Ford Freestyle Care and Maintenance

mschmal

Someone asked a while back what to put in the CVT. The answer is Ford makes a unique fluid JUST FOR THE CVT. Doubt you will get that if you go anywhere else besides the dealer..

The owner's manual indicates that damage caused by use of improper fluids will NOT BE COVERED!!!

Mark.

explorerx4

my '02 explorer has a mainentance free transmission. i did not like the way it shifted, and the dealer recommended changing the fluid when i brought it in for the 30k service. much better after that. i had it done at 60k too, although it was better than at 30k.

fordwrench

Actually the oil change indicator is only a time or mileage timer. What I think is happening is the display is being "reset" without resetting the timer. Do the following, scroll through the menu using "set up" find "reset oil life" then press & release the hold button according to the message display. That will reset the timer.

gerardtn

I think there are two oil change indicators, the simple one that comes with the car, and an optional one that actually calculates rpm, heat, mileage, time.

the simple one is a 5k timer only, the other one comes as part of an option package and you pay extra for it.

coldcranker

gerardtn, You might be thinking of GM's oil life monitor algorithms. I wish my Freestyle had that one, as it is a smarter formula that takes into account time spent driving with cool oil, and at low RPM (idling), etc., while the Ford Freestyle one just looks at 5,000 miles or 6 months, whichever occurs first.

saabturboid

There is an optional oil life monitor that calculates operating conditions, times, speed, temperatures, etc. My '05 SEL has this feature and the length of time between recommended changes varies each oil change based on the varying parameters. I've seen it as frequent as the low 3,000 mile range and as high as the mid 4,000s. Since mine is an SEL this is obviously an option package that is available on more than just the Limited. I'd suspect few if any SEs have this feature and probably have the more limited monitor you mention.

stevedebi

"There is an optional oil life monitor that calculates operating conditions, times, speed, temperatures, etc. "

I didn't see that in my owner's manual. What is the source of your information that these items are calculated, rather than just "6 months / 5000 miles"?

barnstormer64

I own a LTD with *all* the options . . and my "oil life indicator" is a simple 5k miles or 6 months, whichever is first.

coldcranker

I don't think Ford knows about this smart oil life monitor.

rick2456

I change my oil when the oil life monitor nears 0% life left, but as I use full synthetic oil, that gives me a extra margin of safety. At 3200 miles, I still had 23% oil life left, so it is obvious that the oil life monitor is based on hours, time, and mileage. Not sure what formula they use, but it works for me.

tango_28

There should be a sensor by the oil pan if it had a smart oil life monitor system.

coldcranker

Actually, tango_28 is right. If you could get a Ph (acid/base) chemical transducer in the oil pan, you could tell when the oil becomes acidic, which is the first indication the oil additives are worn out and chemical etching of internal metal surfaces is occurring.

coldcranker

"Not sure what formula they use"

Here is what Ford does with their oil life monitor: They take 5,000 miles and subtract mileage since last oil change. Then they divide that result by 5,000 miles and multiply times 100 for percent. Then, they take 6 months and subtract the time since your last oil change, and divide the result by 6 months, times 100. They then choose the smallest percentage between the mileage method and the time method. That way, as you rack up miles to 5,000 or approach 6 months, the oil life monitor chooses whichever is expected to occur first, a mileage limit or a time limit.

GM's oil life monitor is a lot more advanced and thoughtfull, as it just takes into account how the vehicle is driven (cold, hot, idle time, counting revolutions, etc.).

mschmal

More Advanced at putting money in dealers pockets is what it sounds like.

Mark.

gerardtn

When I had an impala with the oil change monitor, it would go over 6 months before I was required a change. So this actually contradicted my dealers recommendation.

rick2456

No wonder Ford is losing money and customers. I for sure have bought my last Ford even though I took a 25 year break from them (my last one was a Ford Maverick that I had in HS).

coldcranker

"More Advanced at putting money in dealers pockets is what it sounds like. "

mschmal, Not at all. The sophisticated GM algorithm, similar to what BMW uses as well, actually allows more miles than the dim-witted Ford method of time/mileage, which usually results in unnecessarily frequent oil changes. My '03 Chevy went 8,000 miles between changes in mixed driving, and my '01 BMW 525i went 9,000 miles. Ford, in those situations, would waste oil/time/money at the default 5,000 miles, making more money for their dealers.

coldcranker

"I for sure have bought my last Ford "...

Some models of Ford are good, some aren't. Ford F-150 is competitive, Freestyle is great, Edge not quite, Focus is good, etc.

fordenvy

I guess he hasen't been so lucky with Fords. With Fords it is all about luck some people may never have problems where others are plagued with problems. I myself fall under the lucky column.

bruneau1

Among the domestic brands, Ford does better than either Chrysler or GM and even European brands, but not as good as the Japanese.

fordenvy

Thats true, in the CR magazine.
1toyota
2honda
3ford
4gm
5chrysler
6hyundai
7vw

Ford having 3rd place for reliability and having the worst financial problem is bad management (Bill and Friends).

coldcranker

Fordenvy is confused. rick2426 was the user who said he wouldn't buy another Ford. Also, Fordenvy is missing the point. You buy the best quality designed car to maximize your chances of having good reliability, and choose a good performing design to get satisfaction when it does work.

scakat

I rotated the tires on my 2006 Freestyle and now I've got a humming noise coming from the front wheels. Air pressure checked, rotation done properly. Are they out of alignment? Other posts are saying that there are no lube points. It's not getting any worse, but it's odd that it started right after the rotation.