Electric Vehicle Forums - Transmission Issue? Slipping?

I bought mine with 175k miles, attached a tow hitch and noticed leaking since then , always drove as you mention high rev and low torke in reverse, then needing to release gas pedal for transmission to catch up the gear , then started to hear at 201k miles a poping clunk noise when movements from drive to reverse and reverse to drive, replacing the stabilizer links , solved the clunk while shortly experienced aluminium grinding at the transfer case , after the grinding came sudden stops and loss of power from transfer case seeming to be transmission issues. but now it cracked with a full load of passengers at my corner. DONT TAKE IT TO DEALER . or any transmission place. the transfer case is same from other ford vehicles,
I had previously replaced the driveshaft support bearing and U-joint and knew this not to be the problem. There was significant play in the output shaft of the PTU (especially when comparing it to the new [salvage] unit).

I drained the PTU fluid and discovered it to be black with metallic particles (looked like black metallic paint). I do not believe it had ever been serviced by the previous owner (and I will surely be servicing it annually from now on). I bought it with fairly low miles (70k) in 06/14 and it is my second FEH. To my knowledge, this is not advised as a normal maintenance item by Ford (but it absolutely should be). I drive about 50k a year, so this will be yearly for me now along with the transaxle fluid. This procedure was performed in 07/15 at 115k.

As a side note, I also opted to perform other preventive maintenance while I was into it, including replacing control arms, ball joints, ABS tone rings, and both inner/outer tie rod ends. I’ll also say that the inner tie rod ends were surprisingly more worn than expected, so be sure to check them. All of these parts (except the inner tie rod ends) should be standard stock, shared components with the conventional Escape. The inner tie rod ends are a hybrid-only component (due to the different steering rack), but the only apparent difference is the omission of a boss on the inner threads.

I will assume you have access to the service procedures, since this isn’t a job for novices. I am only trying to point out the differences I encountered,

1) Drain the transaxle. The drain plug is facing the rear on the driver’s side.
2) Remove the halfshafts. You’ll need to remove the right hand support bracket with 2 bolts.
3) The exhaust manifold will need to be disconnected from the block to allow sufficient lateral clearance to remove the PTU. It’s also advisable to remove the heat shield for maximum clearance, though I’m not sure it’s entirely necessary.

A quick note about the PTU: I sourced mine from a salvage yard and after much research and discussion amongst salvage operators and FoMoCo, it appears that the transfer cases are all interchangeable going back to at least 2003. There are indeed (7) different "models", but these were apparently design-modified many times. The business ends of it are the same. You need not necessarily obtain a transfer case from a hybrid unit.

4) Remove the 6 bolts securing the PTU to the block and bracket.
5) Remove the PTU support bracket.
6) Remove the PTU.
7) Remove the transaxle halfshaft seals.

(Additional steps and photos forthcoming)

A VERY important note about the eCVT half/intermediate shaft seals. I was initially unsuccessful in sourcing these seals as all local autoparts distributors (AutoZone, NAPA, Carquest, Advance, and O’Reilly) indicated the incorrect part (Do NOT accept 481181V or 3622S). According to FoMoCo, this is an issue with the interchange software not differentiating the Aisin eCVT transmission on the hybrids. The seals are dealer-only, but also be aware that the parts lookup at your Ford dealership is also incorrect. Make no mistake, if your FEH is at least 2005-2007, the seals you will need are:

Right (Passenger) Side: Motorcraft 5M6Z-1177-RA "SEAL" (Made in Japan)
Left (Driver) Side: Motorcraft 5M6Z-1177-LA "SEAL" (Made in Japan)

Here is a breakdown of my bill of materials:

Transfer Case (Salvage) from 2005 V6 XLT w/ 70,000 miles: $160
Both Control Arms with Integral Ball Joints: $80
Inner & Outer Tie Rod Ends: $70
Transaxle Seals: $30
Mercon V ATF (6 Qts): $30
75W-140 Gear Lube: $15
stabilizer links 30$