mobil 1 5W30 Extended Performance, SN-plus rated).
So with just under 18K miles, on a PP-equipped vehicle which presumably has the PTU with a built-in oil-cooler, I may just go on the trip unabated and resolve this when we return.
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