chefduane

My '11 Ltd AWD will soon pass 100k miles. I do PTU oil changes with Valvoline 75w-140 High Temp Full Synth gear oil at 20k intervals. So far, so good! My local shop does the suck and fill method with their machine but I bring the oil. They have been servicing my cars for 20 years and serviced my Explorer up to 213,000 when I sold it. My philosophy is that its best to do frequent changes with a proven oil that do an eternal search for the perfect oil to extend changes. Same with engine oil. Mobil-1 at 5k intervals.

1/7/19: Coolant drain and fill. Not a complete flush but just a drain from petcock and refill. Probably got 80%.

Don't really know if that's possible with the Duratec AWD platform. Some guys in the Explorer group I participated in when I owned an Explorer simply removed the front driveshaft and went with rear drive only. I'll be interested to hear what the options are.

The spec sheet on my '11 Edge AWD says 19 gallons, the FWD spec is 18 gallons. Interesting because I would have thought that it would be the other way around. My thinking would be that the RDU on the AWD would somehow cut into the tank real estate and with no RDU the FWD fuel tank would have more space in the rear. Go figure.

By 'rear PTU' I assume you mean the RDU? PTU is the Power Transfer Unit which is bolted to the transaxle and transfers power back to the Rear Differential Unit (the RDU) at the rear axle. If I am incorrect on the terminology or functionality, anyone please feel free to chime in. Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone!!

Sorry it took so long to post this re: underhood LED strip. I installed a pin switch in the location shown by the arrow. One lead to ground and one to power so that when the pin is released (hood up) the circuit is grounded, the circuit completed, and power goes to the LED strip. The red line and red dotted line show the wire route up to the LED strip in the circle. Got the LED strip from 1000bulbs.com. You can get them in various lengths, wattages, and lumens. Sorry, I can't specifically remember what I got. I did the same with the glove box light. No pics on that yet. I did not put any additional lighting in the cargo area. Hope this helps!

This might be a situation where a dealer visit is warranted. It would be expensive but they'll probably get it fixed. Other than what you've done so far, I got nothing.

2011 AWD Limited: "A" pillar too large for my liking. Probably just me. Backup camera really flaky. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't. Now it works with an upside down image. Strangely, it works sometimes right after it rains. The only fix is a new $800 dealer install as the ones off Amazon et al that are 'guaranteed' and 'direct OEM replacement' are just too risky to chance. Small things: 1. No glovebox light - I installed one myself with a small light and pin switch. 2. No underhood light - I installed an LED strip on a pin switch. Lights up nice and bright now when the hood is raised!! 3. SUPER crappy OEM cargo cover. I purchased a Chinese made retractable cargo cover. Install was a bit fussy but it works great!! That is all. Carry on.

Thanks!!

Time for a new set of front brake pads! Does anyone have the latest Rock Auto discount code? Thanks!!

Get in touch with Ford direct and find out who the Zone Manager is for the area where you live. Make a formal complaint with the Zone Manager office. I've said this before but dealerships DO NOT like getting customer complaints that come through the local Zone Manager. Ford corporate does not take this type of thing lightly.

Agree completely. Doesn't look like they changed anything. Also, did you check the RDU? Perhaps the tech was confused and suck/filled the RDU.

I appreciate the input but we've already got all that figured out. I am a career changer, I have not always been a Chef. Frankly, its kinda' a fun second career. My first 45 years was spent working my way through the ranks as a marketing manager, director, and finally executive VP for a satellite comm firm in Silicon Valley. Had some pretty good years during the 80's and early 90's and eventually came to Dallas in '94 with a fortune 50 telecom company. You've probably heard of it but no need to mention it here. So we are set from a financial, healthcare, and retirement perspective. The only think is running out of time to do all the stuff we want to do!! Mrs. Chef heads up a national candy company and she probably will continue to work for a while as I am puttering in the garage!! When she does decide to retire is when we will travel.

And I would like to add a followup: Thank you for your contribution(s) you have made to the economy, the society, and our general well being as a nation. I trust you have worked hard, paid your taxes, and have generally been a good citizen. Can ask much more than that from a fellow American. Thanks!

Congratulations!! I have 2.5 more years till I'm 62 and then me and Mrs. Chef intend to do some traveling. Enjoy your retirement!!

Well, I certainly think both points are represented with validity and it certainly warrants further study by the committee. That said, at 5k intervals if you're using a reasonable quality filter and either a full synth or a blend (whatever brand) you're probably OK.

5k intervals with Mobil-1. K&N filter (primarily because I like the nut welded on the filter for easy spin on/off).

What about Buddy Hackett? :)

Thanks guys. I understand all the reasoning not to allow single option ordering, I just wasn't sure if it was available.

^ This. Heck, I 'm pretty sure you can even get a 65 AGM from Sam's.

Just a quick question here and maybe I am totally ignorant on this, but... is it possible these days to do a special order and order a base model then pick and choose which options you want? Can that even be done anymore? I suppose a dealer might be ticked off if you asked to do it but hey, Mr. Dealer - you wanna' sell a car or not?

Are they swapping the bearing itself of the whole hub assembly? Rock Auto has the Motorcraft bearing itself for $55.79 each. Timkens are $27.79. If you need the whole hub repair kit, RA has SKF kits for $103.79/ea and includes the hub, bearing, retaining ring, and spindle nut. I think a new spindle nut is required every time you remove the hub so you'd need one anyway. Wheel bearings are pretty simple to do if you have the right tools - breaker bar, torque wrench, dead blow hammer, maybe a socket the size of the spindle nut, and something to drive the bearing in with like a big dowel the OD of the bearing. I'm lucky to also have a compressor and air wrench to remove lug nuts. Wheel stands are a must. I've done them on previous 4x4's (Explorers) and they're not all that hard. If you are confident in your abilities then I'd say do them yourself. If not, have Ford (or a trusted shop) do them. With Ford or a shop you should get a warranty so check that out. Good Luck!

The vehicle is asking you of you want to run a "Vehicle Health Report." Very cursory report on basic status of vehicle systems. I usually ignore it.

Correct. I have an '11 Ltd with the 3.5L. Sorry I did not make that clear.

www.fumotooildrainvalve.com I ran a make/model/year check and it looks like they do have one for the 2.7.