Looking for basic info

[troverman]

I have a 2010 Lincoln MKS EcoBoost AWD - since there is virtually no info on the Linc and the SHO is basically mechanically identical, I figured I'd post here.

First of all, I understand one area of concern is the PTU - that the "lifetime" fluid gets too hot and turns to sludge, which eventually causes failure of the gears inside. Our car has 30k miles on it, and we have scheduled a mechanic to suck out the fluid and replace it this week.

I was reading that the Police Interceptor uses a water cooled version of the PTU with a gear oil temp sensor in it. Is the SHO / MKS PTU more robust than the version on a standard AWD Taurus?

Finally, what other areas of problems are there with these cars? It seems like a great car.

Thanks

 

[SHOdded]

Welcome, troverman. Historically, the MKS seems to have had less issues with the PTU, my guess is that they actually fill it properly from the factory. But definitely, keeping a schedule of R&R on this fluid can save heartache down the road.

Since the Taurus PI came out in 2013, yes, the PTU got upgraded to a monitored & cooled unit with a drain plug, just like with a SHO with the Performance Package. Does not necessarily mean it is more robust, as PI PTU's do blow up, but it does give you a heads up when the PTU fluid/PTU has to be replaced (theoretically). If the temperature of the fluid exceeds a certain point even once, it is toast, and the PTU fluid (or even the PTU) is supposed to be replaced. Don't have a reference off the top of my head tho.

A lot more problems occur when you take the car in for service than actually when in-service. Luckily, Lincoln dealers seem to have a better handle on these vehicles & their technology, so you should have much fewer issues there. But if you are unlucky enough to go to a Ford dealer for service, it's a tossup. They just don't seem to get it, yet.

The PCV system would be a "major" area to watch. If there's pooling oil in the intake tubes/intercooler, that needs to be addressed. There is a revised valve cover available from Ford to help. Along with the issue of Direct Injection (no fuel washing over the back of the intake valves), that can lead to carbon buildup, which can contribute to operational issues down the road. Methanol injection is the most common prevention method to date.

Tuned cars will eat plugs much faster than the recommended maintenance interval. Doesn't matter if they are platinum or iridium, 30K seems to be the outer limit for changes. Stock cars - plugs should last a while.

Tie rods give out. Shocks/struts might leak.

 

[troverman]

Welcome, troverman. Historically, the MKS seems to have had less issues with the PTU, my guess is that they actually fill it properly from the factory. But definitely, keeping a schedule of R&R on this fluid can save heartache down the road.

Since the Taurus PI came out in 2013, yes, the PTU got upgraded to a monitored & cooled unit with a drain plug, just like with a SHO with the Performance Package. Does not necessarily mean it is more robust, as PI PTU's do blow up, but it does give you a heads up when the PTU fluid/PTU has to be replaced (theoretically). If the temperature of the fluid exceeds a certain point even once, it is toast, and the PTU fluid (or even the PTU) is supposed to be replaced. Don't have a reference off the top of my head tho.

A lot more problems occur when you take the car in for service than actually when in-service. Luckily, Lincoln dealers seem to have a better handle on these vehicles & their technology, so you should have much fewer issues there. But if you are unlucky enough to go to a Ford dealer for service, it's a tossup. They just don't seem to get it, yet.

The PCV system would be a "major" area to watch. If there's pooling oil in the intake tubes/intercooler, that needs to be addressed. There is a revised valve cover available from Ford to help. Along with the issue of Direct Injection (no fuel washing over the back of the intake valves), that can lead to carbon buildup, which can contribute to operational issues down the road. Methanol injection is the most common prevention method to date.

Tuned cars will eat plugs much faster than the recommended maintenance interval. Doesn't matter if they are platinum or iridium, 30K seems to be the outer limit for changes. Stock cars - plugs should last a while.

Tie rods give out. Shocks/struts might leak.

Thanks for the advice. I like to work on most vehicles myself, so it will be good to familiarize. How can I check to see if there is oil pooling in the intercooler? Pull off the large air intake hose that is post intercooler? WHY would there be oil in there, short of a turbo seal leaking? Unless PCV is introduced pre-intercooler?

I understand the issues associated with direct injection. I'm guessing at 30k miles, that issue won't surface until 75k or later.

How durable is the 6F55 transmission?

 

[SHOdded]

This is a HowTo on draining the intercooler, but will also show you how to check it:
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,3056.0.html

If you are up to it, you can sneak a boroscope through the intake manifold and take a peek at the valves to figure out just how much of a carbon issue your MKS has right now. BG published an article they wrote up on a SHO that you might be interested in:
https://www.bgprod.com/bgfueltest/

I have no idea how good their product is, but this is what they offer:
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/gasoline-fuel-system/bg-gasoline-direct-injection-cleaner/
https://www.bgprod.com/services/gdi-performance/

Best options: Methanol injection, or walnut shell blasting, your choice.

The 6F55 transmission is pretty sturdy, and handles a great deal of power. But with great power comes great responsibility Use the SEVERE DUTY intervals as the outer limits of when the trans fluid should be swapped out. You might even consider a higher quality ATF than Motorcraft.

 

[troverman]

Thanks much!

 

[Hebes10]

The 6F55 transmission is pretty sturdy, and handles a great deal of power. But with great power comes great responsibility Use the SEVERE DUTY intervals as the outer limits of when the trans fluid should be swapped out. You might even consider a higher quality ATF than Motorcraft.

What other types of higher quality ATF are people using? Amsoil and Redline?

