2019 Ford Edge SEL - Transmission Fluid Level Check

[19fordedgesel]

I have a 2019 Ford Edge SEL 2.0L EcoBoost with just over 63,300 miles on it. Recently, the car has not been driving smoothly. This is really disappointing considering the fact that I got it brand new and the powertrain warranty just expired a month ago. See below for 2 main issues:

 

1. Car jerks when switching gears most of the time. Mostly noticed between 2nd & 3rd AND 3rd & 4th gears. If I am very gentle with the gas pedal, the jerk is very minor and sometimes unnoticeable. 
2. At constant speeds, the RPM spikes on its own without me hitting the gas pedal. To confirm this, I drove the car on the highway multiple times with cruise control set to 60 MPH. RPM will be slightly over 2x1000 for most of the time but periodically spikes 50-100 RPM over this constant mark.

 

Took the car to my local dealer and complained. After paying the $125 diagnostic fee, I was informed I have to replace the torque converter. The estimate provided was $3,300. This was all done without a test drive or anything. The car was just looked at and the estimate was provided. I asked the mechanic if paying this was going to fix the problem definitively and he didn't seem sure.

 

Apart from the 2 issues mentioned above, the car has no other issues. No strange noises, no lights. Nothing. Even plugged a code reader in and the car not throwing any errors (for now). The vehicle has been properly maintained with all my oil changes and tire rotations done up till this point. The only thing I don't recall doing is a transmission fluid change. At every oil change appointment, I'm told it's not needed until the car has like 100,000 miles. 

 

Since this issue started, I have been watching a lot of videos on Youtube of people with similar issues. Some mentioned changing their transmission fluid and adding Lucas additive as what fixed this problem for them. I would like to go this route to see if it works. Would like to check my ATF fluid first before going to a shop and requesting for it to be changed. Opened the hood to check my ATF level but couldn't find the dipstick. Any help here will be greatly appreciated. 

[colinc755]

In the 2019 edge section I did a large write up about servicing the 8f35 transmission (the one that is in 2019+ edges with the 2.0 engine). It has a level plug in the drivers wheel well that has to be removed while the engine is running and the transmission fluid is at operating temperature to check the level. Unfortunately, the 8f35 is getting to be known as a rough transmission that might fail pretty easily. It needs fluid changes every 30,000 miles at the minimum for it to make it long past the warranty period. Many ford parts if they never have fluid changed will die pretty close to the end of the warranty period, Ford designs those fluids just long enough to do that and then it isn't their problem. As for yours, I don't think its dead yet and there are a few things you could try.

 

1. I would not recommend putting any Lucas stuff or transmission cure stuff in it, as it will likely just make things worse. These transmissions are designed with very tight tolerances and very specific fluid characteristics so it is probably not a good idea to mess with them. Many of those stop leak products were designed before cars got to be so complicated and computer controlled, so they mostly don't help anymore.

 

2. The fluid should be immediately changed not flushed at your local ford dealer. At 60,000+ miles, the Mercon in there is going to be pretty spent and the longer you go on the factory fill, the faster that transmission will die. Both the 6f35 and 8f35 react negatively to flushes because they can be very sensitive. In case you don't know the difference, a flush forces all the fluid in there out with pressure and fills the entire transmission with new fluid, while a change just drains the sump (about 1/3rd) of the fluid, and fills that gap with new fluids. For transmissions that are on the more damaged side, a change is way less shocking to them and has a greater chance of success. I also recommend a Ford dealer specifically because they will use OEM fluid, non-OEM fluid also really seems to kill 6f35 and 8f35's, lol I can't stress enough how sensitive these damn things are.

 

3. The last thing I would recommend is getting your transmission flashed with the latest update. Ford put out an update for the 8f35 in November of last year that attempts to solve some of the surging and bucking these transmissions do at lower speeds. For mine, this update did help a bit, and I imagine it will keep the components inside from waring out as fast since the car is no longer slamming gears left and right. This update will also clear out the adaptive tables of the transmission which will cause it to re-learn your driving style, this may also help with shifts.

 

Sorry that was a whole digest, but these things require a lot of work to keep down the road. Ford has built up a bad reputation for transmissions, and honestly I think a lot of it comes from Ford not telling customers to do all the things I mentioned above. If after all of this nothing helps, unfortunately it just kinda is the way it is until it stops, but usually after the fluid change you'll notice a difference and after an update an even bigger one. It probably would be about a $500 dollar bill at a dealer which can be hard to spare in this economy, but it is way cheaper then going out of pocket for a new 8f35. I hope all that helped, feel free to reply if you have any questions. 

[19fordedgesel]

@colinc755 Thanks for the response. I had the fluid changed recently. The car still jerks when switching gears but it's not as intense as it was prior to the fluid change. The RPM does not spike anymore at constant speeds. I have only driven a little under 200 miles since the fluid change and it seems to be getting better. Will continue to monitor.