jmcgliss

Well done. No reason it won't keep going for twice that distance.

Wow, that's not very long for actuators to last. Does the dash have to come out, or just the center stack? For reference, I just went through this with a 2005 Subaru Legacy at 192,000 miles, so concerned that Fords and Lincolns might fail sooner.

Yes, he tried the heat method, but I was not there to see if he also froze the plug. His Torz bit started to twist and that's when a timeout was called. Update: Our Ford dealer's parts department was able to order the two plugs that arrived in 2-3 days. A Torx T-50 Plus bit is needed. The fill plug not only has threads but a shoulder above that - which makes getting penetrant in there difficult (and conversely helps prevent leaks). It's a different design from an oil drain plug with crush washer.

Looks great! I seriously getting a Town Car after shuttling work colleagues through dark, fog, and rain from Pueblo, CO to the Denver airport (flight was diverted due to weather). Traction and visibility inspired confidence, and my mates still talk about that drive, getting us to Denver while restaurants and hotel beds were still available. Maybe one with railroad rails welded on each end is the perfect retirement vehicle ?

After several dealers refused to replace our PTU fluid on a 2015 MKZ 2.0 AWD, our independent mechanic gave it a shot. 38,000 miles on the clock. Our PTU does have a drain plug (requires a T50 Plus Torx bit), but he could not get the smaller fill plug loose. Says he'll only try harder if I bring a spare plug, just in case. Edit: Our Ford dealer ordered drain and fill plugs, so that was easy. Could not find them online. First photo is the drain plug. Second photo is the fill plug.

Thank you for posting the disassembly sequence.

Have you checked for a damaged wheel speed sensor? A long shot, but perhaps the impact (or the shop workers) damaged the part or wiring.

Sorry I'm late to the discussion. I replaced mine because the fuel door was sagging. A plastic pin/stop on the hinge wears out or breaks. You can repair the original assembly with a metal cotter pin (stronger solution). See photo. I removed the wheel and inner fender liner. Boy do those recycled fiber liners hold a lot of water and dust. Using the smallest plastic trim removal tool, I was able to pry the pocket loose - but perhaps it would have been easier had I also pushed it out from the inside. I recall having to do something with the fuel filler hose - like moving spring clamp or drain line. Sorry the photo is not the best angle.

Thank you very much. Will consider this after my Sync2 to Sync3 conversion. Good to know there isn't under-dash work involved.

One thought to consider. What is a "new" battery? I decided to bypass the dealer's BS and install an aftermarket battery in our 2015 2.0L. Autozone had three in my size with old date labels. They tested out at 20% capacity (the one they were going to sell me even after asking if they were fully charged), 45% capacity, and 68% capacity. I walked out. BatteriesPlus! down the street had a Duracell at 78% capacity so I bought it. The smart charger brought it up to full charge, and I attached an extension plug to connect a battery maintainer without opening the hood every time. Takeaway: Don't assume a new battery is fully charged.

After logging daily voltage data from August and September I let the Lincoln dealer have a look. My confidence is not 100% after the service writer said the following: "These cars have generators, not alternators" What? It's a 2015 2.0L turbo. "We pulled several body module codes that indicate a low voltage condition". Well, yes. That's why I'm here. The Service Manager called at end of day with the following: "The battery tested fine several times" even though last month's QuickLane receipt says "Battery Weak". The data I provided proves the battery will sag from 100% to 30% in 2-3 days (getting worse). "There is virtually no draw...like .02 to .03 OHMS versus Ford spec of <.05". That's good news, but he said Ohms, not Amps? Update: With no draw detected they had no TSB's or prior knowledge to go on. And without being towed in dead, they left the battery in place. I do have heat-reflective material to cover this battery, and the next one that I buy. Voltage drop (at rest) is still about .1 volt per day regardless of what their draw in Ohms says.

Thanks for posting the link, rubyinla.

In our case, the dealer assured me they reset the battery age. However, at 18 months I tried the folklore sequence (which escapes me now) and did manage to get a dashboard confirmation of BMS reset. I also read that hitting the Lock button twice (horn beeps) will cause the vehicle to deep-sleep it's modules sooner than just pressing Lock one time. We'll see if that changes anything.

Thank you for the additional insight. Will post some data after another day of logging values from the smart charger's display. The question I have is why this Motorcraft MAX battery is considered "toast" after less than two years? Systemic charging issues, or is a bad batch of batteries also involved?

Disappointed this design is not coming to the U.S. Which reminds me, we would have purchased at least one Mondeo wagon if they were sold here.

