I’ve got a 2014 Ford Escape that I bought in 2022 when it had 80k miles. Now it’s at 120k. It’s been great—no issues, no check engine lights, and the transmission shifts smoothly. It’s the 2.0L Turbo.
Whenever I get an oil change, the shop mentions how dirty the transmission fluid is. I’ve never had the fluid changed, and I’m not sure if the previous owner did either.
What should I do? Should I go for a drain and fill, a flush, or just sell the car? I’m worried about causing damage if I do anything now. Will parts of the transmission get dislodged if I mess with the fluid?
I’d recommend a drain and fill. Drive a full tank of gas, then repeat the process two more times. Doing three drain-and-fills should replace nearly all the transmission fluid.
I personally prefer Valvoline ATF (the red bottle), but use anything that matches your car’s manual.
Tatum said: @Ray
Do you think it’ll cause anything to dislodge, or should I be okay?
You should be fine. The dislodging issue is more of a concern with flushing, not with a drain and fill.
Your transmission has a filter to catch debris. Replacing the filter is more involved and risky, so if everything’s running fine, don’t overthink it. Just use high-quality ATF, measure how much you drain, and refill with the same amount.