PTU/Transfer Case?

[JohnCT]

Feel free to jump down to my questions at the bottom. I always like to add information for those who like details .

 

So the wife calls me last week and her 2009 Edge suddenly having fits. She described loud noise, and a bang like "the engine fell out" and noises much worse right at stop. She also said the airbag light went on and it felt like it lost power steering. She was a mile from home and limped it home.

 

When I got home I gingerly backed it out of the driveway and went for a shake down and it felt and sounded mostly normal. All I can feel is a very slight shudder (not engine) when slowly accellerating from a stop, almost like running over those warning tar strips at the edge of a highway but nowhere near as loud or tactile.

 

Doing some on line reading about noises, vibrations, etc. it turns out the PTU is a known issue, and I think that's my problem. I removed the magnetic fill plug and cleaned off what looked like moly axle grease from it. I vacuumed out what fluid I could (which wasn't much), and it took at least half a quart (far more than I got out) and that's about all it holds anyway. I'm guessing there was a leak but I've never seen any oil spots in the driveway. Still, it seemed quite low on fluid. A follow up drive after I added new gear oil showed no improvement, but let me say that if someone just borrowed the car, they might not even notice that almost inperceptible shudder at 5-10 mph. Otherwise it runs smooth as silk at speed as it always has.

 

Having thought about it all last night, I couldn't reconcile the "bang" and "like the engine fell out" and finding no smoking gun underneath and now I wonder if the PTU/Transfer case is destroyed inside and not transferring any power to the rear at all. There's no rain in the forcast so I may wet down my driveway and see if I can spin the front wheels while someone watches the back.

 

So two questions:

 

1) Is it possible the PTU came apart inside and is just sitting there like a lump of metal?

2) Have they improved the part or at least put in a drain plug that will allow service to the PTU?

3) Is the PTU replaceable in the driveway with just ramps/jack stands? (does the subframe need to be dropped)

 

John

 

 

EDIT: well, the PTU isn't totally blasted. I put my floor jack under the radiator support and raised the entire front of the car. I put it in drive and I could feel the back wheels engage and push against the floor jack...

Edited June 27, 2016 by JohnCT