Thanks, 02LincLS. We store the key inside the home, several rooms away from the garage. I do pay attention to the center screen - the Lincoln logo does fade to black pretty soon after opening and closing the door. Am still compiling a spreadsheet of voltage data under different conditions. Will post when I have more data points. I will say that instead of seeing 14.x volts on every start-up and drive cycle, there are times when the voltmeter is only showing 13.2 volts. That does seem to be within range of PCM management, though. Our other cars (2005 Subaru's) run at a constant 14.x volts. The difference when we take road trips is opening and closing all the doors and trunk quite a few times in a given day compared shorter a local trips on my own. But we don't run all the features like AC, nav, stereo, and lights the way some drivers might. 18 months ago we had the dealer reflash the trunk module that seemed like a solution (and install a new battery) - and it may have been - but I may have waited too long (5 days) to drive the car again after our 1500 mile trip. The question is how Ford/Lincoln will handle this if the car is brought to them with a charged-up battery and not towed in dead.

I started a thread since I have more data about our battery issues. Twenty months ago the dealer replaced our Motorcraft battery with a Motorcraft Max battery, and also re-flashed the trunk module. That seemed to have cured a recurring dead battery issue (the third battery since 2015). We road trip the car often plus some local trips, so it's not just a short-trips-only situation. I also use a battery tender if we expect prolonged down time. In fact I used the Battery Tender to juice up the battery before our trip. After a recent 500-mile road trip where we drove the car often at our destination then drove 500 miles home, the battery was completely dead after just a few days in the garage. Went to wash it and no start, no dash lights, nothing. A voltmeter I can read while driving shows 14.5 volts at start-up. This quickly drops to 12.8v to 12.9v at idle. Voltage while driving seems week at just 13.1 volts. When decelerating the volts bump up briefly to 14.5v then they drop to 12.8- to 12.9v while idling at a light. With ignition OFF, the voltage reading drops quickly 12.5v >>> 12.4v >>> 12.3v >>> 12.2v. This afternoon the at-rest voltage was 11.9volts so there is a draw somewhere. Bluetooth is turned off, no phone is paired, and our 3G modem was disabled by Ford in February (but could that modem still be trying to connect to something)? In two weeks I have an appointment for the dealer to check the alternator, and belt tensioner. Am I missing anything else?

Is it possible a backing plate got bent (e.g. when re-mounting the wheel) just enough to rub against the rotor? Had that on a different car where it was worse when turning.

Adding to the topic...our 15-month-old Motorcraft battery went completely dead a day after returning from a 3-day road trip. The MKZ had also been on numerous 1-day road trips this summer with no issues and no "conserving battery power" alerts. It was on a Battery Tender prior to the trip as a precaution. We drove 500 miles, then another 250 miles doing local stops at our destination, with 500 miles home. If dealerships blame "short trips" are the cause of low voltage, why did our battery slump after a week of constant use? We don't run the AC, radio, or Nav that much either. But the trunk did get opened and closed quite a few times, followed by hours of run time that should be charging the battery. I'll even switch to Sport mode periodically to boost engine revs if I feel we've been cruising too long at low rpm's. I think we need a definition of what's considered hard use on these batteries. If the dealer 15 months ago forget to reset the Battery Age monitor, would that reduce charging levels? Update: The car was dead again this morning after a period of active driving then five days of no driving. Will go through the recharge ritual again and have them measure capacity again. A second Ford dealer claims that the Motorcraft MAX batteries (which we have) are "junk" and they don't sell them. Seriously?

Just came across word that the auto industry will be affected by the removal of 3G support in 2022 by AT&T, T--Mobile, Verizon and possibly other networks. Will our 2015 MKZ lose features that rely on Wi-Fi connectivity? Our Lincoln Way app appears to allow remote connectivity and status monitoring (oil life, fuel level, tire pressure alert, and location). Does this only affect certain model years? A Popular Science article from 2020 indicated that Ford had issued no guidance in terms of vehicles affected, or remedies.

We had a similar experience this summer on the Indiana tollroad when a sudden downpour swamped the OEM Michelin MXM's with 30,000 miles. The Continental DSW06's we've had on other cars have been tenacious into the 30K-40K mileage range. For snow, they will lose some capability as the rubber ages but overall the Extreme Contacts deliver.

I've felt that same hurt since the 2000's when you could only buy a Fusion wagon (Mondeo) abroad. So, in 2000 left Fords and bought a new Subaru Legacy wagon (5spd). In 2005 we bought the new upgraded Legacy GT wagon (turbo 5spd) that we still love, and in 2012 we bought a used Legacy GT sedan (turbo 5spd) that we still love. That said, we're not Outback buyers (CVT's, fake cladding, stilted handling) so a performance Fusion/MKZ wagon would be the ticket, not a Focus ST or Edge ST. The MKZ is our highway cruiser while the Subaru's are the daily drivers (So Subaru gets our parts business also). Upmarket, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake and Mercedes E400 wagon is what, $80K, leaving headroom for a middle market wagon on an existing platform that could have sold for 20 years.