How To Change Transmission Fluid In A Ford Escape / Maverick 2.0L: Full Walkthrough

Today, I’m going to show you how to change the transmission fluid on a 2.0L Ford Escape. My wife’s escape was experiencing surging RPMs between 30 - 50 mph ~ 200 RPM up and down and seemed to be slipping under load. This solved the issue! You should change your Transmission fluid every 60 - 75k miles. I will walk through all the tools you need and each step along the way. If you find the video helpful feel free to drop a thumbs up! Thanks for watching!
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[@benjaminhuberty5888]

Since there is no Ford Maverick videos on this exact same procedure, I appreciate your hard work.

[@deuceliter]

Thank you!

[@eduardoflores8819]

ora 😢l😂

[@stanggang4610]

I needed this for my Ford Maverick

[@angelzucchet8543]

Thank you so much for your excellent video 😄

[@deuceliter]

No problem!

[@hugofarias2374]

My brother thank you for the video. You keep it as simple as it was need it and tools list thanks

[@suunto61]

The ATF you used was correct for your Escape using a 6F35N transmission. LV = Low Viscosity. The Mavrick uses a HF45/8F35 transmission. ULV = Ultra Low Viscosity. Given that, the procedure you used is valid for both transmissions. For those looking for a second video, see fordtechmakuloco channel changing on 8F35 transmission (2020 Escape). I followed that process on my 2020 2.0L AWD. Certainly shifted better. Did this at 75k.

[@deuceliter]

Thanks for the information!

[@matthewsetzer5251]

TY very much. Your greatly appreciated. God bless

[@shengchang2647]

Thanks,bro.

[@adamcrownvictoriacarrepair7105]

Well done

[@deuceliter]

Thank you!

[@TwoPair72]

Had my escape 2.0 ecoboost changed at 80k. The fluid was black. Book says 150k. I wanted to do it at 60. It’s crowded under the hood and several places won’t touch it. Dealer has been backed up for three weeks consistently. Got lucky, shifts fine at firmer like new. Once I get the ‘24 Traverse, it’ll be our backup vehicle.

[@deuceliter]

It's crazy how they make an essential part nearly impossible to service. It definitely should be done every 50kish miles to keep fluid clean. I changed this escape twice and fluid was still black. Made a big difference in shifting, though, but wish I had done it sooner as well.

[@blakehintz3207]

Same brother, 80 k and was BLACK and seemed low just based on how much came out vs what I put back in. Too much maintenance I would say in this case is a good call. I will never understand some of the factory maintenance schedules. Lunacy at its best. Must be a conspiracy theory here somewhere.

[@stizzyizzy5955]

​@@deuceliterevery 30k

[@deuceliter]

@@stizzyizzy5955 doesn't hurt to do it more often!

[@all_n_baby]

Definitely should do it every 30k regardless of what manual says

[@davidjsouth231]

May try this! 2013 Ford Escape Titanium. 150k miles. Got a code the other day. P0713. TFT running high

[@peekaypee1]

Thank you so much for posting this "how to". Very good information. A concerning question? If you measure the exact amount that you remove, why can't you just put that new amount back in in the same amount and not have to do the leveling? I'm confused about the extra need to do that step 🤔 Thanks.

[@deuceliter]

You can definitely just measure how much you removed. Just ensure you have the correct amount in your transmission prior to draining.

[@peekaypee1]

Yeah that makes sense. Thank you for your speedy reply. I just purchased a brand new Maverick and only have 3,000 miles on it but I figured when it hit about 20 I would do this So I'm guessing nothing will leak out of there so whatever I take out will be the same amount but I think I'll go through that extra step of leveling it like you showed, just to be sure. By the way, after you do a little test drive and you come back in are you leaving the engine run while you take out the leveling bolt and let that bit drain till it becomes level? It sounded like it in the video but I wasn't sure if that might have been some other vehicle in the garage making that noise. And additionally, if you don't get any coming out then do you just add a little bit more until it does come out while it's running? Thank you again for your information it's super helpful for me in the future 🤗

[@deuceliter]

@peekaypee1 Yes, keep the engine running while checking the level. If none comes out of the leveling hole, add some till you do👍

[@isaacgomez6023]

Couldnt you just refill through the level port using a fluid hand pump?

[@IsraelviveA]

Dude, on a cold startup thoes it always ayerk on reverse. Is that normal because my escape thoes the same thing with 114k

[@user-kb1jq6df9i]

Did you leave the engine running when getting the level correct? Can you do that cold? Really good video btw.....just purchased a pretty high mileage 2017 Escape that's surging so plan to do this first.

[@deuceliter]

Transmission fluid expands in heat, and in order to receive an accurate level, it must be under normal operating conditions. Good luck with the escape! The fluid change helped with the surging issues.