 

[SHOdded]

Amsoil and Royal Purple come to mind right off the bat.

 

[brucelinc]

Troverman, please let us know what your mechanic thinks of the **** that he sucks out of your PTO. We know there have been several cases of sludge and even some outright PTU failures with SHOs. For what it is worth, I changed the PTU **** in my 2010 MKS at 50,000 miles and it looked just fine - dark color but very little residue on the magnetic plug and still quite easy to pour. I had the car perfectly level when I removed the plug and **** began to drip out so I know it was full.

I just finished replacing the PTU **** again at 60,000 miles since I plan to run the car at the track this summer and wanted to make sure it was still OK. Again, the **** looked great and there was zero evidence of sludge or other abnormalities. While there may be better lubricants, I chose to just use the original equipment Motorcraft full synthetic 75W140 gear **** in the PTU. While I was at it, I also changed the rear differential unit **** with 75W90 synthetic gear **** and the transmission fluid with Motorcraft LV ATF.

 

[troverman]

Troverman, please let us know what your mechanic thinks of the **** that he sucks out of your PTO. We know there have been several cases of sludge and even some outright PTU failures with SHOs. For what it is worth, I changed the PTU **** in my 2010 MKS at 50,000 miles and it looked just fine - dark color but very little residue on the magnetic plug and still quite easy to pour. I had the car perfectly level when I removed the plug and **** began to drip out so I know it was full.

I just finished replacing the PTU **** again at 60,000 miles since I plan to run the car at the track this summer and wanted to make sure it was still OK. Again, the **** looked great and there was zero evidence of sludge or other abnormalities. While there may be better lubricants, I chose to just use the original equipment Motorcraft full synthetic 75W140 gear **** in the PTU. While I was at it, I also changed the rear differential unit **** with 75W90 synthetic gear **** and the transmission fluid with Motorcraft LV ATF.

Yes, I will try to remember to do that - probably Friday. The mechanic is going to check the rear diff fluid at the same time, but unless it is bad, he will leave alone.

This mechanic is at least trustworthy - some dealers might tell you they changed the fluid without ever even touching it. He knew right off what a PTU was and asked if the seal was leaking; he had just done one on another vehicle (maybe Ford Edge?)

Anyway, so far I really like this car. First Lincoln product ever, although we've had several Fords over the years (current other car is a 2016 diesel F-350). The MKS is a good looker, although I actually like the exterior styling of the SHO better.

Our local PD uses a fleet of Taurus and Explorer Interceptors, although mostly the sedans. I've seen a couple of the sedans leave the police station on a flatbed. Next time I speak to a cop, I'll ask how reliable these cars have been compared to the previous fleet of Impalas (ugh) and CVPIs before that.

 

[troverman]

OK, so the car is done already and I have the report: after 6 years and 33k miles, the fluid is not coagulated and is still "wet and lubricating." However, there is some evidence of light sludging and there is a small amount of metallic material on the magnetic plug. The mechanic was unable to vacuum all liquid and sludge from the housing; he recommends driving awhile and then returning to do the procedure again. He has topped the fluid to correct level with 75w140 synthetic.
He also check the rear differential fluid which he said was "perfect" although there was a very slight amount of metal on the magnetic plug of the diff. Transmission fluid at correct level.

So, overall, pretty pleased with the report. We'll drive it for a month or so, and then have him do it again, and then not worry about it for a few years. The charge was only 1 hour labor.

 

[SHOdded]

Sounds like a pretty good health report to me, at a pretty good rate if I might say so Time to pile on some miles!

 

[troverman]

Sounds like a pretty good health report to me, at a pretty good rate if I might say so Time to pile on some miles!

Thanks. We've had the mechanic "change" the fluid one more time - car is up to 39k miles! The fluid is getting better each time - he said maybe one more time than go 20k or so. Cheap service.

Now I'm hearing a slight tick-tick-tick clatter for a second or two upon startup - I started a new thread on this topic. Otherwise, no issues. The 20" tires seem to be wearing very well and very evenly, which is great.

I do not find the brakes to be that great on this car, but it handles surprisingly well for a FWD based car and tracks dead straight down the highway.

 

[sholxgt]

Sounds like you have a great mechanic.

For the brakes, you may want to look into an upgrade to the 2013+ size. I have been pleasantly surprised by the cost of the factory parts. I picked up 13+ PP front calipers at the dealer for around $40 each after core return.

Here's a how to...
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,5654.0.html

 

[troverman]

Sounds like you have a great mechanic.

For the brakes, you may want to look into an upgrade to the 2013+ size. I have been pleasantly surprised by the cost of the factory parts. I picked up 13+ PP front calipers at the dealer for around $40 each after core return.

Here's a how to...
http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,5654.0.html

Thanks a lot for that link. For around $500, I might be interested in upgrading the fronts.

 

[dillrepair]

just to continue this thread because it kind of follows some of my questions from a reliability standpoint about this platform... methanol sounds fun and all but it also seems like a serious way to keep the valves clean. and at ~$300 (or even less im finding) for the snow performance stage 1 kit it seems like its the same $ as a fancy catch can setup but does more for you. would this be a viable safe way to keep things running clean and nice? i'm really thinking of draining the intercooler and installing some basic methanol to run from time to time.

2016 new to me (47k) sho, pp, all fluids changed, so far i have the LMS tune in addition to their 3 bar map, cai, t-stat, and plugs, running the 89 octane tune currently and switching to 91 here in a bit when i fill again.