QuestionQUESTION: hi, we had a slow leak, drops here and there, over the course of 2 months. About ten days ago the leak turned into a pool of oil! We took it to our mechanic, no help. They said it was a transmission problem, and they couldn't help. We just bought the car 9mos ago..so to the dealer we went. The dealer handed the car off to a local Ford dealer, they're BMW, to help with the issue. We were told it was gear oil, and we had a PTU problem and needed a new front axle shaft too boot...totaling $2000! He said the labor would be $800! So, we called him at 11:15am to see if work was started, not yet, but hoped to have it done by end of work day. We were told it was a difficult job! A surprising 3.5 hrs later we get a call saying the car was ready..PTU and axle! He was the ONLY one working that day. All in 3.5 hours! We get the car home, feels better. The next day we see those familiar black dots in the driveway. Yes, the leak has returned! Could he have fixed both, the PTU and the axle, in just 3.5 hours? Is it a possibility that he just over filled the PTU after the repair. We dished out a lot of money for this repair. When we called him on it and he said, " maybe you have a leak in another place." We also got our car back with a rear flat, well almost flat..11 psi. We filled it several times that day. It was totally flat this a.m.! What did he do? This IS a big dealership in our area.
ANSWER: first, sorry your having this problem. this is a very, very common problem. happens on just about ev every mkz and ford edge on the road. i don't know the service bulletin off the top of my head but you can google it. yes, you can replace that ptu in 3.5 hrs ( which is what i'm sure you gto billed for ) but, as an experienced tech- the job can be done in about 1.5 hrs. These ptu units were know for a bad seal from the factory which is why the seal has been redesigned. although, if done properly, the ptu doesn't need replacing just the seal. i'm not sure about the axle though.. think you got taken on this one. i have replaced atleast 100 ptu seals for this leak and never had to replace the axle.. any further questions please feel free to write. take care... -b-,
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QUESTION: Hi Brian, We paid for a new ptu replacement part, $740. IF its still leaking do you think he tried to just seal it, and failed? The car seems to leak just after shut off, and then no other leaking. Before the "repair" it would leak at a constant rate. Is there a way to know if we got the part we paid for, or just a shotty seal? Thanks for your response, it def helps. Shawn
Answerhard to say about the new ptu.. i guess look at it and see if it's " nice and shiney ".. the unfortunate part, even if a new axle was installed, if not done properly. the new seal can be damaged when inserting the shaft. as far as the leaking still. it is entirely possible the transmission was slightly over filled after the repair. i'd give it another week or so and see if the leak persists. if it does, bring it back for sure. take care -b-