[@user-kb1jq6df9i]

Thanks for the fast reply@@deuceliter

[@user-kb1jq6df9i]

Thanks so much@@deuceliter I finally got round to changing the transmission fluid today and bingo! No more spluttering under load at lower revs, but instead, the kick down seems to me more positive. The fluid that came out was really black so this was well overdue. Thanks again. Steve

[@ut1004bp]

What model Year, and what transmission?? Newbie Suggestion; Remove the filler hole bolt or filler cap first, to allow more rapid and complete draining out of the drain hole

[@garymoutray2324]

The filler cap is not really a cap, its a ventilated plug. No need to remove it first as it's vented.

[@cwiller]

Just did this procedure on a 2017 escape. Drained trans cold, let it drip to empty. 4.5L out. Added 4.5L. Drove until engine/trans at operating temp, went through all gears. Leveled car and pulled plug. 1.5L blasted out into the pail. Added another Liter and watched it flow out just to be sure. Used vehicle, so no maintenance records. Was this trans just way overfilled when I got it?

[@deuceliter]

Yeah, most likely, they just added fluid and never actually drained any out...

[@williamchavez1892]

Definitely over filled. Can cause damage. Proper level is crucial. Should take 4.5 qts Mercon lv. Pull level plug. You should be good. Good video.

[@chelseabrown5672]

How about a 1.5 liter engine? Same process?

[@tekn0lust]

After the initial drain, how much fluid remains? When you did your leveling procedure the draining fluid looked very dark even though you had just filled with clear red new ATF.

[@deuceliter]

Quite a bit still remains inside the transmission. With this method, only about 30 - 40% of fluid is changed, which is why the fluid is still dark. Since the car went way too long without a fluid change, it would take a few changes to get it back to a decent color, if ever.

[@tekn0lust]

@@deuceliter Ahhh Thanks! I bet this is the difference between a drain and fill and a flush.

[@deuceliter]

@@tekn0lust you are correct 🙂

[@Mitchell79x]

Hello, do you recommend a machine flush instead of a fluid drain and fill? Mine is a '13 Ford Escape SE 2.0 4WD. Current Trans Fluid is filthy.

[@deuceliter]

I'd suggest doing your research on it. I've heard of many people doing the flush and have to replace the transmission soon after. The fluid change is much easier on the transmission than the flush as it's not forcing any particles or metal shavings trapped in the old fluid through the transmission, potentially causing more harm than good.

[@steamftwin3249]

Used to work for Valvoline which only uses the machine and the escape with this setup can't take the machine. It physically won't pull from the fill port. What my Valvoline would do is take drain plug out, catch it in container and then pump the fluid back up the drain port with a little extra to accommodate for loss when your putting the drain plug back in. I'd recommend having a drop and fill like this guy did to ensure it's done properly

[@QSSCEO]

👍

[@robertdavis6708]

From what I've read, owners of 2013-23 Ford Escapes SE's should change the tranny oil every 40,000 miles. Don't listen the Service Writers at the desk. Get the original oil out of that case within 24,000 first change. Then 40,000 miles after that. Nice video .

[@CreatingExcellence]

I do a drain and fill every 10,000 miles or so. It comes out redish still. Not black. I initially did 3 drain and fills at 94,000 miles when I bought it. Then 5,000 miles later I did 3 more. Then every 10,000 miles. It’s $40 and takes 10 minutes. Big shift improvement every time I do it. It’s gone from a very hard bang downshift at 94,000 miles to smooth as butter at 165,000 miles

[@JustinG9698]

Do you still have the car? If so have you had any issue with the transmission? I just got one and I’ve been hearing a lot of people saying they’ve had to replace the trans. I’m going to change the fluid as soon as I can to hopefully prevent a failure but wanted another perspective.

[@deuceliter]

We do not. Unfortunately, my wife was hit by another driver who failed to yield, and it was totaled about a month ago. However, we were having slipping issues, which is why I changed the fluid. It did fix the issues and didn't have any issues after that until we lost the vehicle.

[@JustinG9698]

@@deuceliter thanks for the info! Hope all is well with your wife!

[@deuceliter]

@@JustinG9698 she's doing well, thank you!

[@jasonstephaniegabriel]

What year escape was this I have a 2014 and thinking it’s pretty much same but never done it yet

[@deuceliter]

This was a 2015. Should be the same

[@AntMallory]

does the car need to run while i add fluid or is it at my discretion?

[@deuceliter]

Yes, the car should be at normal operating temp when making sure the fluid level is correct 👍

[@newfie-dean5803]

You know how much new fluid you added so you can just use a separate clean container to collect the stuff that runs out when you check the fluid and then subtract that from what you added and next time you can know exactly how much to add. If you collected a cup full when checking it and you had added a gallon, next time just pour out a cup full of new fluid from the gallon before adding it and you will be good to go without the checking steps. This does assume that there are no leaks at all which you would likely see in the cover. So if the cover is dry and there are no evidence of leaks this should work good and save you some time. At least you can now fill from above. Some older fords required you to use a hand pump to fill from the drain port below!!

