TourGuide

Some of the 19-24 PTUs have the drain plug and some do not. This topic has been discussed previously and seems to generate a fair amount of interest every time it comes up. I have already expressed my feelings toward ford on this topic (they were less than positive) so I will refrain from adding them again here. It is fair to say two things on this topic - 1.) These transfer cases are poor engineering decisions on a couple of levels. 2.) Specifically - not ONE of these products should have ever rolled off the assembly line without a drain and fill plug on a gear box.

I used crutchfield as a way to source information and options. You may find some useful help there.

With enough money anything is possible. What you need is someone who knows their aftermarket sound really well in order to get the results you want. I haven't seen much discussion about that topic on this forum but will admit I haven't looked for it either. For me, the B&O system is pretty acceptable for an OE application and I decided it was enough for me. At least it isn't a sh*tty BOSE setup like so many GM vehicles have been using for years. I hated those things in every GM product I drove.

Not today - but recently - Restore and protect oil change #2 with an amsoil filter - evac and refill with amsoil severe gear for the ptu - brake flush - and BG44k fuel injector system cleaner. At 86k I am trying the maintain and fix strategy as a cheaper alternative to buying new.

That press release looks to me like they planned to relabel they BG44K in the Ford branded package. I can vouch for the 44K stuff in the 2.7. Having used it, the stuff is legit.

Yeah, right now it is fairly easy to spot. As generative ai gets better and better I worry about being able to tell the difference at some point - and the 'test' becomes something like - can I find an actual person living at an actual address who appears in this video? When that becomes the way to tell real from generated - oh boy... What I would like to know is WHO thought I wanted ANY of this nonsense in the first place?!

More and more of this AI slop garbage showing up on youtube lately. It is super easy to generate and the title alone to me says it is clickbait someone is generating to drive their revenue stream from the platform. When I run across these things I block youtube from suggesting the channel again, but it is a wackamole game sadly.

My current edge has this problem and I am pretty sure it is a tire tread pattern issue with grooved pavement. The bridgestones I'm driving on came new with this car (used purchase) and they have three deep center channels that run the circumference of the tire. It is my theory that these channel edges catch the grooves and walk with them until they change direction leading to the 'walk back and forth' motion from the rear end. It is my belief that any tire with pronounced center channels will have this problem. I've driven the same grooved roads before with nokian tires and not experienced the same motion. This is my professional amateur pseudoscientific theory of tire drift on grooved pavement.

A sound that changes with speed and steering direction like that in my experience is usually a wheel bearing. One that loud should be pretty easy for a mechanic to find. Those will often lead to ABS sensor errors when they get really bad. Pretty common problem as a vehicle ages if that is what it is.

It sounds like the former owner(s) of this edge didn't believe in maintaining those parts. The front differential Ford calls the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) and has been notably harder to service when it lacks a drain plug. These can leak over time and either need to be replaced or have the seals replaced to repair them. Sometimes the seal replacement works sometimes not. Rear differential usually just needs to be replaced when it expires. The two problems are usually unrelated to each other. The bottom line is that both tend to be bigger jobs (more $) the last time I saw someone post a figure for the PTU it was around $1800 and the rear differential replacement I haven't seen anyone give a figure for but imagine it would be a similar amount or more. If this is in the budget you want a tech working on this who knows what they are doing and will stand behind their work. Sorry to hear about the trouble - good luck.

He cracks me up with the props - good information there - something I have long suspected now backed up with data.

I ran a can of BG44K cleaner through a few weeks ago. I gained ~2 mpg from this I believe after looking at the mileage. I am pretty sure this edge had never had the injector cleaner treatment before this. So if you have an edge with more than 60K and have never had it done - I would say it is worth it. I also switched at the last oil change to Valvoline restore and protect. I have had good results with my wife's escape on this oil - so I will see how it does in the Edge.

I will admit to being a bit of a maintenance overkill kind of guy. I grew up with a dad who didn't believe in worrying about things like changing the oil in our small engines and such. He seemed surprised every time when it would start 'making odd noises' then stop working. When the current state of our geopolitical situation gets to me - I like to direct my attention to other things - like oil pump belts. It helps me feel more in control of my situation. This belt is a silly design weakness in this engine - similar to the lack of a drain plug in some of the ptu units for the awd models.

If I end up going for this repair and the car has lasted that long trouble free - I would do the sprockets too. The labor involved in taking the front of the motor apart would almost make skipping that step silly I think.

The chain guides system as well as the chain itself are all wear items to a degree (moving parts). In addition to changing out that oil pump belt - which in my case is the main motivation personally - changing out those items ensures that this engine goes the distance for me as I plan to drive this vehicle as far as it will take me. It is a big job since the entire front of the engine comes off - so preventative maintenance I guess is the ultimate goal. My economic assessment is that it is cheaper to maintain/repair than buy new these days. I'll see - maybe someone will arrive on the scene with an EV that is reasonably priced - don't laugh - it could happen....