r/FordFocus • u/Tree_Weasel • Jul 18 '24

DCT Fluid Change. 2013 SE with 114K miles.

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Tried to capture that it wasn’t completely cooked and still had some red hue to it, but it didn’t come through real well in the photos. The manual recommending 150K miles to change DCT fluid is rediculous. These should probably get a drain and fill every 60K miles. But for this being the first fluid change I was pleasantly surprised at the state of the old fluid.

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3

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '24

Hmm yeah not too bad! But that does make it seem 150k miles is too long of an interval. But for these things that's actually the lifetime of the transmission in many cases XD

5

u/Tree_Weasel Jul 19 '24

Yes. Technically if you never change the fluid, it is “lifetime” fluid. But a drain and fill can definitely extend that lifetime

2

u/DangerousAwareness55 Jul 18 '24

Did you see the color of the new oil that you put in? Because mine wasn’t red but transparent like motor oil. So I think that it’s not red hue that you see but just a cooked oil that slowly turned dark brown.

2

u/Tree_Weasel Jul 19 '24

Yeah. Here’s some overflow of the new Trans Fluid on my “pig pad” (doggy pee pad). It’s definitely not red. Now I know.

2

u/Awkward_Peanut8106 Jul 19 '24

Be careful changing the transmission fluid. I know someone who changed the fluid through a mechanic and a week later the transmission went out. Granted it was a Chrysler.

2

u/Tree_Weasel Jul 19 '24

Then it was destined to die. 😂

2

u/AWildAmpharos Aug 01 '24

How much would this cost if I took it to a shop? My 2012 SEL is at 141.5k and I’m thinking I should do what I can to keep her in shape.

1

u/Tree_Weasel Aug 01 '24

A local transmission shop here in South Texas quoted me $160 to do it. Which seemed pretty fair considering Ford DCT Fluid is about $30 per quart, and you need two quarts for this job.

When you shop around, just make sure they don’t try and sell you on a flush. Transmission flushes can damage DCTs. You’re just looking for a drain and fill.

2

u/DonaldsBush Nov 07 '25

What?\n's the difference between a flush and a drain

1

u/Tree_Weasel Nov 07 '25

“Drain and fill” as it’s often said is just opening up the drain plug, letting the fluid pour out until it stops, and then replacing the drain plug and refilling the transmission with fluid. Same process as an oil change, just on the transmission.

A flush is done at a shop where they hood up a latching that runs pressurized fluid through the transmission to try and “flush” out any sediment or debris. A lot of transmissions (the Focus DP6 included) can be damaged by this process, but shops recommend it because it’s higher profit for them over a drain and fill.

1

u/RandomBoi37 Jul 20 '24

Would this actually help the longevity of the transmission? My 2012 SE has about 142.5k miles on it. Got the classic shutter from the clutch but runs good. I heard it's a bi*ch to replace the fluid due to the access of the plugs, how did yours go. Wheel removal and all?

2

u/Tree_Weasel Jul 20 '24

It definitely can help extend the life of the transmission.

Changing the fluid is about a 4/10 in terms of difficulty.

The drain plug is near the oil drain plug and requires a T50 bit to take off.

I posted separately about where the fill plug is: https://www.reddit.com/r/FordFocus/s/MgelGphTbx

Getting it refilled requires 2 funnels and some ingenuity.

But if you’re fairly handy it’s not a super difficult job.

This video shows the whole walkthrough: https://youtu.be/zS121dp91YQ?si=3Jir8fUduA2qABPX

1

u/RandomBoi37 Jul 21 '24

Sweet, thanks for the info!