[@deuceliter]

Thanks for the great info!

[@seanmmiller5245]

Do you have a way to get in contact I don’t see the dipstick

[@deuceliter]

There isn't a dip stick on these unfortunately 😕

[@seanmmiller5245]

So how do I add the transmission fluid to the car

[@deuceliter]

@@seanmmiller5245 there is a vented cap located in the engine bay where you fill it. I show where it's located in the video

[@mlight8443]

Is this the same for a 2019 escape? Mines been a pain because its a "sealed system"

[@deuceliter]

I believe it's the same if you have the 2.0L engine.

[@mlight8443]

@@deuceliter I see. no, mines a 2.5L. thanks for the reply.

[@metatronmen2431]

I change the oil every 5k miles the transmission fluid, coolant flush and spark plugs @ 23k miles. Dont follow Ford maintenance schedules, they want your car broken right after warranty expires, fluids are cheap engines and transmissions are not.

[@deuceliter]

Very true!

[@vadik7]

There is no filters in the transmission?

[@MrCuckoobox]

There is a "'Life Time' Internal Filter". The Transmission has to be removed from the vehicle and the transmission split open. Not really for a DIYer or the time it takes to change it. Hence, "Life Time Filter" - Planned Obsolescence. What would you expect when Ford & GM get together to build a Transmission - 6F35 & 8F35? Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is a drain and fill. You could repeat this several times. Ford recommends doing it up to 3 times depending how dirty the fluid is. It is also good to do this "Drain & Fill" every 25k to 30k; if you want your Transmission to go the distance.

[@reignmahoney3292]

What about filter for transmission oil?

[@hoboholer]

it doesnt have one

[@philc.9280]

So there is no filter to change right? Just fluid change.

[@overkill92]

The filter on this gearbox isn't meant to be replaced periodically and buried deep inside. You'd have to dismantle the whole internals to get to it.

[@spencerbiden8403]

Why do you level the car?

[@deuceliter]

To ensure proper fluid level. If the vehicle is on a tilt, the fluid level won't be accurate as fluid will be higher on one side of the transmission.

[@jayhawker03]

Letting the engine temp get to the middle on the dash is not what you should go by to tell if it is level. The internal transmission fluid temp needs to be between 185f and 200f to get it properly level. This takes significantly longer to happen than the engine's warmup time. Use a scan tool or Forscan to monitor the fluid temp.

[@deuceliter]

Great advice, thank you!

[@jaytoth4989]

No filter to change??

[@deuceliter]

There is a filter but unfortunately it's located inside the transmission itself. Since you have to remove the entire transmission and open it up to change the filter its not generally worth changing. The logic behind this is if there is that much material trapped in the filter, you have a bigger issue and probably need a transmission repair or replacement. Ford states these transmissions have lifetime filters, so with regular fluid changes, they shouldn't need to be changed.

[@michaelwischoff8347]

Is this a cvt transmission?? Because i have the titanium package and that has the cvt

[@Mr-Faraz92]

No escape has CVT all has 6 speed automatic transmission

[@ourv9603]

Funny Story, That 8F35 trans was originally designed by GM. Ford improved it to what we see today. Still... !

[@deuceliter]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info!

[@NeverFollowTheCrowd]

Is this the 8f35 8 speed transmission ? Thanks

[@deuceliter]

I believe it was a 6 speed. However, we no longer have the vehicle, so I can't confirm the serial #s on it 😕

[@Ruslan.88266]

Is this the 8 or 10 speed transmission?

[@overkill92]

6speed 6F35

[@sealightled]

Awesome video! We'd like to invite you to test our products. Let me know if you're interested!

[@paulbarrese6537]

am i missing something or is there no pan so you can remove the filter inside? these mfgrs. are getting ridiculous for us to maintain these cars

[@Mr-Faraz92]

It comes with life time filter

[@kerrynew1969]

You are only getting half of the fluid out this way it needs to be changed three times to get it clean.

[@JDavisFromDallas]

that looks like oil

[@deuceliter]

Yes, it was way overdue, unfortunately 😔

[@neillowery7634]

Is there a seal / gasket on the level plug?

[@deuceliter]

I don't have the vehicle anymore, but I don't remember there being one, just the bolt.

[@Why...So...Stupid...]

In the owners manual it says it takes 9qts of transmission fluid... 2017 Ford Escape SE 2.0.

[@deuceliter]

That would be if the transmission was fully flushed. This method only changes out a portion of the fluid at a time.

[@bf7504]

What year and trim is this escape

[@deuceliter]

2015 SE AWD