Lowtalker

I did not ask to see the cracked part. I was satisfied, at least, that they replaced it. As far as the PTU actually being cracked, I don't really know. Either the crack was present when I purchased it and yet still not leaking, or it is just part of the story the service department cooks up for a warranty repair. I have certainly not impacted anything with this car. Seems like a difficult thing to be impacted by something. Oh well, I guess I'll be more careful. So, it sounds like from some of the things I've read that I might need to make the PTU part of normal maintenance. Any thoughts on that? Would suctioning out and then refilling be sufficient? How often? Read one post where someone drilled and tapped the PTU for a drain plug. I like the idea. I might be nervous trying that, though. On a side note. I believe the PTU was leaking a couple thousand miles before I noticed it. I was traveling across the country stopping here and there, rest areas, hotels, etc. It is very possible that it was dripping and I simply didn't notice until after I got home. Based on someone's description of smelling the leak when they got to a stop after highway driving, I'm pretty sure I was smelling it from Colorado to NC. But I had recently gotten my oil changed and just chalked it up to that. Normally I'd change it myself, but I was in the middle of a long road trip. For the record, I had the oil change place only change the oil and specifically told them not to check fluids under the car. Don't really want them messing around down there.

First off I'm new to the forum and this subject has been discussed rather thoroughly on this site. So, I apologize for beating a dead horse. Back in Sept this year I purchased a used 2013 Edge SEL AWD with about 50k miles. During my test drive I had it put on a lift to inspect the underbody rust as it was from the NE. There were no signs of leaks anywhere. Rust seemed cosmetic. Not too long after I purchased it, I started noticing a harmonic droning or vibration at 45 mph and higher. First thing I did was check tires. They all had sidewall cracking so, I replaced them with Michelin Latitudes. The sound actually got worse. I had the tire place rotate and re- balance the tires but the sound stayed the same. Went on a 1000 mile trip. The sound never got worse but definitely was bothersome. My next step was to evaluate the brakes and check each wheel for hub wear. However, a few days after returning, I noticed a black spot where I had parked. I looked underneath and a large amount of what ended up being gear oil from the PTU had essentially leaked all over and blew everywhere underneath. Flash to the dealership. I'm still covered under the power train warranty. So, I take it in, describing that I was investigating a vibration when I noticed all of the oil everywhere. Ultimately, they replace the PTU but told me they had to write it up that I was hearing grinding noises when I was turning at low speeds. He said otherwise a leak wouldn't be covered under warranty. In fact, he said it looked like the PTU had been "hit" by something that cracked the case thus, leaking out all of the fluid. I didn't argue with the service guy, since I got the repair I wanted which was a new PTU under warranty. While I am certain I did not, if I had hit something that managed to crack the PTU then I most likely would have filed it on my insurance. All this being said, I just can't figure out why all the BS about the grinding steering noises. It sounds like PTU failure is a common problem... even the cracked housing part. Really just curious if anyone relates to this. I feel fortunate to have gotten the repair. But, I am definitely concerned about future failures after all I've read. Thanks. Oh yeah, the droning vibration went away. Sorry for the long post.